Taking the Next Step

As I wrote in my last post, we have had an unusually crazy year, and in addition to what I had listed, just a few weeks ago it was also realized that I am now longer the only diabetic in the house, my husband now carries that tag as well. So in an effort to get him on track with a low sugar plan, we dove into to the task of what will he eat for breakfast, for snacks and lunch while he is away from home and in an environment that leaves much to be desired for those trying to take care of themselves.

With a chicken roasted off, I made a batch of curry chicken salad that he can take for lunch, I cooked off egg cups that he can warm up for breakfast when he gets to work (he leaves the house at 4am), and prepped up a piles of raw vegetables that we can take for snacks along with the mixed nuts that he had been taking before. 

Change will always come with growing pains, making good choices is difficult and if you attempt to wing it, you can find yourself in the weeds and back at square one. It is never perfect as we make different choices and have days we fall off the wagon and need to start again. As we look at the new year, think about little changes you can make that you can handle and will be able to continue for the long haul. Making healthy changes can improve our quality of life, and if we continue to make little changes toward your goals you will have a better chance of reaching them.

It's been a busy day with shopping, and all the food prep,but with a stocked frig I think we are ready to face the week and now I can get a bit of rest between loads of laundry and crawling off to bed.

Confetti Salad

This past year has been a doozy for us, we started off with four funerals between April and June, right into a joyous time with my oldest son's wedding, a camp out, emergency bypass surgery for my Dad,  an arrest and court appearances (a family member), another funeral (my step father), and several rounds of sickness. It has seemed to be just one thing after another and I can say I'm ready to see this year come to an end and looking forward to the year to come. Praying that the coming year is a bit more settled than this past one.

I'm not one to set my self up for failure with resolutions each year, and this year is no different, but I stumble across a new book that I have taken to heart the more I've read. I had started the process of removing gluten and other grains from my diet earlier this year, but this book (and her website, listed below) had given me a deeper look into why eating this way, with even more changes, is beneficial to my health, diabetes and my weight. I've been following the plan for the past three days and my blood sugars are in normal ranges and down several pounds. So you will be seeing lots recipes that are acceptable under the guidelines of this new style of eating.

I mentioned earlier that we had the privilege of participating in my son's wedding this summer, and I provided the meal for the rehearsal, which since this was going to be an outdoor wedding, we went with a picnic on the lawn after the wrapping up the rehearsal. So today I'm sharing one of the salads we provided for that meal which with minimal changes event fits my current food plan. I've had requests for this recipe since then and I'm now getting around to posting it here so it can be shared and enjoyed by others.

Confetti Salad
1/2 lb Bacon, cooked off  & crumbled
1 Head Cauliflower
2 Bunches Broccoli
2 Carrots - small dice or grated
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1/2 Red Onion
1 C. Cheese - Grated
1 C Slivered Almonds - toasted

Chop cauliflower and broccoli into bit sized pieces, mince onion. Toss vegetables in large mixing bowl, add almonds,cheese and bacon, toss with dressing (listed below) and chill before serving.

This is a recipe that you can modify to you own taste by omitting or adding anything you want. I've left out the cheese for my non-dairy people, or the bacon for the vegetarians, or certain veg for my picky eaters. I've been known to add any stray veg that I might have in the frig, cooked asparagus, love sliced up radishes, jicama, shredded cabbage,  pretty much what ever I was in the mood for including cubed up leftover chicken made a great dinner salad on a hot evening.

Dressing
1 C Mayonnaise
1/3 C. Rice Wine Vinegar
1/4 C. Sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a sealed container (I use a mason jar) and shake. Taste and adjust sugar and salt & pepper to taste. I have also substituted Stevia for the sugar and it works just fine.

With the changes in my diet this is now my salad dressing of choice, check out Maria's Super Salad Dressing. If you snoop around here site you will see what changes I have been making.
http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/super-salad-dressing-and-mct-oils/

  

Tonight's salad modifiers included a cheater bag of Broccoli Slaw that has pea pods and other veg in it that I added chopped cauliflower, cheese, bacon & nuts, and tossed with Maria's dressing and it was just a yummy as the batch made last summer!

Shepards Pie

After doing some time under the weather and dealing with a death in the family, I've found my system out of sorts and in dire need of some clean eating. So its time to get back on track with meal planning to set my system back on a normal keel and get back to sharing my recipes with you.

So with that in mind and frost on my windows I've opted for a long enjoyed favorite with just a few modifications to meet my dietary needs.

Shepard's Pie
4 cups mashed potatoes (left over work great, especially cheesy ones, heated)
2 med onions, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
4 med carrots, diced (about 2 cups)
4 stalks celery, (1 cup)
Olive Oil
1 lb Ground beef
3 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomato, chopped 
2+ c. Chicken stock
2-3 Tbsp Arrowroot
Salt & Pepper 

Preheat oven to 350 degree.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a oven proof dutch oven (my favorite is an enameled cast iron one from Ikea), over medium heat. Saute the onions until soft and translucent. Add carrots and celery and cook an additional 10 minutes. Add ground beef, breaking it up as it browns. Add chopped tomatoes, and salt & pepper to taste.
Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Make a slurry out of the arrowroot and add to the simmering pot a little at  time until thickened into a nice gravy consistency.  
Spread potatoes evenly across the meat and gravy mixture and place in oven until lightly browned, 30 - 50 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve. No wheat, just lots of hot goodness.

See may alterations below.

Heading for the oven

Browned and bubbling up around the edges.

I used red potatoes with the skins on for my mashed potatoes, and they were mixed with sour cream, butter, milk and white cheddar w/horseradish. They were made fresh while the meat & gravy cooked.

Because everything was hot and cooked through, I was able to just put the final product under the broiler to brown off the potatoes and we were ready to eat from start to finish in about an hour, including making the mashed potatoes.

Digging in!