is your diabetes <<controlled>>?  oh, how i DESPISE that question.  

--at this minute?  i'm 110, so, uh, yeah, i guess.  but my blood sugar 2 hours ago was 251 twenty minutes after i ate an apple for breakfast although yes, i did take insulin for it but insulin takes 2 hours to do its business, so, uh.... and a few days ago it was 53 after i ran six miles, and in five minutes it may start climbing 3 mg/dl per minute because you are stressing me out...

--I HAVE T1D and IT IS NEVER CONTROLLED.  BROKEN PANCREAS, remember?

--are you blaming me, by insinuating that i should be able to control it?

--is this some sort of judgement of me as a person?

how does one even begin to answer?

the ADA recommends an A1C goal of 7%, which you likely know thanks to your endocrinologist, family doctor, eye doctor, and anyone in the medical field or studying to be in the medical field. 

let down last fall after a visit with my endocrinologist and yet another A1C over 7%, i compiled a list of my A1C results, and found that they have always been in the 7-8% range post-teen/college years when, frankly, i remember A1Cs of 9 and 10%. 

extremely disheartened, i looked to see what others were actually achieving. 

IMMEDIATELY, I KNEW I NEEDED TO SHARE.

25,000 people with type 1 diabetes reported their last A1C to GLU.

less than 8.0--- 48%
less than 7.5--- 32%
less than 7.0--- 17%
less than 6.5--- 8%
less than 6.0--- 2%

average A1C--- 8.4%

my take-home message: keep plugging away, but don't give yourself an F for failure if you don't get to 7% or below.  sometimes the goal and what can be achieved are not one and the same.

you guys!  

you guys!

YOU GUYS!

pizza is no longer a problem!  i have solved the pizza conundrum!

thanks to my super intelligent runner friends, i have been thinking about cauliflower the past two weeks.  mollie started it off when she shared a recipe for cauliflower tortillas with rebecca on facebook.  this, only a week or so after i'd first heard of cauliflower rice, made me start thinking about cauliflower pizza crust.  was it possible?  would it be good?  quickly, i asked for a cauliflower pizza crust recipe and erin delivered with a thicker-crust recipe from fitness is delicious.

after thinking about what i like in pizza (thin, crispy crust), a little searching, and a lot of nerve, last night i finally whipped up a cauliflower pizza and it. blew. my. mind.  if  you are flour-free due to blood sugar spikes or other health-related reasons, OR EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT, you've got to try this!  

instead of waking up at 3am to correct my high blood sugar, can you believe that i woke up low?

this is amazing.

CRISPY CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST
Yield: 2 servings (half a pizza each)
Nutrition: 220 calories, 22 carbs per serving

INGREDIENTS
1 head of cauliflower, trimmed to florets without much stem
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
a few shakes of red pepper flakes, optional
1 tablespoon almond flour, optional (I did not use the almond flour)

DIRECTIONS
Cut a piece of parchment paper to the size of your pizza stone or baking sheet and set it on a large cutting board.  Place the pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.  

Wash and thoroughly dry the head of cauliflower.   Pulse the trimmed florets in your food processor until you get powdery snow-like cauliflower (you will likely have to do this in batches).   You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower "snow".   Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes.   Dump the cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool.

Once the cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the tea towel and wring out as much water as possible.  Place in a large bowl and wash your hands.

Add the cheese, spices, and almond flour (if using) to the bowl.   

Spray the parchment paper (still sitting on the large cutting board) with cooking spray or coat lightly with olive oil.  

Add the egg to the cauliflower mixture and mix with your hands.   Form the dough into a crust on the oiled parchment paper.   Pat it down thoroughly.

Using the cutting board, slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet.   Bake for 8 - 11 minutes, until the crust begins to turn golden brown.   Remove from the oven.

Add toppings -- whatever you want!  Place the topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.  DEVOUR.


SOURCE
The Lucky Penny Blog

i just donated $5 to the Spare a Rose, Save a Child campaign.  lack of access to insulin is the most common cause of death for children with diabetes in many countries around the world. in fact, in some parts of the world, the estimated life expectancy of a child who has just developed diabetes could be less than a year. one rose will provide a month of life for a child with diabetes.  

will you consider giving $5 this Valentine's Day?  love to you all.

i've been trying something new.

i don't like it.

it's hard.

it sucks.

it means no cake (which, by some magic, i've convinced myself that i don't really like anyway).

XXX

but it makes me feel better.

i'm eating 30 carbs per meal.  i've always tried to eat lower carb, but sometimes i would save all of my carbs up and eat them all at dinner.  it gets worse: at 8pm.  right before falling asleep at 9pm (that 5:30am alarm to go running requires an early bedtime!).  

the result?  354 blood sugars and several mid-night trips to the bathroom: clearly not working for me.  :(


were you aware that nutrition labels are often inaccurate?

the FDA allows manufacturers and packagers a surprisingly wide margin of error–the information can be off  by 20% in either direction and still be in compliance.  

a 60-carb meal for which i would take 12 units of insulin (my insulin to carb ratio is 1:5) could be a 72-carb meal (14 units of insulin), a 48-carb meal (10 units of insulin), OR WORSE if the label is out of compliance!   and manufacturers always comply with the regulations, right?  

that difference, for me, could mean a perfect blood sugar of 100 (if it was indeed a 60-carb meal), a 200 blood sugar, or a severe low (30 or less).  the more carbs consumed, the higher the margin of possible error.  

90-carb meal: 100, 300, or severe low
120-carb meal: 100, 325, or severe low

note:  the usda recommends 45-65% of all calories come from carbs each day.  on a 2000 calorie diet, that's 900 calories (225 carbs) to 1300 calories (325 carbs).  how can this be right???  i can't even imagine.

...

so here i go, limiting my carbs to 30 per meal and continuing to avoid carbs with a high glycemic load (flour, short grain rice {yes this includes bread, cereal, crackers, cookies, cake, and many other goodies}).

it's helping.  now i've just got to stick with it.  

like rillettes de porc, cambenbert, wine, and many of my favorite foods, i first discovered grenadine syrup in france.  it is added to a lemon-lime drink called limonade and gives the drink a fruity flavor.  and it's red, and it's pretty.

actually, i never knew WHAT the flavor of grenadine was.  i only knew i liked it.

not as common in indiana, grenade (f), is french for pomegranate.  with pomegranate juice on sale at my local grocery store this fall, i had to try this homemade grenadine syrup.  the flavor is definitely a departure from artificial grenadine, and i like it all the more.


note: i traded this at the indy food swap; it keeps for quite a while in the refrigerator and would make a fabulous birthday, holiday, or anytime gift!

GRENADINE SYRUP
Yield: 32 servings of 1 tbsp each
Nutrition: 29 calories, 7 carbs per serving

INGREDIENTS
4 cups POM Wonderful Pomegranate juice
1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Place all of the ingredients in a sauce pan.  Bring the pomegranate juice to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until it reduces by half (approximately 45 minutes).  Let cool and place in a glass jar; refrigerate until ready to use.  Use the Grenadine to make Pomegranate Mimosas, Singapore Slings, or a Tequila Sunrise.  Or, if you are in a French mood, make a Diabolo Grenadine by adding a tablespoon of grenadine to 8 oz of lemon-lime soda.

SOURCE
Overthehillandonaroll.com

i have so many tomato plants  and since summer has made a comeback (90 degree days have replaced the 70 degree days we had two weeks ago), gazpacho is the perfect recipe to share.  thanks to all of the beautiful veggies (tomatoes, onion, green pepper), gazpacho is low in calories and fills you up.  whip some up now while the tomatoes are in season -- it just isn't the same without local tomatoes.  

more tomato recipes to come!  they'll be in season for a month or so longer and i'll make tomato jam in october...

GAZPACHO
Yield:  2 servings of 2 cups each
Nutrition:  143 calories, 15 carbs per serving

INGREDIENTS
2 locally grown tomatoes, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
jalapeno peppers, diced (optional; pictured without)
1 cup tomato juice (optional; pictured without)

DIRECTIONS
Blend in a blender or food processor.  Serve cold.

SOURCE
My retired colleague Martha Wailes, who always brought the best dishes to office potlucks

ok, so it's been a while.  apologies!  sometimes life is like that.

it has been an incredibly busy few months for james and i:  in march we made an offer on an investment house across the street from our own (where my mom will eventually live), we stressed about said offer, we had an inspection, we requested repairs, repairs were accepted, we secured financing, we stressed about finding tenants, we found tenants, we closed in may, we spent two weeks getting the property ready for our tenants, tenants moved in, we planted our garden and sprayed yards for weeds, we celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary (next year's the big 1-0), we went to san francisco where i had a conference at the end of june, we visited my high school friend and her boyfriend (super dinner at zazie), we camped in the redwoods and visited sonoma wine country (discoveredsonoma valley portworks), we returned, we went boating on lake monroe with family and friends, we went to cedar point for my sister-in-law's 30th birthday, we sunburned (multiple times), ... work has been plentiful and we have been just enjoying the BITS of free time as we've had them. 

and now it's august!  

for sure we've been enjoying the summer produce lately, as i've made basil pesto and baba ganoush (both great on the tomatoes i've been buying from a local farmer for .60/lb).  another new recipe which i intend to share soon is a recipe for salted caramel sauce, which through a mistake and some subsequent innovation turned into the easiest salted caramel ice cream recipe EVER!

today i'm sharing this recipe for kale chips.  it's a very simple recipe, but without it i never remember at what temperature or for how long to cook the kale.  kale chips --  healthy, crisp... enjoy!

(pictured prior to oven time)

KALE CHIPS
Yield:  2 servings (or more if you don't love vegetables)
Nutrition:  187 calories, 10 carbs per serving

INGREDIENTS
1 head kale, washed and dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 275.

Setting each kale leaf on a large cutting board, use a knife to remove the thick inside ribs.  Throw the ribs out and cut the remaining kale into pieces.  Lay on a baking sheet and use a utensil to gently toss the kale pieces with the olive oil and sea salt.  Bake until crisp, turning the leaves once ten minutes have passed.  Cook an additional ten minutes.   Serve once cool; these are best eaten immediately.!

SOURCE
Melissa d'Arabian, Ten Dollar Dinners

30 minute gingersnap cookies/gingersnap crust.  what more can i say?

GINGERSNAP COOKIES/GINGERSNAP CRUST
Yield:  24 cookies, or one gingersnap crust
Nutrition:  83 calories, 11 carbs per cookie (as a crust:  248 calories, 33 carbs per slice if 8 slices)

INGREDIENTS
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp molasses
1 small egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4tsp baking soda
1/4tsp Kosher salt
1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 pinch ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with a beater attachment, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.  In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and remaining spices.  Add to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.  Cover and chill the batter for about 30 minutes or until firm.

Place on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and, with your index and middle fingers, flatten the cookies to about 1/8″. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the cookies feel dry and firm on top.   If you desire a crisper cookie, cook to 17 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

SOURCE
The Family Feed

so this tart is pretty yummy.  i usually make it for easter but this year i was a little behind.  i tend to stay away from cakes and cupcakes (too much flour with a high glycemic load), but tarts are where its at.  i like them better than pies because they have less crust.  though, i must admit -- the crust on this one is pretty divine.  i made the gingersnap cookies myself this time and will share the recipe on friday.  my reasoning?  i was too lazy to get in the car and go to the store.  making and baking the cookies took only 30 minutes and i had all the ingredients on hand.  score.

DOUBLE CITRUS TART
Yield: 8 servings
Nutrition: 396 calories, 41 carbs per serving

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, separated 

DIRECTIONS
Stir together first 4 ingredients. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; set aside.  Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, and egg yolks until blended.  Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; fold into condensed milk mixture. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 325° for 20 to 25 minutes or just until filling is set. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Remove tart from pan, and place on a serving dish.  Serve with whipped cream.


SOURCE
Southern Living, March 2005

omg!  homemade croutons.  i started making homemade croutons sometime in the past year and will never, ever eat a packaged crouton again.  so not worth it!  i made these as pumpernickel croutons (i have a separate method for croutons made from small-batch loaves or baguettes), and they turned out superbly.  though i don't eat chex mix but once a year now, my favorite part was always the pumpernickel.  if yours is too, these croutons won't disappoint.  try them on the kale caesar salad that i made earlier this week.  or just, you know, by the handful.

PUMPERNICKEL CROUTONS
Yield: 8 servings
Nutrition:  270 calories, 27 carbs per serving

INGREDIENTS
8 slices pumpernickel bread (16 oz), cut into cubes
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cover the bottom of your largest skillet with olive oil.  Heat olive oil on medium high.  Once hot, add garlic.  Saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring.  Add the bread pieces to the pan.  Pour olive oil on top to coat the bread crumbs; stir.  Add Kosher salt to taste.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Continue cooking, stirring very infrequently for 5 minutes.  Move breadcrumbs to a pan and place in heated oven.  Cook for 45 minutes or until crisp.  Let cool and enjoy!

Note: Do not store in an entirely airtight container as they will lose their crispness.


SOURCE
Original