Monday, May 31, 2010

Fish Fish Fish!

The ONLY thing I don't like about my little town (Chewelah) is the lack of seafood.  Sure you can get frozen shrimp at the local Safeway but they don't have a seafood department at all!  Since I had to make a trip into Spokane today I decided to stop and pick up some fish.  I came home with some cod to stash in the freezer and a beautiful steel-head fillet.  I marinated it in a wasabi/ginger sauce and grilled it with a lime squeezed over.  It was SO good.  So good that Dave didn't even request the tartar sauce.  It's my pet peeve to slave over a tasty sauce and have him drown it in tartar.  Grrr!  I knew this one would be a hit so I made him taste it first.  Saved him a few calories :)

Oh the Temptation!

Holidays are always a little difficult.  This morning the stats are... 164 lbs and 106 glucose.  And that's not too darn bad considering...   we had lots of burgers and dogs, potato salad and a bean salad which would have been ok without the vinaigrette made with lots of sugar.  My mother in law made it.  It was a wonderful salad... I can make it with Spenda in the future.  I avoided the buns, only had a tiny bit of tater salad but when it came time for the fire and smores... well I just caved.  I had TWO smores AND a roasted marshmallow.  Perfectly roasted too :)  My little granddaughter Aubrey had her first smore... I just couldn't be a spectator.  I shall do better today!  I made french toast this morning and had none.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Rainy Day

Well first... 164.2lbs :( and glucose 96 :)  


Second... it's raining!  That's bad bad bad.  That means potential couch time and snacking.  Boo!  But just maybe it will go away!  This is NOT Seattle.  I'll just have to stay busy.  With little Aubrey here that shouldn't be too hard.  


Yesterday I made tacos.  Even though I had multi-grain tortillas I decided it would be best not to have a whole one so I  crisped it up really good and cut it into strips then tossed half a tortilla's worth on to a taco salad.  Aubrey ate some of the other strips so that worked out ok.  Daniel didn't fuss about the multi-grain tortilla.  He did put up a stink when I used greek style plain yogurt in the place of sour cream since I had run out of sour creme but didn't realize it so didn't buy any at the store.  But... he also put it on his second and third tacos so it couldn't have been that bad.  :)

Friday, May 28, 2010

Down Home

Well first... I'm back!  Yay!  I always love the last stretch of highway that drops down into our beautiful valley.  Its stunning and makes me think each time how very blessed I am.  I love turning into our driveway and meandering down the lane... saying hi to the horses and mules next door and the curly headed bull and then crossing on to our property and seeing the young fruit trees we planted last year. Crossing the creek and looking for Tank and Lucy to launch themselves off the porch and run out and greet me.  As I turned into the driveway this time I saw a beautiful ring neck pheasant and I wondered if it could possibly be one of the ones we raised and released.  Did any survive Tank's playful attention?  This weekend I am super excited because I brought my little granddaughter Aubrey home with me.  She is just delightful!  Well... see for yourself  :)  Yes her eyes really are that blue!

Anyway... the stats... 163.2 lbs and glucose 97.  Now that's what I'm talking about.  Came home three lbs lighter and check out my blood sugar!  I think I'm crowing just a little bit :)

Now to the down home part.  If I could instantly beam myself to any spot on the entire planet (other than my little spot in Chewelah) it would be to my parents home in  Dover TN  where at this very minute I know there are frantic preparations being made for the greatest event on earth... the annual Quinn family BBQ  aka... "the hog killin".  Now if you are a vegetarian you probably want to just stop now :)  You will not enjoy hearing about how the whole hog is slow cooked over a fire... all day and all night tended  with love and care by the best pit masters on earth.  Everyone who can make it home comes to this event.  
It's the celebration of a very special family that I am proud to have been born into.  I'm very excited that my daughter Michele will be attending since she moved to Kentucky in January.  Next year I will be there! 

Everyone arrives on Saturday.  (Ok... everyone but Robin who never comes until Sunday... she has promised everyone a pedicure this year.)  There are kids playing all over the place.  Everyone visiting.  Pa is usually riding around on his tractor and sometimes offers rides.  
Chicken and hot dogs lined up around the hog, bowls of snacks, tubs of cold drinks.  Pa and Granny will make many trips up and down the hill in the gator
 to keep the supplies flowing but most importantly of all... the pig must be tended!
 

All night long!  Usually the youngsters help keep the pit masters awake and then of course they have to decide who get's the pigs tail (insert legend of Adam and the pigs tail here).   The special BBQ sauce is provided by Jeff Quin who I believe keeps one copy in his wallet and another in one of his gun safes.  I imagine there is a note next to the recipe saying something like... here is the recipe, here is the gun... you can't have one without the other.

Early the next morning the meat will be pulled off the hog and prepared for the Sunday lunch that will be served after service at the church.  Yummy!  Everyone brings dishes to share.  Best meal of the year!   Yep... if I could be anywhere on the planet it would be down home.  

   

 

 

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Going Home Today

Yippy!  Going back home today.  Can't wait.  I'm excited for Memorial Day weekend.  My little granddaughter is coming to visit.  I can't wait to show her the baby cows :)  I don't know what I'm cooking up at my house yet.  I'm sure there will be the traditional bon fire with hot dogs and marshmallows cooked on sticks.  My dogs will be very pleased.  There are usually dropped dogs for them to scavenge and little faces to lick :)  No doubt there will also be lots of salads.  The challenge will be to feed this crew with healthy food and make it so good they won't feel like they are on a diet too.  I need to stop saying diet and start thinking of it as a way of life because I am already aware that once a diet is over... all the weight lost will come back really quickly.  Been there done that!

Last night I met some friends for dinner and they suggested Baja Fresh Mexican Grill.  It was very good.  Very casual.  Inexpensive, and I was able to find something healthy and tasty to eat.  I had a mahi mahi salad with a salsa verde dressing.   They had a great salsa bar too for a little extra spice.  I will keep that in mind.  It's always nice to know of restaurants where you know you can go and have plenty of healthy options.  Go online and check it out to see if there is one near you.

http://www.bajafresh.com/

Well, better get rolling!  Ciao!

Oh!  Almost forgot... glucose level this morning 107.  Not too shabby... still need to reduce a few points but it's so much better than 155!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

My Reward

My reward for throwing away that bun was a glucose level this morning of 106.  It is inching down there :)  Yippy.  Since I'm away from home I can't weigh.  I don't have my own scales.  I went to the store last night and got salad stuff for lunch today and a new pair of jeans... which I hope will be too big soon.  Oh... and all new make up since I left mine at home :(

One of the things I LOVE about my job is that I am able to work from my home office most of the time so I can pop down ot the kitchen and whip up something tasty.  The variety of ready to use salad products available in the grocery stores these makes it easy to pick something up when I'm away from home and have a healthy lunch so... no excuses!  :)  I can usually get a nice little salad kit for a reasonable price.  Today I have chicken with cranberries and a vinegarette.  I tossed the croutons in the trash :)  Hard core!

If I can get through tonight without eating something nasty and wonderful I should be good to go.  I do have a lunch meeting tomorrow on my way out of town but I'm having halibut so that should work out.  I just need to avoid the delightful desserts they always have!

Ciao!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

On the Road

Made it!  Another beautiful drive.  Didn't start raining until I got across the mountains.  Typical!  About the time I hit Ellensburg I got really hungry so I remembered that Arbys had a nice chicken salad wrap that I though I would eat half of.  I pulled off and drove up.  They no longer had it :(  So little to choose from!  I decided to just get a regualar roast beef sandwich... ate the roast beef and one bite of the bun and threw the rest away.  Yay!  It was the saddest $3.50 I've ever spent.  Now I'm starving again... what to do???  Wonder what Lorie is cooking for dinner.  Think I'll go show up... after I go shopping because I went off and left my make up bag at home.  :(

Good News Bad News

The bad news first.  166.0 lbs :(  I may have a pistachio problem.  Or perhaps one of the sauces I used in my fried rice had MSG?  I feel all... bloaty.  Ewwww!  The good news is my glucose level is 109 so it's approaching normal.  If I can keep that up my lab reports will or should be fabulous :)

I'm off to the big city this morning - Woodinville - ha!  When I was a teenager Woodinville was hicksville - like Bothell.  Now it's grown so that its almost unrecognizable.  But Molbak's is still there.  Only it's Molbaks on steroids.  It too has grown into an amazing place.  When my friend and I first started going there back it the 70's to buy tiny little plant starts to hang from groovy macramé plant hangars it was just 4 green houses.  Now it's a real destination.  So much fun to visit.  Think I just might do that this trip.  I used to have this cool string of pearls plant that Dee really liked.  She says she can't find one anywhere.  If I find one I'll surprise her.  She is still a plant freak.  I am too but now most of my plants are outside - garden and trees.

Well better get rolling.  It will be a short trip so not too much opportunity to derail the diet.

Ciao!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Welcome to the Working Week

When I retire Monday will be my favorite day of the week!  :)

Let's see... 164.8 lbs... every ounce counts!  Glucose 124.  So... apparently it was not a great plan to grab a spoon and shovel down that tasty granola last night :(  It's not meant to be eaten by the cup full.  Still... not a disaster over all.  I think we have established that night time is my biggest danger period of the day.  I will go make some sugar free jello just to have something I can grab when I am jonesing for a treat.

I don't even have a plan for today yet.  I suppose I better do something with the rib steak I did not eat last night.  I'll browse through my new cook book Fresh Food Fast for a few ideas and let them roll around in my brain for a few hours.  I only need to get through today since tomorrow I am heading to Woodinville for a few days.  Dave hates it when I leave a fridge full of leftovers for him to consume while I am away (eating out almost every night)  so the focus on today will be to use up what ever I find in the fridge.  We did pull some ground beef out of the freezer so... if nothing else I'll just brown it up and put it back in the freezer to use later for tacos or something.  I'll think about that later.  I have a few more minutes before I have to rush off to work.  Cookbook time :)

Oh... I got it!  Teriyaki steak fried rice.  Already have the rice (a wild rice mix) and steak cooked (just have to go marinate the steak).  Have plenty of veg to chop up and goodness knows we have the eggs!  Anyone need eggs?  Just need to remember not to make fried rice for a family of six!

For lunch I'll just have a little salad with cukes, tomatoe and fresh mozzarella cheese drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Yum... I want it to be lunch time now!

Ciao!

p.s.  Yes... lunch was tasty :)

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Leftovers

So... what do you do with that last piece of halibut from dinner last night.  Well... if you are Dave you eat it because of the starving children in India.  That's what our mothers taught us right?  Don't waste anything.  Not bad advice if you can process an unlimited quantity of food.  For me over eating is a habit I developed very early.  If I had left the fish out Dave would surely have devoured it but I put it aside right out of the oven and decided to save it.  Didn't know what for - but while I was shoveling concrete today I thought it might be tasty if I made it into a salad... sort of like tuna salad... only halibut.

To make it a little lighter I used a little low fat plain yogurt along with a little low fat mayo and added chopped tomato, pickle, a few dashes of Tabasco Chipotle, a little champagne vinegar, a dash of tamari, a dash of curry powder, some pine nuts and chopped pistachios.  Oh and just a couple tablespoons of crumbled bacon.  I know!  But it just makes everything taste so good :)  I decided instead of making a regular sandwich I would plate it on a bed of spring greens and make some toast to go with it.  I used garlic sourdough bread toasted it in a grill pan brushed with a little olive oil and then and sliced up a square of pepper-jack cheese and ran it under the broiler.  I used just one slice for 4 pieces of toast.  It's got a nice strong flavor so a little goes a long way.  Of course I only ate one of those toasts.  Dave was happy to polish off my second piece.   Hmm, check out the pic... looks a little like a bird.  :)

Here's something I learned from my South Beach Diet book that I have read over and over and over again.  That book is great for learning to control type 2 diabetes since it is all about maintaining a healthy blood chemistry which leads to cardiovascular health.  Anyway... If you are going to eat bread sourdough is one of the better choices.  Because it is more acidic it doesn't breakdown and convert to sugar as quickly as other bread.  And if you have a little cheese with it even better.  Fat slows the process down too.   All things in moderation.  The key word is moderation... which is not one of my particular strengths :)

Granola

I made some granola today.  I thought I would pack some up and take it with me when I go to Woodinville (which is 350 miles away on the other side of the state from where I live in Chewelah WA - I know, I'm acting as if someone else is actually reading this.  Ha!) to visit my on-site office at Valley Supply Co.  Since I make my own granola I am able to control the amount of sugar that goes into it.  It's very simple... just old fashioned oats, some honey - just about a quarter of a cup, a little butter for flavor and then a heart healthy oil to moisten.  I add dried fruit - whatever I have in the pantry like blueberries, cherries, mango... and some chopped nuts, cinnamon, vanilla.   Since I'm adding just a small amount of honey I sprinkle it with Splenda just before it's done.  It bakes in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes... or until golden brown.

Sometimes when I need a quick breakfast yogurt and granola is just the trick. I always start with plain low-fat yogurt.  My favorite is Mountain High.  It's super thick and I can buy it in the large container.  Way cheaper.  I add in some sugar free coconut syrup, or what ever flavor I feel like and sprinkle in some of my granola.  Tasty, good dose of calcium and pretty low sugar.  While I am in Woodinville I will buy a good commercial fruit yogurt and stash it in the fridge at work and bring along some granola.  If I know I have a tasty little breakfast to look forward to it's much easier to NOT stop in for a fast food breakfast.  It pays to think ahead!

Happy Sunday :)

164.9 lbs - yes... every ounce counts :)  and the REALLY good news - glucose is 111!  I guess refraining from eating the coconut cream pie really does work :)  It always takes awhile for it to creep back down but it's coming!

I stayed up much too late last night messing around on the computer and watching old episodes of Grey's Anatomy.  Unfortunately I ate too many cashews and pistachios.  :(  Nuts are healthy but they do have a lot of calories.  I really have to watch my TV snacking!  Not sitting around on the couch would be the key :)

Tuesday I have to make a trip to Woodinville.  It's always more difficult to eat properly away from home.  I'll stop by the store and pick up some salad fixings to take to work and determine to avoid McDonald's  :)

It's a beautiful day!  I can't wait to get out and take a walk.  We have lots of work to do around the place today (and always).  Dave has convinced me to help him smooth out the concrete while he mixes and pours in the cowshed.  I would rather be doing something else... but I will be oh so happy to have the nice concrete pad out there this winter when I'm feeding the cows.  Last winter it did not stay frozen all winter long and so I had to deal with poop soup every time it thawed :(  Grooooossss!

Well better make some breakfast and get rolling... I'm thinking... bacon/roasted veg/sun dried tomato/goat cheese  fritatta.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Plans Change

So much for the rib steaks.  They just didn't thaw quickly enough so new plan!  Instead for dinner I made pesto-pistachio halibut with grilled tomatoes and steamed asparagus.  Turned out really good and I wish I had taken a pic when it first came off the grill pan - this is just left overs but still... you get the idea.

Here's a tip about pesto that I like.  I made my own last year from the basil in my garden but you can get good pesto in the grocery store these days too.  It's great to have around because you can whip up an awesome sauce instantly but it is pretty rich so I don't use much at a time and hate having to throw it out.  I started freezing it in ice cube trays and then popping the frozen cubes into a freezer bag.  It freezes beautifully, retains it's bright green color.  You can pull out only as much as you need.  I just used two "cubes" for my sauce tonight.  A little goes a long way since I am watching my girlish figure :)


Ok, enough food tripping for today!  Ciao!

Weekend Prep

I like to use the weekend as a prep day.  Today I roasted veg, toasted up some croutons, cooked up some bacon in the oven (my favorite way) and toasted some pine nuts.  I use the veg to make lots of things but primarily for my morning frittatas.  If you have the veg already done all you have to do is beat an egg, spoon the veg in and cook in a small pan on the stove top.  The bottom browns beautifully if I cook it on low and then fold it over.  Maybe broil a tiny bit of cheese over the top in the toaster oven at the end.  Healthy breakfast and pretty fast.  Dave brought home some sour dough/garlic bread so I figured I better use some of it up so I just made croutons with a tiny bit of the bacon drippings (but mostly olive oil) and a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Since I had all that stuff out I thought I'd make a panzanella of sorts for lunch.  It was tasty :)  I used mixed greens, cooled roasted veg, croutons, cukes, tomatoes, bacon, shredded fresh mozzarella and goat cheese then topped with pine nuts and balsamic vinegar - and a touch of ranch dressing.  

Tonight I think I'll make a side dish using brown rice and some of the roasted veg, maybe toss in some toasted almonds to go with a small rib steak and salad.  Sounds like a plan!

The Sun the sun!

Yay!  165.2 lbs and 124 glucose.  Moving in the right direction :)  And... they sun is out and not a cloud in the sky!  Well, ok a couple of big fat white puffy clouds.  Best of all... It's SATURDAY morning!  My absolute favorite day of the week!   It's the weekend before Memorial Day.  Better think about what I'm going to fix the fam for chow.  I did promise my little granddaughter a fire for roasting weenies and marshmallows.  Better start the self pep talks about how I'm only having the tiniest bit :)  And if I come home from the grocery store with a pounder bag of M & Ms someone just kill me - before they do :)

For exercise today I think I will go work on digging the trenches to put the railroad ties needed to improve the terraces for my strawberries and raspberries.  Oh joy!  But if I look like I'm working really hard perhaps my husband Dave will come over and "help" me :)  Or not... I think he's mixing and spreading cement in the cowshed.

Well... I better get out to the garden and see how my broccoli fared under the tarp that was supposed to protect them from this cold snap - but was so heavy that it probably crush d them.  I hate it when that happens!

A new beginning - again

Hey look ma... I'm blogging... I think :)  Well... we'll see how this goes.  Seems like a good way to narrate my food trip.  I'm pretty sure I will only ever have one reader... me.  That's ok... I just need a place to think out loud.

So... here's a bit about me.  I consider myself to be "pretty normal".  But... what do I know... what's normal?   There are a few extraordinary things in my life - like my family and my home.  I have a wonderful husband who loves me.  I have no idea why!  Sometimes I am grumpy :)  but... usually not.  We raised 6 children.  They range from 19 to 28 years old and they are in various stages of turning out great.  I have an awesome extended family.  Grew up in the south - a whole lot of family still there.  I identify very strongly with my southern roots and all the food associated with it.  Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy.  Soft fluffy rolls - oh - cornbread!  BBQ pork.  So many great cooks - so many diabetics!  I grew up pretty lean.  I was a dancer and an eater.  I had three brothers so had to compete for that second pile of mashed potatoes.  I learned very early how to pack it away and I could eat anything and as much of it as I wanted.  Yum!  Then I turned 40.  Things began to change.  My clothes begin to shrink - and shrink - and shrink :(   I really hate it when that happens.

My parents both developed type 2 diabetes as they began aging but I never imagined it might happen to me!  My dad used to come to visit and always wanted me to test my blood sugar level.  I never wanted to.  Finally I did and surprise!  I decided I better go to the doc and see what was up.  So at 48 I discovered that I was pre-diabetic and began learning a bit about that and experimenting with diet and nutrition.  I learned that if I am disciplined I can still control the diabetes with diet alone.  I discovered that with a little creativity and determination I could control my blood sugar, drop weight, have energy and feel very good about my self.  And I learned that I could as quickly blow it all and end up pudgy and feeling toxic and having the doc frown over my lab results.   So... that's where I am now.  I have a choice to make.  I can either be healthy which means developing a permanent lifestyle of moderation and good choices or give up and just become a slave to my chocolate/pasta/cookie addiction.  I think I'm going to take the challenge and "just do it".  At my last appointment my doc decided that it was time to begin taking medication for the diabetes.  I begged for just one more last chance.  So she has given me three months to show a significant improvement in my lab results. If I am unable to do that and maintain it then yes, bring on the medication - but first let's see what I can do.

Like I mentioned... I do love to cook and very fortunately I like veggies.  I know what foods trigger the blood sugar spikes.  I have a basic understanding of the glycemic index and what foods I can enjoy and which are real problems for me.  It's not that I can't or don't like healthy foods, I do!  But just one french fry leads to a whole plate of them!  Moderation is really not my strength... which is why I am in the shape I am today :(

Well... there usually is an event that triggers a lifestyle change right?  For me it was this nasty bug that caused me to eat very little for close to a week.  Once I saw I had dropped about 5 pounds I figured now was as good a time as any to start.  Of course I have been thinking a lot about my health and was working up to getting with the plan but just had not quite done it yet.  I'm not quite at my all time fattest but close.  I'm hovering between my fat and not so fat pants.  One size looks sort of baggy and the other is just not comfy.  My fasting blood sugar level in the morning has been about 155.  Not horrible but definitely out of the normal range.  To make it really simple I have learned that when I am eating right I can have a fasting or morning blood sugar level consistently right around 100 and that makes for very good lab reports so that is my goal.  I hear all the time that you shouldn't weigh yourself every day but I do.  Well... I do when I'm focusing on eating properly.  When I'm not I don't get on the scales because - well... I know what I'm going to see... I despise the numbers I am seeing on the scales right now but I'm going to throw it out there because that along with my blood sugar level is how I start my day.  So like I said... about a week ago I had the 155 blood sugar and was weighing in at right around 170 lbs.  Ugg!  This morning I was at 166.4 and blood sugar of 129.  That's an improvement.  I want to keep moving in the right direction.  Yesterday the new cookbook I ordered arrived and I'm very excited about it.  It's Cooking Light's new Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals.  Has some great recipes.  I am a cookbook and food network junkie.  I don't usually go strictly by any recipe I just get ideas and go from there.  I'm not sure why I keep buying more cookbooks - I have a zillion - but I just love them.

Ok - I am sleepy and my fingers are tired so I'm outta here!  I actually feel pretty good about my food today.  I made a killer steak salad for lunch and although I made burgers for dinner - really should have avoided the bread - the beef is very lean (grew it myself) and piled high with yummy stuff like tomatoes, red leaf lettuce, caramelized onion, fire roasted red peppers, a little goat cheese.  I had so many veggies piled high that I didn't feel the need for a side dish of any kind.  I'm sure the bun will result in a bit higher glucose in the morning but over all for the day not bad.  Perhaps a few too many cashews though :)

All right... now I'm really outta here!  Ciao!

Kathy O