An Update to the Lasagna Recipe

Hubby and I have changed the lasagna recipe.  We are now using zucchini instead of the polenta.  It works.  No longer do we have to worry about heavy loaded carbs.  Instead of using noodles, try the zucchini, you will be pleasantly surprised! 


Here is how you do it...

Slice zucchini long wise, we used our mandolin.  We used 2 medium ones.  After you slice, lay them in a colander and salt them.  Put the colander over a bowl to collect the water.  Let them sit in the salt for 30 minutes and then rinse. 

As you layer in your pan, use the zucchini as you would noodles between the layers.  Bake as usual. 

As you can see, it turned out great!  Let it sit for 20 minutes after you pull it out of the oven.  Then serve. 

Reading is Important with this Disease

I have been reading all sorts of articles about type 2 diabetes, and some of the things I read really tell me that most of the people who write articles about this disease are freaking clueless.  Yep, clueless.  I read an article about taking food on an airplane, granola, pretzels, juice, etc.  I was thinking are you an idiot?  What diabetic in their right mind can eat or drink this kind of stuff?  One destined to lose their eyesight, feet, legs, etc.  My blood sugar would be off the charts if I ate or drank any of this stuff. 

No way am I allowed near juice, granola, pretzels, or anything remotely related to sugar or carbs.  I wouldn't even begin to subject myself to this kind of torture.  It hurts me physically to have high blood sugar, I feel completely awful.  Even worse is low blood sugar, the shakes, feeling completely drained and the cold sweats.  Not a pretty sight at all, the feelings are worse. 

Face it, if you are a diabetic, you are completely complicated and you will have to learn to live with it and read as much as you can about it. 

Since I have been controlling my blood sugar with my diet, I am no longer on any meds for it.  How did I manage this?  Get rid of the carbs and it will happen.  Low carb diets do work for us.  I have been off of the metformin for 9 months and I feel great.  My doctor is very impressed with my A1c levels. 

One of my diabetic friends was telling me she ate lasagna all of the time. I was stunned.  Uh, you are taking insulin most of the time and you are wondering why?  Pasta is an evil with diabetics.  It is a big no go.  How do you get your fix for your favorite foods?  Sub in something else like polenta or as I have discovered...zucchini. My hubby made me zucchini carbonara the other night and I loved it!  I am going to sub it in for noodles the next time I make lasagna. 

Since this whole disease started with my diagnosis of it, my lifestyle has changed and my hubby is on the same diet as I am and we are both feeling better, not to mention we are both losing weight nicely. 

If you are a reader who needs to know more about the disease and your doctor hasn't really explained much, I suggest checking out LEF.org  They have very interesting articles and they do sell supplements as well.  I loved the one article about metformin. 

Tomato Salsa

Right now my hubby's tomato plants are producing like gang busters and I have been reaping the rewards.  He has been making salsa and I love it.  I have noticed something interesting, my fasting blood sugar is perfect and it all started when I started eating the salsa.  His recipe uses lime juice as the liquid.  He makes it with cherry tomatoes since we have loads of them, garlic, red onion, jalapeno peppers, seeded and de-veined, salt, and dried red pepper, I think he has been using guajillos and cilantro. 

I love this stuff and I could drink it.  I have been chowing down with my Way Better Tortilla chips, they have lower carbs than the other tortilla chips out there, you know you have the right bag, if it has a sunflower on the front.  My grocery store carries them. 

Even being bad last night with 4 sugar free Oreos and a huge glass of milk, my blood sugar was normal this morning.

We canned 6 pints of salsa yesterday.  If you want the recipe we used for canning, the Ball Big Blue Book of Canning has the recipe.  It is the Spicy Salsa.  It is fantastic.  The heat is mild for me.  It might not be for others, I just know I love it hot. 

Cooking with Coconut Milk and Peanut Butter

The other day I had pork tenderloin chops sitting in my fridge and not know what to do with them, I decided to try something out with my wok.  I grabbed a can of coconut milk, the chunky peanut butter, and my spices.  I used coconut oil as my base, since it is better than other oils on the market.  I have a big old jar of it.  It is my go to oil for stir fry. 

Here are the list of ingredients I used:

Bangkok Blend seasoning from Penzey's Spices
Chili Garlic Sauce by Huy Fong Foods, Inc.
Pork Tenderloin chops
Wok
Coconut Milk
Coconut Oil
Szechuan Pepper Salt Roasted by Penzey's Spices
Bag of frozen veggies, your choice
Bulgur or quinoa instead of rice.
Prep meat: 

Season your meat with the Bagkok Blend and the Szechuan Pepper Salt, both sides.  Slice meat into strips or cubes, your choice.

Get your wok ready, I use medium high heat, add your tablespoon of coconut oil and wait for it to get hot.  Add meat, and cook until done.  Now, take the bag of frozen veggies and cook in the microwave until done.  Now, add those same veggies into the wok.  Add a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter, or if you have smooth, you can use it as well.  Add your can of coconut milk and mix.  Let it cook for about 5 minutes to get all the flavors to blend. 

Serve over bulgur or quinoa for a lower carb experience. 

I generally use my rice cooker to make my bulgur or quinoa, it is simple, no fuss.  No guessing how to cook it.  Always use double the amount of liquid to amount of dry ingredients.  It is like cooking rice. 

A Better Taco Salad

This is a better for you version of the classic taco salad.  I know most people think of this dish as something to avoid.  Well, it can be made better for you. 

What you will need for this dish:

ground sirloin
Pace Picante Salsa, green lid, which is mild, if you can't handle the heat, get the blue lid. 
taco seasoning
skillet
bag of salad, I used the Italian blend
bag of tortilla chips, I used a lower carb and better for you, chip.
sour cream, 16 ounce tub
shredded Mexican cheese or Colby cheese

Season your ground sirloin, place in skillet, turn on the heat, brown the meat.  Drain any fat, pour in your picante sauce and lower heat, cook for about 10 minutes. 

Open bag of salad, place in bowls, open bag of chips, and add 5 chips to each bowl.  Place shredded cheese on top of chips, open sour cream, and mix.  I used 2 tablespoons of sour cream on my bowls. 

Turn heat off of meat mixture, I used a soup ladle to spoon my meat mixture over the sour cream. 

Enjoy! 

Hubby's reaction...he loved it!  He did say that he would have loved a bigger bowl of it. 

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Salsa

I just made these today and they are completely gone.  The hubby loved them so much he finished them off.  Don't let the name enchiladas fool you, they are simply easy and will be gone if you do not make enough. 
Carbs...forget your diet with these...they are carb laden.  They contain flour tortillas and two enchiladas will do it for me. 

What you will need to make these...

Chicken shredded from a rotisserie store bought bird.
Flour tortillas, I used the fresh ones from the store.
1 tub of 16 ounce sour cream
1 to 2 packages shredded Mexican or Colby Jack cheese
1 jar of green salsa, I used Native Texan Hatch Chile Salsa Verde, you might buy 2 to be safe
Baking pan
oven
Aluminum foil
Fresh cilantro

Crank up your oven to 350F.  Get your chicken shredded, put is aside in a bowl.  Get out your flour tortillas, place one flat into your baking pan, grab a spoon, mix the sour cream, open your cheese bag, and open the salsa, this will work well if two people are working on this recipe, or one can do it by themselves.  My hubby helped me on this and it went way quicker. 

Place the shredded chicken in the flour tortilla, add some cilantro, sour cream, cheese, and salsa to the tortilla, now wrap it into a tube, place the seam side down in your pan.  Keep repeating this process until you have as many enchiladas as you want to cook.  Be sure to leave some salsa in the jar, or if you are like me, just buy another jar.  I always take the left over salsa and pour it across the backs of the tubes of enchiladas.  Be sure to spread it almost to the edge of each tube.  Now, take some of that lovely shredded cheese and sprinkle this over the top of the salsa.  Cover with foil and bake in that preheated 350F oven for 1 hour.  Hubby did mention that he likes it a little crispy on top, if you like them this way, then 15 minutes before done, pull off the foil and let it finish baking. 

Let them cool a bit before getting them out of the pan, they will come out better than when hot. 

Enjoy! 

The Lasagna Experiment

Last night, we decided to try completely no carb lasagna and found out some things about it. 

First of all, do not use provolone cheese between the layers.  It turned out really greasy and gross.  Too much cheese.  So, we will be experimenting with veggies between the layers, next time we make it. 
If you love cheese and think you can handle the whole mess, I used provolone slices in place of polenta and noodles.  It was gooey and very rich. 

Hubby did mention that if you need a good laxative, this will do it. 

I think the next phase of this recipe is either going to be zucchini, or eggplant.  We will figure it out.  Our goal is to make it totally carb free. 

When we find the right combo, I will post it on here.