Confession #2: I do not always make the healthiest choices.

Just because my numbers have been good, doesn't mean I'm always following the rules of eating healthy.

I confess! I do fall off the healthy eating wagon.  The last couple months, I've been extra busy.  It's been hard to find time to cook and prepare fresh snacks.  I own that I could make time and that I could scale back on my commitments.  I love my busy life, though, and it keeps me moving.  So, I'm not trading it in.

About the end of March I noticed that my numbers were starting to creep up a little.  In fact, I had taken my A1C down to 5.3 while I was singing and dancing in a show last year.  I have a sneaky suspicion, I'm now back to 5.9 (or possibly higher).  I'll find out next month.

I started thinking about it and I realized it's because, while I've been busy, I've been making some not-so-healthy choices.  I will have 2, 15 carb gram, bags of crunchy munchies in a day instead of the 1.  I'll have store bought mashed potatoes instead of corn.  I'll have a couple sandwiches in a day instead of a sandwich and a meal.  I also noticed that I was "stuffing" myself at meal times.  I had gotten good at eating til I was full, but lately, I'd been eating until I was stuffed.

When I fall off the wagon, there are guidelines I follow to help me get back on track.

1. Don't panic!!  My first instinct is to panic and run right to the grocery store to buy the healthiest food I can find.  I followed that instinct once.  All the healthy food I bought went bad because I didn't eat it. So, this is NOT helpful.
2. Choose in the moment.  I find it's better to choose in the moment instead of forcing myself to eat healthy.  So, the next grocery trip I look for foods that sound good.  Then I ask myself what the healthier option may be.  I don't trade in my mashed potatoes for broccoli.  I trade my mashed potatoes in for some new potatoes this week.  I like new potatoes, but I don't eat as much of them as I do mashed potatoes.  So, I still get my potatoes, but I'll eat a healthier portion.
   
   Gradually, by honoring my craving with healthier alternatives, I stop craving the bad foods.
   
   The same applies to stuffing myself.  Each meal, I choose to stuff myself less. I find that if I have a pile of tasty, healthy snacks in the house, this is easier.  For some reason when I'm in stuff myself mode, I worry I'll be starving later.  If I know that's not true, I can choose to eat a little less.  As I continue to reduce how much I eat in a sitting, it gets easier to not want to stuff myself.
   
   A few weeks later (sometimes longer) and I'm back on track.
3. Learn from my mistakes.  Usually, when I fall off the wagon, it's because something has changed and I haven't taken the time to figure out how I want to manage it.  I need to learn how to incorporate it into my life.
   
   This year, I've been out of the house/office a lot more.  I've been doing things in the evenings and my business has been busier than I'm used to, so snack times are rushed.  I have not quite figured out how to do busy life and eating healthy.  Now that I'm aware of this change, I'm looking for new ways of coping.  I've discovered low-carb frozen dinners with a little side dish (30 grams of carbs or less) are good between work & evening activities.  Then I eat again after the activity (again, 30 grams or less).  So far, this works well.  In fact, because I'm in a hurry, I don't really care what I eat.  I just need to eat so I can enjoy my evening without a low.  As long as I have quick, healthy choices, there is no choice.  I just eat what's there.
   
   
4. There is no bad girl here.  Sometimes my brain wants to blame myself and get all mean.  I put the k' abash on that really quick. Things happen.  I'm not perfect.  Always eating healthy does take work and sometimes I get off track.  That's ok.  I'm human and I accept my flaws.  What's important is choosing to get back on track.  It's always a choice.  If I focus on making that choice, I get back to where I want to be.
5. Celebrate!  Once I feel I'm back on track, I celebrate.  I congratulate myself and do something for me.  I've been known to buy clothes to celebrate weight loss.  I'll give myself a techy toy.  I'll dance around shouting "I rock!!" When Hubby's not home, of course (he doesn't need to witness that).  Pat myself on the back.  Give myself a hug.  Brag to Hubby or a friend who loves to hear these things.  Anything to celebrate getting back on track because darnit, I did the work to get back and I deserve to celebrate that.  

I'm in the process of getting back on track.  It make take me until the end of May, but I'm definitely moving in the right direction.  

What do you do to get back on track?

Tuna and Noodle Casserole Diabetic Makeover.

Hubby and I really enjoy tuna & noodle casserole.  It's been one of our staple dishes since we started living together way back in 1996.  In fact, we love it so much, we usually would polish off a whole casserole in one sitting.  Just the two of us!

Since I was diagnosed with Diabetes, we've stayed away from tuna & noodle casserole.  I mean, the name of it just screams glucose high.  This week, I was feeling a bit creative.  I wanted to reinvent the dish to be a lot less carb, but keep it just as yummy and filling as it always was.  Yes, me, the non-cook is coming up with new ideas on her own.  It's scary and someone should write this down on the calendar.

I knew I'd need to cut down on the noodle part, but what do I replace it with?  Veggies!!  This has been my answer to a lot of things lately.  I happen to know that the more veggies I eat, the better my numbers are.  This is likely because I eat less carbs if I eat more veggies.  Lately, I've been throwing broccoli and mushrooms into one-dish meals to make the carbs stretch farther.

Most recipes for diabetics that are low-carb and one-dish use a lot of pepper and onion or zucchini.  Um, well, Hubby doesn't like squash and I have acid reflux flare ups with onions and peppers.  I also notice with a lot of the low-carb tuna & noodle casseroles, they were still so high on the noodle carbs that there was no way I could eat half a casserole.  So, I got thinking.  What if I throw in my new carb stretching, veggie amplifying solution to one-dish meals; broccoli and mushrooms?  

Not only did I add broccoli and fresh mushrooms, but I also added some shredded carrots to the dish.  The best part is, I could still eat half the casserole and only eat 42 grams of carbs (my allowance is 45!).  Oh joy!!  Just like old times.  Hubby and I made short work of it tonight, although, I pretty sure he ate more than half.  We both loved this dish!  We will certainly make it again.

Below, I share the ingredients for my old way of doing tuna & noodle casserole along with the full recipe and directions for the new way.  Here's a picture of the finished product.  It looked so much more tasty than the usual stuff I used to make.  I couldn't wait to dig in.

 OLD INGREDIENTS:
1 can of mushroom soup
1 can of peas
1 jar of mushrooms
2 cans of tuna
2-3 cups of uncooked pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste.
(I don't even want to think about how many carbs there were!)

NEW RECIPE:
Servings: 4 (for Hubby and I it's 2)
Total Starch Carbs for the entire recipe: 65.5 grams (27g noodles, 22.5 grams mushroom soup, 13 grams peas, 3 grams milk)
Starch Carbs: 16 grams (for me, 42 grams)


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 of a lb. frozen broccoli florets
8 oz. fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 cup uncooked egg noodles (whole grain, if possible)
1/3 can of peas
2 cans water packed tuna
1 can of low fat mushroom soup
1/4 cup 2% lowfat milk
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste
(Note: I might add a little bit of onion to the veggie mix next time.  Just enough for flavor.  Not enough to upset my tummy.)

Directions:
Cook noodles as directed on package.

While noodles are cooking, heat oil in large skillet.  Add broccoli, mushrooms and carrots to the skillet.  Saute until broccoli is tender and mushroom juices are mostly gone.

Combine veggie mixture, noodles, tuna, soup, milk and peas in a casserole dish.  Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (more if you like the top brown and crunchy).  Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.  CAUTION: Broccoli will be extra hot.

We had salad along side the dish.  Next time, I might add a fruit for dessert.  

Post Prandial Glucose (2 hrs after): 97. Woohoo!

I do not like Frankenfood.

I don't mind substituting a few things, but I can't stand eating Frankenfood.  As defined by Hubby, Frankenfood is a food that is supposed to look and taste like a food that it's not.  For example: tofu balogna.

Hubby and I can't stand Frankenfood. I don't want food that's pretending to be something it's not (I'm the same with people, btw).  If I want a burger, I want a burger and that's just all there is to it.  Don't give me a Tofu burger.  It just doesn't taste right and it won't cure my craving for a burger.

Since my diagnosis of Diabetes, I've had people offer me all sorts of Frankenfood.  Cauliflower mash vs. mashed potatoes, egg crust vs. bread crust for pizza, spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti etc...  Have you tried spaghetti sauce on squash?  Yuck!  

Every time I try a Frankenfood, I am sadly disappointed.  I know the people who suggest these things are well-meaning.  They don't want me to give up my favorite foods. What they don't realize is that I'm not giving up anything. I'm just reducing the quantity I eat and finding new things I like.  Just because I'm diabetic, doesn't mean I'll starve.

Instead of eating Frankenfood, I WILL make simple substitutions.  I'll use whole grain pasta, corn tortillas and corn starch instead of white flour products and I'll happily eat smaller portions.  I'd rather do that than eat food that tastes nothing like what it's trying to be.  

I also look for dishes that make sense.  The zucchini pizza bites I posted on this blog make sense.  Zucchini and marinara go well together.  Why not add pizza toppings?  I've been known to make ground chicken tacos instead of using beef.  Chicken tacos are a real thing and they taste good.  I really enjoy Parmesan crusted food and it's way lower in carb than regular breading (usually 50% lower).  I'm even willing to skip the mashed potatoes if there is a delicious side dish made with some great veggies.

 I accept that some people actually like Frankenfoods.  Do you?  If so, chow down and enjoy.

What are your favorite substitutions? 

Beef with Portabella Garlic Sauce and Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

This week's cook at home dinner included one of my favorite main dishes.  Garlic Beef & Portabella Mushrooms served over a tiny bit of whole wheat egg noodles. I really enjoy using pre-made sauces, because it saves me a bunch of time that I don't have.  So, I used Progresso's Portabella Mushroom Recipe Starter pouch.  They have the recipe right on their website.

My favorite part of this dish is that the meat and mushrooms are very filling.  Plus, without the noodles, it's really low in carb, so I can have two servings of steak and sauce if I'm extra hungry.  Of course, I was starving tonight!  So, I totally had that second serving.

I also tried a new a new side dish recipe: Garlic Broccoli Parmesan.  This is my new favorite way to make broccoli (Thank you, Pinterest!).  I will definitely be making it again.  It went perfect with my garlicy beef dish too.

All Yummy!  Plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.  Is it tomorrow yet?

Stats:
Hubby Approved?  Yes on the beef and noodles, no on the broccoli (he isn't a cheese fan, so that says nothing about whether it's really good or not.).
Pots/Pans: 2 Pots, 1 Skillet
Starch carbs for the meal: 48 grams (2 servings of steak, 1/2 serving of noodles).
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
NOTE: I usually take longer than most recipes say they are supposed to take.  So, you may be able to do it faster.  :)

To make it easy, I used frozen broccoli and pre-sliced mushrooms.  I put the Broccoli in a pot steaming on low and had a pot of water ready to boil for the noodles before I started on the steak part.  After the steak was done, I started the noodles.  Towards the end of simmering the steak dish, I drained the noodles and mixed up the broccoli.  Voila!  Dinner.

Recipes

Beef with Mushroom Garlic Sauce
Servings: 4
Carbs per serving: 9 grams (starch carbs)
Recipe: http://www.progresso.com/recipes/beef-tenderloins-with-mushroom-garlic-sauce/320d89b8-65fa-44b6-bd0f-6a9be47bbd58
Recipe alteration: I used flank steak and cut it into smaller pieces, instead of medallions.  I have tried to make this without removing the meat, but it always comes out a lot more soupy.  I don't mind it that way, though.

Garlic Broccoli with Parmesan
Servings: 4
Carbs per serving: 6 grams (non-starch green veggie carbs, so I can eat as much as I want...woo hoo!)
Recipe: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-buttery-garlic-broccoli-with-parmesan/