I missed yesterday. I didn't do anything and I was embarrassed by it. I also decided that it is time I make myself accountable on my blog for my exercise. I've been slacking in that lately, but NO MORE. NO MORE I SAY!
My exercise of choice at the moment is taking the dog for a walk. I get about an hour of walking in and she gets worn out enough not to drive me crazy with needs to play and jump and all that for the rest of the day. Give us a walk and a treat that looks like a cookie and we're happy girls! Though, with some of the diabetic cookies out there, hers probably tastes better than mine!
I also thought that maybe some of you would like to join me? I will post my daily 'cise and you can join in and post yours. I would also love any websites or tips any of you want to share with me!
Honestly, if I'm going to suffer through sweating and looking like a mess, I think you should all support me. And me you! Yeah! That's the ticket!
I purchased our New Year's fare today. Veggies, fruit, cheese and sparkling juice for the girls. I wanted champagne of some sort for the hubbs and I, but it wasn't really in the dietary or monetary budget.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Day 17 - PCOS girl and the cookies of doom!
Christmas cookies are mocking me. They are in my kitchen giving me those mock-friendly smiles and joyfully jeering eyes. They are dusted with sugar that will cause my stomach to scream and writhe as though I were attempting to torture the insulin resistance out of me. I know this and yet I hear the Jaws theme song every time I walk in.
Doooo doooooooo
*glances around to figure out where it is coming from and zeroes in on the gingerbread house*
DOOooo DOOOooooo
*Santa's cookies wave from near the fridge*
DOOO DOOO, DOOO DOOO
*milk and sugar coax me forward with the tease of 'just one bite won't hurt'*
DOOO DOOO, DOOO DOOO, DOOO DOOO RAWR!!!!!!
*Five cookies mysteriously disappear from various parts of the kitchen and my stomach screams its death cry*
It doesn't help that any room on the ground floor is within ready view and reach of the kitchen. I may need to introduce the shark attack foods to the shark-destroying garbage can.
On a lighter note, my Mommy sent me a new cookbook:
Cookbooks make me happy. I love to cook. I love to try out new things and I love it even more when they give me advice on how to save money. I love to save money like I used to passionately love the smell of fresh-baked brownies.
It has some great new recipes in it alongside some good resources for getting gluten-free staples. I will have to modify a few of them to make them diabetic-friendly, but it is a wonderful place to start! I also discovered that a friend was right about Truvia (thanks Sherri!). Though I don't care for its taste in a straight-fashion, I bought some yogurt that ended up having Truvia in it and I really like it. So, as part of something bigger, I might be able to work with this alternative sweetener.
Okay! I found a couple of drink recipes that are absolutely simple in this month's Women's Health magazine:
Slimming Cocktail
1 oz Vodka with a splash of grapefruit juice and a lemon twist -- no sweeteners, all good!
Sexy Cocktail
2 oz club soda with 1 oz cayenne pepper powder and vodka over ice -- that will definitely warm you up on a cold night!
There was also a great section on foods to slim, calm, or be sexy, but it isn't currently on their website, so I will link it when they post it.
For now, crack out the whip and tame those cookies of doom. I'll just go hide upstairs and wait for you to finish. 8)
Doooo doooooooo
*glances around to figure out where it is coming from and zeroes in on the gingerbread house*
DOOooo DOOOooooo
*Santa's cookies wave from near the fridge*
DOOO DOOO, DOOO DOOO
*milk and sugar coax me forward with the tease of 'just one bite won't hurt'*
DOOO DOOO, DOOO DOOO, DOOO DOOO RAWR!!!!!!
*Five cookies mysteriously disappear from various parts of the kitchen and my stomach screams its death cry*
It doesn't help that any room on the ground floor is within ready view and reach of the kitchen. I may need to introduce the shark attack foods to the shark-destroying garbage can.
On a lighter note, my Mommy sent me a new cookbook:
Cookbooks make me happy. I love to cook. I love to try out new things and I love it even more when they give me advice on how to save money. I love to save money like I used to passionately love the smell of fresh-baked brownies.
It has some great new recipes in it alongside some good resources for getting gluten-free staples. I will have to modify a few of them to make them diabetic-friendly, but it is a wonderful place to start! I also discovered that a friend was right about Truvia (thanks Sherri!). Though I don't care for its taste in a straight-fashion, I bought some yogurt that ended up having Truvia in it and I really like it. So, as part of something bigger, I might be able to work with this alternative sweetener.
Okay! I found a couple of drink recipes that are absolutely simple in this month's Women's Health magazine:
Slimming Cocktail
1 oz Vodka with a splash of grapefruit juice and a lemon twist -- no sweeteners, all good!
Sexy Cocktail
2 oz club soda with 1 oz cayenne pepper powder and vodka over ice -- that will definitely warm you up on a cold night!
There was also a great section on foods to slim, calm, or be sexy, but it isn't currently on their website, so I will link it when they post it.
For now, crack out the whip and tame those cookies of doom. I'll just go hide upstairs and wait for you to finish. 8)
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Day 16 - Appetizers are your friend!
New Year's is just around the corner and we're all thinking about what we're going to do on or after the big day. I'm personally hoping for a whole lotta joy on the day and very little searching for lost clothing on the day after. With that in mind, let's talk cocktails!
As someone with PCOS, it is recommended you follow a Diabetic-friendly, low-GI/No gluten diet. If you read the diabetic idea of a cocktail, it is tap water with a sliver of lemon in it or preferably an onion. That just does not work for me. So! Here are some things you can do to enjoy a few libations at the last party of the year:
1. Rum is not a good choice. It really just isn't. There are all kinds of alcohol sugars in it and very few ways around it. If you must have rum, pair it with a diet drink *gag* or soda water. Finding a better libation might be the best option if those don't sound good.
2. Wine, though a good choice, is only as good as its sugar content. Dry wines will be your best bet. Also, in your worship of the grape, dilution might be a good bet. I know it might not sound like fun, but you can be the ultimate wino this way. Think how many glasses you can have without being drunk, much to the awe and wonder of your friends. You may end up Queen of the ball with all others on the floor worshiping your greatness! Amazon and Wine.com have some good reds if you want to look through: Quintessential Reds Wine Gift Collection
3. Avoid mixed drinks that come out of a pre-mix bottle. They are LOADED with sugar. The simpler the drink, the less chances you have of ingesting enough sugar to make a 3-snickers a day person say, "Whoa, I've had enough!"
4. When possible, if you want a "sweet" edge to your drink, go for the natural stuff. Stay away from fruit juices that have "cocktail" in the title because it means you are basically getting a blind mash of fruit varieties, syrups and sugar. Apparently the cocktail part of it comes from the guy who got drunk before throwing random items in the blender to make the "juice".
5. Find the savory drinks. The first one that comes to mind is a Bloody Mary. If it is made well, you get good-quality tomato juice (like V8), vodka and Tobasco with a nice side of celery or similar to stir. As long as it didn't come from a pre-mix (Bad! Bad! Bad!), you should be pretty okay on this one.
Lastly: 6. Appetizers are your friend. I'm not talking the deep-fried-onion-ring-cheese-doodle-twinkies, here. I'm talking cheese cubes, sausage, corn chips and fresh salsa. When you are going to imbibe, make sure you have food in your stomach. If you are going out, eat a healthy meal filled with protein before you go. If you are going to a friend's house, do not pass on all the appetizers or snacks (just make good choices). Yes, bread is filling but it isn't the best choice. Go for the cheese and meat (and get your mind out of the gutter)!
One more word to the wise: avoid the stuff heavy on the onions, garlic or hot sauce if you want that midnight kiss. Or, better yet, make sure your kissee/kisser has had plenty of the same so neither one of you notices when the big ball drops and the drunken mouths meet. More to come this week with maybe a few sneaky drink recipes or appetizers you can serve.
** I am not a medical professional. I cannot diagnose or treat any problems from this syndrome, I am simply a sufferer like you who does internet and book research and shares my findings. I do not endorse getting drunk and/or having a clothing scavenger hunt and/or dancing naked to entice your midnight kiss. I simply seek to share the information I find and offer a place for you to share your efforts/ideas. I take no responsibility for your decision to attempt naked Twister or that a lemonade pitcher is your drink glass of choice. **
1. Rum is not a good choice. It really just isn't. There are all kinds of alcohol sugars in it and very few ways around it. If you must have rum, pair it with a diet drink *gag* or soda water. Finding a better libation might be the best option if those don't sound good.
2. Wine, though a good choice, is only as good as its sugar content. Dry wines will be your best bet. Also, in your worship of the grape, dilution might be a good bet. I know it might not sound like fun, but you can be the ultimate wino this way. Think how many glasses you can have without being drunk, much to the awe and wonder of your friends. You may end up Queen of the ball with all others on the floor worshiping your greatness! Amazon and Wine.com have some good reds if you want to look through: Quintessential Reds Wine Gift Collection
3. Avoid mixed drinks that come out of a pre-mix bottle. They are LOADED with sugar. The simpler the drink, the less chances you have of ingesting enough sugar to make a 3-snickers a day person say, "Whoa, I've had enough!"
4. When possible, if you want a "sweet" edge to your drink, go for the natural stuff. Stay away from fruit juices that have "cocktail" in the title because it means you are basically getting a blind mash of fruit varieties, syrups and sugar. Apparently the cocktail part of it comes from the guy who got drunk before throwing random items in the blender to make the "juice".
5. Find the savory drinks. The first one that comes to mind is a Bloody Mary. If it is made well, you get good-quality tomato juice (like V8), vodka and Tobasco with a nice side of celery or similar to stir. As long as it didn't come from a pre-mix (Bad! Bad! Bad!), you should be pretty okay on this one.
Lastly: 6. Appetizers are your friend. I'm not talking the deep-fried-onion-ring-cheese-doodle-twinkies, here. I'm talking cheese cubes, sausage, corn chips and fresh salsa. When you are going to imbibe, make sure you have food in your stomach. If you are going out, eat a healthy meal filled with protein before you go. If you are going to a friend's house, do not pass on all the appetizers or snacks (just make good choices). Yes, bread is filling but it isn't the best choice. Go for the cheese and meat (and get your mind out of the gutter)!
One more word to the wise: avoid the stuff heavy on the onions, garlic or hot sauce if you want that midnight kiss. Or, better yet, make sure your kissee/kisser has had plenty of the same so neither one of you notices when the big ball drops and the drunken mouths meet. More to come this week with maybe a few sneaky drink recipes or appetizers you can serve.
** I am not a medical professional. I cannot diagnose or treat any problems from this syndrome, I am simply a sufferer like you who does internet and book research and shares my findings. I do not endorse getting drunk and/or having a clothing scavenger hunt and/or dancing naked to entice your midnight kiss. I simply seek to share the information I find and offer a place for you to share your efforts/ideas. I take no responsibility for your decision to attempt naked Twister or that a lemonade pitcher is your drink glass of choice. **
Monday, December 26, 2011
Day 15 - Start playing around
Santa got the family a Kinect for the Xbox. It came with a fruit ninja game, a Gunstringer (haven't played it) and Kinect adventures. For those of you who have had the Wii experience, it is similar to Wii sports games...but more.
The Kinect actually "sees" you, so you are able to be the thing jumping instead of hitting a button or using wrist movement to do the full action. I did the fruit ninja game and felt my arms getting a work-out. I just did the Adventures game with my youngest and actually was sweating after a couple of rounds! We did one where you are on a type of push rail car and you have to jump, duck or lean to one side or the other. I absolutely felt all the movements! It also took several embarrassing photos while we were playing.
*Menacing look* Stay OUT of my xbox files if you value your eyes!
The Wii was great when we got it and I enjoyed the Wii Fit games. They were a good work-out but got boring quickly. The Kinect games are so varied, I'm not sure how sick of them I'll get. I'm also seriously Jonesing for the Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012.
It looks Suh-weet! So, any Microsoft folks out there that might read this...hook me up and I will post a full review on every site I can about it!!!!!
Right now, I'm watching a 6-year-old bounce around, contorting her body into angles a Yogi would be jealous of just to play a boxed version of dodgeball. She's adorably pink-cheeked and ready to keep going as long as I let her. She also loves tossing a pose at the very end so she can see herself in one of the crazy on-screen photos. It's like fashion-diva meets roller-coaster quick shot! I think I'll sit and giggle quietly in the corner while she plays. Then, when she's not looking, I will take over and show off some mad skillz. Don't be hatin'.
*snicker, snicker*
Coming soon: New Year's cocktails for the low-sugar, low-gluten crowd. Heck yeah.
The Kinect actually "sees" you, so you are able to be the thing jumping instead of hitting a button or using wrist movement to do the full action. I did the fruit ninja game and felt my arms getting a work-out. I just did the Adventures game with my youngest and actually was sweating after a couple of rounds! We did one where you are on a type of push rail car and you have to jump, duck or lean to one side or the other. I absolutely felt all the movements! It also took several embarrassing photos while we were playing.
*Menacing look* Stay OUT of my xbox files if you value your eyes!
The Wii was great when we got it and I enjoyed the Wii Fit games. They were a good work-out but got boring quickly. The Kinect games are so varied, I'm not sure how sick of them I'll get. I'm also seriously Jonesing for the Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012.
It looks Suh-weet! So, any Microsoft folks out there that might read this...hook me up and I will post a full review on every site I can about it!!!!!Right now, I'm watching a 6-year-old bounce around, contorting her body into angles a Yogi would be jealous of just to play a boxed version of dodgeball. She's adorably pink-cheeked and ready to keep going as long as I let her. She also loves tossing a pose at the very end so she can see herself in one of the crazy on-screen photos. It's like fashion-diva meets roller-coaster quick shot! I think I'll sit and giggle quietly in the corner while she plays. Then, when she's not looking, I will take over and show off some mad skillz. Don't be hatin'.
*snicker, snicker*
Coming soon: New Year's cocktails for the low-sugar, low-gluten crowd. Heck yeah.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Day 14 - And my true love gave to me....
A box of dark-chocolate dipped fruit. I am so happy! Every year, one thing my husband gets me is a small box of Godiva truffles. He knows I can't really have that anymore (I don't exactly stop at one piece all the time) and our local Godiva store is gone. Instead, he went to Edible Arrangements and picked me up a box of fruit. I like the boxes better because they are cheaper and don't have melon (which is not in season right now). I know I have to watch my sugar intake (even with fruit), but this makes me feel so much more like I'm part of the holidays. Santa did, indeed, fill the stockings with Reese's treats and chocolates, the bastage. I wonder how I knew...
For dinner, I clicked on my new slow cooker and filled it with corned beef, carrots and cabbage! I neglected to pick up potatoes (trying to reduce that intake for the starches, as well), so we'll have rice with it. No biggie. The littlest one loves rice and her daddy isn't overly particular on that aspect. Plus, it isn't like he wants me to send him to the store or anything. hehehe
I will also toss in a nice pumpkin pie for dessert.
Pumpkin is another super-food. It is packed with protein and fiber while pies are generally decent as far as sugar-content is concerned. Skip some of the crust and it is even more golden! My favorite recipe (other than the one on the Libby can) is a Williams-Sonoma recipe that uses maple syrup as a good portion of its sweetener. Not only yummy, but better for me/you/PCOS-sugar-addicts!
When I went to look for the recipe online, I found that Williams-Sonoma even created a MORE friendly recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free, allergen-free. Don't worry, I know WS recipes: just because there is so much "free" in there, doesn't mean it lacks in taste as well.
For dinner, I clicked on my new slow cooker and filled it with corned beef, carrots and cabbage! I neglected to pick up potatoes (trying to reduce that intake for the starches, as well), so we'll have rice with it. No biggie. The littlest one loves rice and her daddy isn't overly particular on that aspect. Plus, it isn't like he wants me to send him to the store or anything. hehehe
I will also toss in a nice pumpkin pie for dessert.
Pumpkin is another super-food. It is packed with protein and fiber while pies are generally decent as far as sugar-content is concerned. Skip some of the crust and it is even more golden! My favorite recipe (other than the one on the Libby can) is a Williams-Sonoma recipe that uses maple syrup as a good portion of its sweetener. Not only yummy, but better for me/you/PCOS-sugar-addicts!
When I went to look for the recipe online, I found that Williams-Sonoma even created a MORE friendly recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free, allergen-free. Don't worry, I know WS recipes: just because there is so much "free" in there, doesn't mean it lacks in taste as well.
Maple Pumpkin Pie Filling
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Vegan, No-Bake
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Vegan, No-Bake
1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 can (14 fl. oz.) full fat Thai Kitchen® coconut milk (you should be able to substitute SoDelicious Coconut milk for this)
2 Tbs. tapioca flour
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup water
2 tsp. agar-agar powder (not bar or flake, see notes)
In a blender, blend the pumpkin, maple syrup, coconut milk, tapioca flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
Pour the water into a saucepan, sprinkle the surface with the agar-agar powder and whisk. Bring to a boil, then gently simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the simmering agar-agar. Return the mixture to a boil and gently simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour the hot pie filling into a prebaked pie shell. Refrigerate until firm and set, 3 to 5 hours. Serve chilled or bring to room temperature. Either way, with the help of the agar-agar, the pie will remain firm.
Give it a try! Also, if you want to try another gluten-free pumpkin pie, Kozy Shack pudding comes in pumpkin with a recipe on the side on how to turn IT into a pumpkin pie! Suh-weet.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Day 13 - All that isn't Merry
As much as I hate negativity, it seems to creep up on us this time of year. I totally get it. I worked retail. I have the years where I wonder how I'm going to even come close to paying for Christmas. PCOS is like the frosting on the gingerbread man.
I also know that this bout of unhappiness is linked to PCOS and hormones. This all might not bother me quite so much otherwise... Yeah, who are we kidding there? Not getting to eat the holiday goodies is just a bummer. I love all the different goodies people make this time of year. I love being one of the people making those goodies. I'm bothered by this. I also know that Santa won't be doing me any favors by filling my stocking this year. The nausea I get from eating too many carbs or too much sugar makes the Reese's Peanut Butter tree NOT worth it.
I used to think, "Hey, I can totally limit my sweets! Once in a while is great! Hmm, I think I'll make brownies..." Now, I think "Why do you get to eat that and I don't? @$%$% jerks."
You totally get me, right?
I'm also really tired. I know this is pretty common, too. It doesn't make me like it any more, though. Just because you know that there is something in you that is causing moods or discomfort or lethargy, doesn't change it into a "Oh, its just my PCOS! Rock on with the issues!" It still just sucks.
Tomorrow will be better. I'm also proud of how I turned away today from the foods I don't need. It wasn't easy, but I managed. Tomorrow, I will have a big bowl of fruit to take the place of all the candy that will be left behind by Santa. It sucks today, but I will handle this.
I also know that this bout of unhappiness is linked to PCOS and hormones. This all might not bother me quite so much otherwise... Yeah, who are we kidding there? Not getting to eat the holiday goodies is just a bummer. I love all the different goodies people make this time of year. I love being one of the people making those goodies. I'm bothered by this. I also know that Santa won't be doing me any favors by filling my stocking this year. The nausea I get from eating too many carbs or too much sugar makes the Reese's Peanut Butter tree NOT worth it.
I used to think, "Hey, I can totally limit my sweets! Once in a while is great! Hmm, I think I'll make brownies..." Now, I think "Why do you get to eat that and I don't? @$%$% jerks."
You totally get me, right?
I'm also really tired. I know this is pretty common, too. It doesn't make me like it any more, though. Just because you know that there is something in you that is causing moods or discomfort or lethargy, doesn't change it into a "Oh, its just my PCOS! Rock on with the issues!" It still just sucks.
Tomorrow will be better. I'm also proud of how I turned away today from the foods I don't need. It wasn't easy, but I managed. Tomorrow, I will have a big bowl of fruit to take the place of all the candy that will be left behind by Santa. It sucks today, but I will handle this.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Day 12 - Fruit Salad, yummy yummy
That was totally a Wiggles quote. hahaha. Can you tell I'm a mommy? I bet you can...
Today is a quiet day. It feels like the calm before the storm that is Christmas frenzy. Thankfully for the food aspect of that, I have a huge bowl of mixed fruit in the fridge. It will be perfect for snacking when I need something sweet instead of all the sweets that are so dominate this time of year.
I also get the joy of family fun. Tonight is the perusal of Christmas lights. It is a tradition I've enjoyed since I was a child. I look forward to looking back to see my girls' faces at all the lights. It can be pretty magical. I wonder if I can find some Tom & Jerry mix to add to rum so it can be a bit more magical for me!
Speaking of Tom & Jerry mix! Here's the recipe that I've modified:
Tom and Jerry Single Serving
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or agave syrup
.5 ounce dark Jamaica rum
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 ounce brandy
Hot water
Beat egg yolk with syrup, rum and allspice until smooth and thick. Separately beat egg white until stiff. Fold white into yolk mixture. Put mixture into a preheated mug. Add hot water to fill mug 3/4 full. Stir gently. Add brandy. Dust with grated nutmeg.
Think of it like spiked egg nog...but better! Enjoy a cup of cheer and get out the fruit salad!
Today is a quiet day. It feels like the calm before the storm that is Christmas frenzy. Thankfully for the food aspect of that, I have a huge bowl of mixed fruit in the fridge. It will be perfect for snacking when I need something sweet instead of all the sweets that are so dominate this time of year.
I also get the joy of family fun. Tonight is the perusal of Christmas lights. It is a tradition I've enjoyed since I was a child. I look forward to looking back to see my girls' faces at all the lights. It can be pretty magical. I wonder if I can find some Tom & Jerry mix to add to rum so it can be a bit more magical for me!
Speaking of Tom & Jerry mix! Here's the recipe that I've modified:
Tom and Jerry Single Serving
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or agave syrup
.5 ounce dark Jamaica rum
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 ounce brandy
Hot water
Beat egg yolk with syrup, rum and allspice until smooth and thick. Separately beat egg white until stiff. Fold white into yolk mixture. Put mixture into a preheated mug. Add hot water to fill mug 3/4 full. Stir gently. Add brandy. Dust with grated nutmeg.
Think of it like spiked egg nog...but better! Enjoy a cup of cheer and get out the fruit salad!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Day 13 - humble with a lack of pie
This morning I had a bit of "me/we" time at the nail parlor with my youngest, her friends and my friend. The girls had their toes and fingers done while the mommies had their toes and man-brows done. Okay, well maybe I had a bit more man-brow (thanks SO much PCOS)!
Breakfast for Buggy and I was cereal. I had a healthy mix of nuts and oats while she had oatmeal. After our fun time, we had Chick-fil-a. She had a kids meal and I had a chicken salad sandwich meal.
I read that the Chicken salad that Chick-fil-a has is pretty diabetic-friendly and is on wheatberry bread! I was hesitant because I had it there once before and the chicken was the consistency of tuna. Not my ideal. Today it was really good. I had a side of fruit (of course!) and a fruit and yogurt parfait as my dessert. It was really good and very satisfying.
When I got home, though, I was craving sweets. I eyed one of the little sandwich baggies of People's Puppy chow and decided to have some. It was wonderful and before I knew it, I had eaten the whole bag. About an hour later, I wanted to toss my puppy chow. I was miserable. I had it happen about 2x this last week where I would go to bed with massive indigestion or be walking around miserable.
It dawned on me that the meds I was taking might be what's causing it, but not specifically as a side effect. I sent my friend a text and asked her if she thought that my ingesting sugar in a significant amount was causing my issue. She said it was probably pretty likely.
I watched my husband and daughters eating apple pie but knew I was done with my sweets for the day. I don't need pie. I don't have to completely stay away from it, but I do need to monitor and make smart choices.
Some of you may be reading this thinking, "Really? You didn't know this? And how could you not SHARE the puppy chow with me???"
Well, I'm learning. The medicine is still pretty new to me, as is the lifestyle change. But, this lesson is an important one and I wanted to share it. Even that harmless snack needs to be looked at for quantity. Gluten-free is great, but it isn't perfect. I just wanted to share that learning is part of the process and we all screw up.
Also, make your own darn puppy chow! ;)
Breakfast for Buggy and I was cereal. I had a healthy mix of nuts and oats while she had oatmeal. After our fun time, we had Chick-fil-a. She had a kids meal and I had a chicken salad sandwich meal.
I read that the Chicken salad that Chick-fil-a has is pretty diabetic-friendly and is on wheatberry bread! I was hesitant because I had it there once before and the chicken was the consistency of tuna. Not my ideal. Today it was really good. I had a side of fruit (of course!) and a fruit and yogurt parfait as my dessert. It was really good and very satisfying.
When I got home, though, I was craving sweets. I eyed one of the little sandwich baggies of People's Puppy chow and decided to have some. It was wonderful and before I knew it, I had eaten the whole bag. About an hour later, I wanted to toss my puppy chow. I was miserable. I had it happen about 2x this last week where I would go to bed with massive indigestion or be walking around miserable.
It dawned on me that the meds I was taking might be what's causing it, but not specifically as a side effect. I sent my friend a text and asked her if she thought that my ingesting sugar in a significant amount was causing my issue. She said it was probably pretty likely.
I watched my husband and daughters eating apple pie but knew I was done with my sweets for the day. I don't need pie. I don't have to completely stay away from it, but I do need to monitor and make smart choices.
Some of you may be reading this thinking, "Really? You didn't know this? And how could you not SHARE the puppy chow with me???"
Well, I'm learning. The medicine is still pretty new to me, as is the lifestyle change. But, this lesson is an important one and I wanted to share it. Even that harmless snack needs to be looked at for quantity. Gluten-free is great, but it isn't perfect. I just wanted to share that learning is part of the process and we all screw up.
Also, make your own darn puppy chow! ;)
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Day 12 - Many happy trial and failures
Today was a mass of things to do! I wanted to make sure to give a couple of goody boxes at my youngest's school, so I started making Apple Empanaditas as soon as I got home from dropping her off! Remember this:
If you are on my FB page, you do! This, and making the dough, are my initial steps. I was a little nervous about how my trademark empanaditas would turn out after my snowballs flattened out like a Snowman in Virginia weather! But, I carried on! The snowballs tasted excellent, too!
I rolled out the dough. I usually roll it to about 1/4 flat to give some room to spread the dough a bit like a pizza. The glass is a good size for cutting these circles, but not perfect.
Then I put the dough rounds on a non-stick sprayed cookie sheet, add about 1 tbsp of filling, wet the edges and fold over. I crimp the edges with a fork to hold it in better. Be warned: some juice will leak from the tiny cresent-shaped goodies. It is really no biggie, I promise, so don't be alarmed, just prepared!
After they cook for 15-17 minutes, I roll them in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. I used Sugar in the Raw and some white sugar this time around. They seemed to coat well, but the turbinado (raw) sugar mostly caught on the edges or wet spots instead of the entire crust.
They turned out beautifully and tasted wonderful! I'm so happy!
I took a nice little plate of puppy chow, snowballs and empanaditas to two teachers at the school. One is a teacher that I've spoken to in the past that is low/no gluten and the other was my daughter's teacher who also turned out to be gluten-free! It was a happy coincidence that I'm thrilled of. I tend to worry that if I tell someone who is not following this lifestyle that the food I'm feeding them is low/no gluten, they will turn up their noses (much the way my hubby does whenever I use ANYTHING but enriched/packaged foods). I am absolutely thrilled with how it worked out and got some great hugs and appreciation for my efforts. The next test will be when I hand out goodies to the neighbors and NOT tell them it is a modified recipe. That will really be a measure of the success of this endeavor. I'm hopeful though!
That's right people, eat up or I will find another use for those snowballs...
I rolled out the dough. I usually roll it to about 1/4 flat to give some room to spread the dough a bit like a pizza. The glass is a good size for cutting these circles, but not perfect.
Then I put the dough rounds on a non-stick sprayed cookie sheet, add about 1 tbsp of filling, wet the edges and fold over. I crimp the edges with a fork to hold it in better. Be warned: some juice will leak from the tiny cresent-shaped goodies. It is really no biggie, I promise, so don't be alarmed, just prepared!
After they cook for 15-17 minutes, I roll them in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. I used Sugar in the Raw and some white sugar this time around. They seemed to coat well, but the turbinado (raw) sugar mostly caught on the edges or wet spots instead of the entire crust.
They turned out beautifully and tasted wonderful! I'm so happy!
I took a nice little plate of puppy chow, snowballs and empanaditas to two teachers at the school. One is a teacher that I've spoken to in the past that is low/no gluten and the other was my daughter's teacher who also turned out to be gluten-free! It was a happy coincidence that I'm thrilled of. I tend to worry that if I tell someone who is not following this lifestyle that the food I'm feeding them is low/no gluten, they will turn up their noses (much the way my hubby does whenever I use ANYTHING but enriched/packaged foods). I am absolutely thrilled with how it worked out and got some great hugs and appreciation for my efforts. The next test will be when I hand out goodies to the neighbors and NOT tell them it is a modified recipe. That will really be a measure of the success of this endeavor. I'm hopeful though!
That's right people, eat up or I will find another use for those snowballs...
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Day 11 - Wine, cookies and puppy chow
So I indoctrinated my little one into the joys of creating Puppy chow in the microwave. For those of you thinking, "There is something wrong with this chick," I say this read my earlier blogs! If you're feeling lazy, Puppy Chow is the midwest naming of Muddy Buddies or Choco-Peanut Butter Chex. Delish!
Until recently, I couldn't melt anything in the microwave. I didn't have one. Tonight we had the fun of melting chocolate, peanut butter and butter before mixing it over the chex and rolling it in powder sugar. That and three phone calls later had me remembering the chilled wine in the fridge and my promise.
I decided it was time to face the music and sacrifice myself for you. The first bottle I grabbed was bought for its shiny label as much as the similar name to previous wines I mentioned:
Sadly, I found this to be very tart despite it's shiny allure. It says strawberry and raspberry, but I would only believe that if you're eating out-of-season, under-ripe fruit.
Oooo, shiny!
Next, I pulled out a wine I knew had an excellent chance of being sweet because it is a Muscato. If you've never had a Muscato, you're missing out. It has gotten a lot of popularity as of late; usually as a Muscato D'asti. This makes it much like a sweet sparkling wine.
Anyways....
This was very nice and sweet. I'm not a fan of Beringer wines in general and I even noticed that this one has that odd finish that I've noticed in most of their wines that I don't like. Despite that, this was a very good sweet red. The fruit flavors were strong and sweet like the strawberry syrup you find on an ice cream sundae. If you like having a sweet wine alone, this is a good option.
I also made some of my Russian Tea Cookies/Snowballs. The dough looked great when I pulled it out of the fridge and I baked the cookies. Unfortunately, the new flour seems to have less of the condensing ability as the old stuff and my cookies spread out. They do not look like my adorable little round balls of yummy, but they taste very good. The hubbs said that they looked like snowballs that someone had already thrown. I sugared them and plan to give them out just the same.
I'm going to hold off on the Apple empanaditas until tomorrow. I have hope that they will be less changed. With great hope comes great....responsibility? Hmm. Yeah...I don't care, I still get goodies.
Until recently, I couldn't melt anything in the microwave. I didn't have one. Tonight we had the fun of melting chocolate, peanut butter and butter before mixing it over the chex and rolling it in powder sugar. That and three phone calls later had me remembering the chilled wine in the fridge and my promise.
I decided it was time to face the music and sacrifice myself for you. The first bottle I grabbed was bought for its shiny label as much as the similar name to previous wines I mentioned:
Oooo, shiny!
Next, I pulled out a wine I knew had an excellent chance of being sweet because it is a Muscato. If you've never had a Muscato, you're missing out. It has gotten a lot of popularity as of late; usually as a Muscato D'asti. This makes it much like a sweet sparkling wine.
Anyways....
I also made some of my Russian Tea Cookies/Snowballs. The dough looked great when I pulled it out of the fridge and I baked the cookies. Unfortunately, the new flour seems to have less of the condensing ability as the old stuff and my cookies spread out. They do not look like my adorable little round balls of yummy, but they taste very good. The hubbs said that they looked like snowballs that someone had already thrown. I sugared them and plan to give them out just the same.
I'm going to hold off on the Apple empanaditas until tomorrow. I have hope that they will be less changed. With great hope comes great....responsibility? Hmm. Yeah...I don't care, I still get goodies.
Day 11 - Pre-wine blitz
I love my bedding set: it has great rich colors, the comforter is thick and fluffy and it is just the right size for our bed. The problem is, I overheat at night. I've always run a bit warm when I sleep and tend to let the house temp drop quite a bit at night to make up for it because I cannot sleep without a blanket. Lately, I've been sweating. I'm wondering if it is the comforter or the new mattress cover or the new mattress (we got it in October)... And of course, I ask you instead of my hubby who sleeps right beside me and could tell me if the bedding is too warm. He works a lot though, and when he's home, the first thing I'm thinking about is not whether or not our bedding is too warm.
Me: Honey, come in the bedroom.
Hubbs: *jumps up and RUNS after me*
Me: Does this bedding make you hot?
Hubbs: Whatever you say.
Me: No, really...does it make you sweaty?
Hubbs: Yeah baby.
Me: Why are you looking at me like that?
Hubbs: *turns down the lights*
Me: Um...honey? I was just asking if we should get a different comforter, you don't have to get undressed and get in bed to check right now!
Yeah, those conversations always seem to be misconstrued.... My hope is that the hot nights are due to my metabolism going up a bit. I guess I'll have to break down and attempt to communicate with the hubby -- clothed!
I also started baking today and I'm feeling very optimistic! I'm going to now share with you the first part of my world-famous (okay, Virginia and parts of the US and maybe overseas famous -- Wait, that's world famous!!!!) Apple Empanadas, or as I call them, Apple Empanaditas because they are small.
I modified the recipe to go with my new lifestyle and it is looking pretty good! The following is my normal double-size recipe and requires a LARGE mixer. I recommend halving it if you're making it for the first time. I make them to share in goody baskets. If you don't want apple, you can skip the last step (or just use apple butter instead) and fill each empanadita with jelly/jam instead. Apple sauce also works. I just prefer the taste of fresh-made apple filling.
8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
4 oz regular cream cheese
2 C unsalted butter
3 C gluten-free flour (I used the King Arthur brand)
1 C White Wheat flour (also King Arthur), optional substitution all-purpose flour
Let cheese and butter reach room temp. Lay out two long strips of plastic wrap to put dough balls in later to refrigerate. Cream butter and cheese in blender until well mixed and whipped. Add flour slowly to mix. After all flour is in, slowly increase speed until the dough pulls all the bits out of the bottom and blends into a smooth consistency. Divide dough in half and press into a ball before placing in plastic wrap. Cover balls completely and place in refrigerator. The dough will need to chill for at least 1 hour to reach a workable consistency. I also recommend only taking out one ball at a time when you are ready to work with the dough.
For apple filling: Peel and core 5-6 apples. I like honey crisp, pink lady or gala. Slice into wedges and then slice the wedges into thin chunks. Toss into a bowl. Add 1-2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 c brown sugar (you can use 1 tbsp guava nectar or honey here in place of the brown sugar: both work well) and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Mix with a rubber spatula or large spoon until coated. Cover and set aside. If made ahead of time, put in the refrigerator until ready for use. Make sure to give it a good stir before you begin to use it.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a round 3- to 3-1/2-inch cookie cutter (I use a drinking glass for this), cut out dough. Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each round. Moisten edges of dough with water. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling; press edges together with the tines of a fork to seal.
Place empanaditas 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. While warm, carefully roll cookies in cinnamon-sugar. Place on a wire rack; let cool. Repeat with the remaining dough portion, the remaining jam, and the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Makes about 36 cookies.
To Store: Place cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Let me know how yours turn out! I'll let you know how this batch goes and post pictures to give you an idea of how things look! Also, check back tonight when I get my wine-o on!
Me: Honey, come in the bedroom.
Hubbs: *jumps up and RUNS after me*
Me: Does this bedding make you hot?
Hubbs: Whatever you say.
Me: No, really...does it make you sweaty?
Hubbs: Yeah baby.
Me: Why are you looking at me like that?
Hubbs: *turns down the lights*
Me: Um...honey? I was just asking if we should get a different comforter, you don't have to get undressed and get in bed to check right now!
Yeah, those conversations always seem to be misconstrued.... My hope is that the hot nights are due to my metabolism going up a bit. I guess I'll have to break down and attempt to communicate with the hubby -- clothed!
I also started baking today and I'm feeling very optimistic! I'm going to now share with you the first part of my world-famous (okay, Virginia and parts of the US and maybe overseas famous -- Wait, that's world famous!!!!) Apple Empanadas, or as I call them, Apple Empanaditas because they are small.
I modified the recipe to go with my new lifestyle and it is looking pretty good! The following is my normal double-size recipe and requires a LARGE mixer. I recommend halving it if you're making it for the first time. I make them to share in goody baskets. If you don't want apple, you can skip the last step (or just use apple butter instead) and fill each empanadita with jelly/jam instead. Apple sauce also works. I just prefer the taste of fresh-made apple filling.
8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
4 oz regular cream cheese
2 C unsalted butter
3 C gluten-free flour (I used the King Arthur brand)
1 C White Wheat flour (also King Arthur), optional substitution all-purpose flour
Let cheese and butter reach room temp. Lay out two long strips of plastic wrap to put dough balls in later to refrigerate. Cream butter and cheese in blender until well mixed and whipped. Add flour slowly to mix. After all flour is in, slowly increase speed until the dough pulls all the bits out of the bottom and blends into a smooth consistency. Divide dough in half and press into a ball before placing in plastic wrap. Cover balls completely and place in refrigerator. The dough will need to chill for at least 1 hour to reach a workable consistency. I also recommend only taking out one ball at a time when you are ready to work with the dough.
For apple filling: Peel and core 5-6 apples. I like honey crisp, pink lady or gala. Slice into wedges and then slice the wedges into thin chunks. Toss into a bowl. Add 1-2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 c brown sugar (you can use 1 tbsp guava nectar or honey here in place of the brown sugar: both work well) and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Mix with a rubber spatula or large spoon until coated. Cover and set aside. If made ahead of time, put in the refrigerator until ready for use. Make sure to give it a good stir before you begin to use it.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a round 3- to 3-1/2-inch cookie cutter (I use a drinking glass for this), cut out dough. Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each round. Moisten edges of dough with water. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling; press edges together with the tines of a fork to seal.
Place empanaditas 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. While warm, carefully roll cookies in cinnamon-sugar. Place on a wire rack; let cool. Repeat with the remaining dough portion, the remaining jam, and the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Makes about 36 cookies.
To Store: Place cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Let me know how yours turn out! I'll let you know how this batch goes and post pictures to give you an idea of how things look! Also, check back tonight when I get my wine-o on!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Day 12 - Bring in the slacker!
I am such a bum today. I didn't even get my walk in. You should see how the dog has been looking at me.
Dog: You're pathetic
Me: *mindlessly clicks the remote*
Dog: I have eye twitches more active than you.
Me: *scratches my nose, eyes the computer and the packages that need to be mailed*
Dog: Would it help if I got you a treat?
Me: Treat? Did someone say treat?
Dog: *Shakes her head and goes to sleep while I circle around and around on the floor*
I made chili though. It was chilly this morning so perfect for chili. Pun mostly unintended. I would like to say it was vegetarian chili, but it wasn't. It had beef in it. I set it up in the slow cooker with diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, chili seasoning and tomato sauce. After it had cooked for about 6 hours, I added corn, black beans and kidney beans and let it keep cooking until dinner.
Chili is a good PCOS food. It is really a pretty healthy meal altogether. It is healthier with turkey breast or chicken or flat-out vegetarian.
I also found something the other day that I think will be perfect for my condition: a multivitamin.
Woo-hoo! A multivitamin! We're saved!!!!
Okay, I know it doesn't sound too exciting but I like my chances. It is a holistic multivitamin specifically made for women that "Supplies nutrients to support hormone function". What???? Maybe I'm just grasping at straws, or vegetarian holistic meds, but that gives me a smidge of hope. They came in the mail today and I took my first 3. Yeah, that part sucks. You are to take 3 pills 2x a day with food. So, breakfast and dinner. Well, my everyday stuff is taken in the morning with breakfast and my diabetes meds for PCOS are taken with dinner, so no big deal, right? I'll let you know how it goes.
Well, you got my fabulous chili reciepe mixed in to the chatter above, so I'm going to talk about some lovely gluten-free items I found at the store:
Gluten-free Rice Krispies (Yeah man!)
King Arthur Gluten-free flour - KA is the brand I buy for baking anyways, so it is a comfort to know I can still count on them to be part of the goody list
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour - I like to stack the deck in my favor. No harm in trying a few things to see what works best!
Immaculate Bakery refrigerator cookie dough - I have actually had these before. They were on sale, I liked the ingredient listing and now I can count them into my gluten-free world
I know not all of you have a Harris Teeter or Whole Foods or Fresh Market near you, but take a look at the big grocery store for what is available in gluten-free and you might be surprised. Also, most stores will order items if their customer's request them, so why not be that customer. You may bring in the item that so many other people have been looking for!
Tomorrow: I will drink from the two new wines I found and let you know how they taste. Do you see all that I sacrifice for you? All in the name of love and goodwill, baby!
Dog: You're pathetic
Me: *mindlessly clicks the remote*
Dog: I have eye twitches more active than you.
Me: *scratches my nose, eyes the computer and the packages that need to be mailed*
Dog: Would it help if I got you a treat?
Me: Treat? Did someone say treat?
Dog: *Shakes her head and goes to sleep while I circle around and around on the floor*
I made chili though. It was chilly this morning so perfect for chili. Pun mostly unintended. I would like to say it was vegetarian chili, but it wasn't. It had beef in it. I set it up in the slow cooker with diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, chili seasoning and tomato sauce. After it had cooked for about 6 hours, I added corn, black beans and kidney beans and let it keep cooking until dinner.
Chili is a good PCOS food. It is really a pretty healthy meal altogether. It is healthier with turkey breast or chicken or flat-out vegetarian.
I also found something the other day that I think will be perfect for my condition: a multivitamin.
Woo-hoo! A multivitamin! We're saved!!!!
Okay, I know it doesn't sound too exciting but I like my chances. It is a holistic multivitamin specifically made for women that "Supplies nutrients to support hormone function". What???? Maybe I'm just grasping at straws, or vegetarian holistic meds, but that gives me a smidge of hope. They came in the mail today and I took my first 3. Yeah, that part sucks. You are to take 3 pills 2x a day with food. So, breakfast and dinner. Well, my everyday stuff is taken in the morning with breakfast and my diabetes meds for PCOS are taken with dinner, so no big deal, right? I'll let you know how it goes.
Well, you got my fabulous chili reciepe mixed in to the chatter above, so I'm going to talk about some lovely gluten-free items I found at the store:
Gluten-free Rice Krispies (Yeah man!)
King Arthur Gluten-free flour - KA is the brand I buy for baking anyways, so it is a comfort to know I can still count on them to be part of the goody list
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour - I like to stack the deck in my favor. No harm in trying a few things to see what works best!
Immaculate Bakery refrigerator cookie dough - I have actually had these before. They were on sale, I liked the ingredient listing and now I can count them into my gluten-free world
I know not all of you have a Harris Teeter or Whole Foods or Fresh Market near you, but take a look at the big grocery store for what is available in gluten-free and you might be surprised. Also, most stores will order items if their customer's request them, so why not be that customer. You may bring in the item that so many other people have been looking for!
Tomorrow: I will drink from the two new wines I found and let you know how they taste. Do you see all that I sacrifice for you? All in the name of love and goodwill, baby!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Day 11 - Bread that breaks
Have you ever heard of sitting down at a meal and "breaking bread"? It is an old saying along the same lines of the origin of "break-fast" which means to "Break you fasting with the first meal of the day" and "clean your plate or no dessert" which means "I made this food and can't think of a better threat to make you eat your veggies".
Well, for us, breaking bread is less about the homely tradition of sitting down to a meal and breaking bread as a show of community and sharing and more about having your best intentions broken by bread.
Today, I met up with some of my wordsmith cohorts. We always meet at Panera Bread. As the title may tell you, they are all about the tradition of breaking bread. This seems to especially be the case at breakfast.
I'm sensing a trend with this "break" thing, aren't you?
So, I stood staring at the shining glass case filled with sugary confections dwarfed by a rack of round rolls shining and trimmed with nuts, berries or oats. Some sparkle with the crusting of sugar and cinnamon like gems on rings. The closest I see listed on the board of baked perfection that would fall into my diet ideal is one of the breakfast sandwiches. Sadly, I would peel away the bread and my body takes issue with pork products. What would that leave? A single egg with cheese for close to $5. I just cannot justify it. So I fall. My will breaks at the sight of the bread.
I feel the difference when I eat a heavy carb, now. Well, I always felt the difference, but I didn't understand it. My mind gets waterlogged and I get sleepy. It isn't the most beneficial way to write a novel, let me tell you. This morning, I connected with why so many of our group writing sessions end up chatty and unproductive. My attention span shrinks and I become easily distracted. I'm not alone in it, either.
I have to face the fact that I am not going to be able to go to just any restaurant and expect that they will have something healthy for my diet plan. I'm also going back to my idea to write PB and ask them to start serving oatmeal. ;)
Today's recipe was sent to me by a friend and it looks fabulous! Perfect for Christmas morning if you ask me!
Well, for us, breaking bread is less about the homely tradition of sitting down to a meal and breaking bread as a show of community and sharing and more about having your best intentions broken by bread.
Today, I met up with some of my wordsmith cohorts. We always meet at Panera Bread. As the title may tell you, they are all about the tradition of breaking bread. This seems to especially be the case at breakfast.
I'm sensing a trend with this "break" thing, aren't you?
So, I stood staring at the shining glass case filled with sugary confections dwarfed by a rack of round rolls shining and trimmed with nuts, berries or oats. Some sparkle with the crusting of sugar and cinnamon like gems on rings. The closest I see listed on the board of baked perfection that would fall into my diet ideal is one of the breakfast sandwiches. Sadly, I would peel away the bread and my body takes issue with pork products. What would that leave? A single egg with cheese for close to $5. I just cannot justify it. So I fall. My will breaks at the sight of the bread.
I feel the difference when I eat a heavy carb, now. Well, I always felt the difference, but I didn't understand it. My mind gets waterlogged and I get sleepy. It isn't the most beneficial way to write a novel, let me tell you. This morning, I connected with why so many of our group writing sessions end up chatty and unproductive. My attention span shrinks and I become easily distracted. I'm not alone in it, either.
I have to face the fact that I am not going to be able to go to just any restaurant and expect that they will have something healthy for my diet plan. I'm also going back to my idea to write PB and ask them to start serving oatmeal. ;)
Today's recipe was sent to me by a friend and it looks fabulous! Perfect for Christmas morning if you ask me!
Gluten-free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
makes about 15 rolls, depending on the size you cut them
with inspiration from Coconut & Lime
1. Sprinkle the contents of two yeast packets, which is 1/2-ounce Active Dry Yeast over 1/4-cup warm water (no warmer than 105 degrees F) and set aside.
Set out on the counter 4 Tbs unsalted butter (for the rolling part of the evening) and allow to come to room temp while you prepare the dough.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine:
- 1 cup white rice flour
- 1 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/4 cup + 1Tbs arrowroot starch or tapioca starch/flour
- 2 Tbs flaxmeal
- 1 Tbs oat flour (grind your GF rolled oats in the food processor)
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp salt
(OR sub all above for 2-1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix, like Pamela’s Bread & Flour mix)
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice (which is ~10 berries if you’re grinding in a mortar in pestle, fun!)
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
3. Combine the following with whatever mixing technology you have, hands or mixer. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment:
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (or any other squash puree, strained if watery)
- 1 egg, at room temp
- yeast mixture
4. Add the flour & spice mixture to the mixer bowl in 1/2 cup portions until incorporated fully. If your dough is really sticky and cakelike, add tablespoons of arrowroot or tapioca until it lumps together more like a ball of bread dough.
5. Spread two large pieces of parchment paper out on the countertop. Dump your dough onto one of those pieces. Place the other piece on top of the dough and roll it out into your best version of rectangle (or long oval-ish shape) until the dough is 1/3” thick. When rolling, try your best to periodically stretch out the bottom piece of parchment to make sure there aren’t too many creases and folds.
6. Whip your now room-temp 4 Tbs butter into a creamy, spread using an icing tool or whatever most resembles that fine piece of equipment. Spread butter evenly over your rolled out dough.
7. Combine in your empty flours mixing bowl (or a new one if you’re hell bent on making more dishes):
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg is okay, fresh spices just rock)
Sprinkle the mixture over the butter to form an even layer so no butter is showing any longer.
8. Now, for the fun part. Roll it up by picking up the edge of your parchment paper and gently coaxing the dough to roll. If it sticks just guide it by the parchment and peel the paper off.
Don’t worry too much about perfection here because you’ll have a chance to make each roll tighter and more perfectly round once you cut it. If there are any impossibly sticky spots where dough stuck to the parchment, just pinch some arrowroot or tapioca flour and gently un-stick the situation with your starch floured fingers.
Note: it’s much easier to peel parchment from the top of the roll, like pictured above, than to pull and roll dough away from the bottom lining of paper.
9. Grease 2 8- or 9-inch round or square cake pans with the leftover creamed butter bits in your bowl. Cut the roll into whatever sized individual rolls you’d like. I cut mine to about 1- to 2-inch sections. Gently re-roll each to tighten up the roll and form a circle. (Do this on your parchment paper, not in the air.) Set rolls on the greased pans with at least 1/2-inch space around each roll.
10. Let rise with just the pilot in your gas oven, or turn your electric oven to 200, turn off, wait 5 min and place rolls in the off oven, for1 hour. Do some dishes!
11. Remove rolls from oven, preheat to 350 degrees F, bake for 7 min in the center of the oven, rotate pan and bake for another 7 min or until the dough is fully cooked.
Use your fave cream cheese icing or other icing recipe to totally knock the socks off yourself and everyone who encounters these delicious treats. Keep un-iced rolls in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Day 10 - Walkin in a Wino Wonderland!
I love wine. Sadly, I love things like Muscato, White Zinn, White Merlot and other unhealthy and sweet alchololic beverages. I love them almost as much as I love when a misguided clerk asks me for my ID.
Clerk: That will be $23.76, ma'am.
Me: Do you want to see my ID???
Clerk: Uhh...
Me: Really, I don't mind! Let me get it out for you!
Clerk: Um...ma'am, it will be $23.76 and I don't need your ID.
Me: No! I'll get it! Hold on!
Clerk: Ma'am, you're scaring me. Just take the wine and leave, please....
The problem with all those sweet wines is pretty obvious: sugar. When you already have an insulin resistance thanks to PCOS, those sweet wines make you drunk on sugar AND alcohol. Quicker buzz? Not really. More like quicker stupidity mixed with a fast track to diabeties and bad choices.
Hubby: Honey, did you have fun with the girls last night getting a drink?
Me: Mphmm, whuuu.
Hubby: Because, in case you haven't noticed, you are wearing a giant plaid running suit with gold sequin trim...
Me: *Attempts to pretend she's still asleep and hides under the blankets with the Wal-mart receipt*
But I like wine, you might be thinking. Me too! And I want you to enjoy that glass of wine as much as I want an excuse to have it!
Wishes Granted!
Red wine has been shown to have heart-healthy benefits and be decently low-GI. And no, Boone's Farm does not count. (If you don't know what Boone's Farm is, you may be too young to read this blog. ;)) If you like regular merlot or a nice Pinot Noir, you're all set. If you are like me and dry wine doesn't do it for you, there is still drinks for our happy nights!
You can go for a fruit wine like a berry type. This takes a bit of label-reading.
You can also go for a nice Lambrusco. This is a sweet fruity wine with a bit of fizz.
You could also try a bit of port or Beaujolais Nouveau which is a non-aged wine that is a bit harder to come by.
If you like the fizz, there is nothing wrong with getting a bottle of club soda to thin out a more full-bodied red OR to keep the port from kicking your heinie like it did mine the two times I've had it...
Now, if you don't mind a bit more semi-sweet like stealing the chocolate chips when making cookies (you know who you are), you can try to drink like the Germans. There are a lot of great German reds out there that have a touch of sweetness without too much of the dry.
If you aren't sure, ask a waiter at a steakhouse or Italian restaurant what they recommend for a sweet red. I say this because a) Steakhouses and Italian restaurants tend to have the best variety of wines and 2) trying just a glass of while while out, though the price of a glass of wine isn't great, is still better than buying a whole bottle and finding out you can't stand it.
Holiday Recipe today is borrowed from dlife.com:
Popcorn balls!!!!!
Clerk: That will be $23.76, ma'am.
Me: Do you want to see my ID???
Clerk: Uhh...
Me: Really, I don't mind! Let me get it out for you!
Clerk: Um...ma'am, it will be $23.76 and I don't need your ID.
Me: No! I'll get it! Hold on!
Clerk: Ma'am, you're scaring me. Just take the wine and leave, please....
The problem with all those sweet wines is pretty obvious: sugar. When you already have an insulin resistance thanks to PCOS, those sweet wines make you drunk on sugar AND alcohol. Quicker buzz? Not really. More like quicker stupidity mixed with a fast track to diabeties and bad choices.
Hubby: Honey, did you have fun with the girls last night getting a drink?
Me: Mphmm, whuuu.
Hubby: Because, in case you haven't noticed, you are wearing a giant plaid running suit with gold sequin trim...
Me: *Attempts to pretend she's still asleep and hides under the blankets with the Wal-mart receipt*
But I like wine, you might be thinking. Me too! And I want you to enjoy that glass of wine as much as I want an excuse to have it!
Wishes Granted!
Red wine has been shown to have heart-healthy benefits and be decently low-GI. And no, Boone's Farm does not count. (If you don't know what Boone's Farm is, you may be too young to read this blog. ;)) If you like regular merlot or a nice Pinot Noir, you're all set. If you are like me and dry wine doesn't do it for you, there is still drinks for our happy nights!
You can go for a fruit wine like a berry type. This takes a bit of label-reading.
You can also go for a nice Lambrusco. This is a sweet fruity wine with a bit of fizz.
You could also try a bit of port or Beaujolais Nouveau which is a non-aged wine that is a bit harder to come by.
If you like the fizz, there is nothing wrong with getting a bottle of club soda to thin out a more full-bodied red OR to keep the port from kicking your heinie like it did mine the two times I've had it...
Now, if you don't mind a bit more semi-sweet like stealing the chocolate chips when making cookies (you know who you are), you can try to drink like the Germans. There are a lot of great German reds out there that have a touch of sweetness without too much of the dry.
If you aren't sure, ask a waiter at a steakhouse or Italian restaurant what they recommend for a sweet red. I say this because a) Steakhouses and Italian restaurants tend to have the best variety of wines and 2) trying just a glass of while while out, though the price of a glass of wine isn't great, is still better than buying a whole bottle and finding out you can't stand it.
Holiday Recipe today is borrowed from dlife.com:
Popcorn balls!!!!!
18 cup Popcorn, air popped , remove unpopped kernels
2 cup sugar 1 cup cold water 1/2 cup Syrup, corn, light 1 tsp vinegar 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp vanilla extract | |
 Directions
1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a 17x12x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread out popcorn. Place in preheated oven to keep warm while making syrup.
2 Generously spray a 2 quart heavy pot with nonstick cooking spray and add everything but the vanilla. Cook and stir over medium high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is boiling, about 6 minutes. 3 Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan, lower heat to medium, and continue boiling at a steady moderate pace, stirring occasionally, until thermometer reads 250 degrees F. (hard ball stage). Adjust heat if necessary to keep mixture boiling at an even rate. 4 Remove from heat, remove thermometer, and stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over hot popcorn and gently stir to coat. Allow popcorn to cool until easy to handle. 5 Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and quickly roll popcorn into 2 1/2 inch diameter balls (you should get about 20). Wrap in plastic wrap for up to 1 week. |
Friday, December 16, 2011
Day 9 - 6-year-old Wisdom
My daughter doesn't like bread. If you buy her a burger, she'll want to remove the bun. A new "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" book? Not really. I suppose it is just a bit of normal childish picky eating, but it is a wonderful thing. I see nothing wrong with her skipping the crackers at a tray of meat and cheese. No rolls with dinner? No problem. Daddy will probably eat your share anyways...
My point is that her natural instincts in eating are great. She does not eat for fun. She doesn't eat more than is filling to her. She doesn't eat food just because it is there. Why don't we do that? Why don't we have the common sense to turn away from what we don't really need like a child can? I know not all kids are like this. Mine is different but I think it is because I explain things to her and let her go with her instincts. She understands what healthy food is and healthy eating. She understands when I tell her that candy and cookies and ice cream are foods for once in a while. If you give her a bowl of raw veggies, she will happily munch away. In a lot of ways, she's smarter than I am about eating. I may be the one offering the lessons, but she's the one living the healthier life.
To some extent, I teach her this way because I don't want her to struggle with her weight. I don't want her to spend tons of time focusing on food. I don't want to create another teen-ager obsessed with looking different than she does when how she looks is beautiful. I need to learn from her or work harder to un-teach myself the bad habits.
We did our walk today. Instead of just the pup and I, my baby went with. I knew she could play on the playground equipment while I let the dog run like a mad fiend. After that, it was martial arts for her and then Zumba for me.
I thought I was doing good on keeping in the exercise flow, but Zumba kicked me around like a soccer ball. Do you know what butt sweat is? I do now. I also know what the balls of my feet will feel like after working concessions for 5 hours and then pounding my feet on the floor to "I'm Sexy and I know it". Well fat jiggle and butt sweat is not sexy! Thank goodness I'm so cute anyways! ;)
So, here's my holiday recipe for today. Actually, it is an appetizer you can use any time. It is the modified version of something that was present at any family gathering and you can use celery or whole grain crackers to eat it with!
Shrimp spread
1/3 fat cream cheese
cooked shrimp (either canned or diced with a squirt of lemon and sea salt) -- you can also sub backfin crab
diced tomatoes with juice or FRESH salsa
Get either a dinner plate or a small platter. Place the cream chees on the latter, wet fingers and spread across platter until 1/4 inch or less thick and uniform. Spread the tomatoes or salsa over the cream cheese until you can no longer see pure white. Top with the shrimp. If you want a bit more kick, you can add hot sauce to the tomatoes/salsa before spreading or sprinkle over the top of the shrimp. Cover with plastic and chill until ready to eat. Serve as a spread for crackers, celery, pita chips, corn chips...whatever works best for you. 8)
My point is that her natural instincts in eating are great. She does not eat for fun. She doesn't eat more than is filling to her. She doesn't eat food just because it is there. Why don't we do that? Why don't we have the common sense to turn away from what we don't really need like a child can? I know not all kids are like this. Mine is different but I think it is because I explain things to her and let her go with her instincts. She understands what healthy food is and healthy eating. She understands when I tell her that candy and cookies and ice cream are foods for once in a while. If you give her a bowl of raw veggies, she will happily munch away. In a lot of ways, she's smarter than I am about eating. I may be the one offering the lessons, but she's the one living the healthier life.
To some extent, I teach her this way because I don't want her to struggle with her weight. I don't want her to spend tons of time focusing on food. I don't want to create another teen-ager obsessed with looking different than she does when how she looks is beautiful. I need to learn from her or work harder to un-teach myself the bad habits.
We did our walk today. Instead of just the pup and I, my baby went with. I knew she could play on the playground equipment while I let the dog run like a mad fiend. After that, it was martial arts for her and then Zumba for me.
I thought I was doing good on keeping in the exercise flow, but Zumba kicked me around like a soccer ball. Do you know what butt sweat is? I do now. I also know what the balls of my feet will feel like after working concessions for 5 hours and then pounding my feet on the floor to "I'm Sexy and I know it". Well fat jiggle and butt sweat is not sexy! Thank goodness I'm so cute anyways! ;)
So, here's my holiday recipe for today. Actually, it is an appetizer you can use any time. It is the modified version of something that was present at any family gathering and you can use celery or whole grain crackers to eat it with!
Shrimp spread
1/3 fat cream cheese
cooked shrimp (either canned or diced with a squirt of lemon and sea salt) -- you can also sub backfin crab
diced tomatoes with juice or FRESH salsa
Get either a dinner plate or a small platter. Place the cream chees on the latter, wet fingers and spread across platter until 1/4 inch or less thick and uniform. Spread the tomatoes or salsa over the cream cheese until you can no longer see pure white. Top with the shrimp. If you want a bit more kick, you can add hot sauce to the tomatoes/salsa before spreading or sprinkle over the top of the shrimp. Cover with plastic and chill until ready to eat. Serve as a spread for crackers, celery, pita chips, corn chips...whatever works best for you. 8)
Day after day 8
I never did get a chance to write yesterday. I'm sorry! I'm such a bad PCOS support group! If it makes you feel any better, the reason I went to bed so late and didn't get this written is because I had wine at a bar. That doesn't make you feel any better? Oh, well...it made me feel great! At least one of us is happy. ;)
I've had a couple of rough days now where I haven't been able to watch my food as well as I wanted or get the exercise I need. I know we all have those days, right? RIGHT? Of course we do! The point is to know that every day is not going to be filled with stellar, rock-star decision-making. Okay, maybe rock-star isn't good for decisions. Doctor-approved? Gold star? Approving nod from Mom? Whatever works for you. The point is, it won't happen every day. Acknowledge the bad decisions, celebrate the good decisions and know that you are doing the absolute best you can but you're only human.
Yesterday's mail brought me a plethora of reading materials via Amazon.com. (Hey Amazon, if you want to send me FREE goodies in the future, I would happily mention your brand a few more times!) The first book on my list of GI Sensei to worship is The New Glucose Revolution Low GI Eating Made Easy by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569243859/ref=oh_o00_s01_i01_details) I bought this one for one specific word in the information about it: Beginner. I love wading through the waters of the ocean of internet information out there, but I don't like when I can't get in-depth about information I want/need. I will always turn to full books eventually and the Glucose Revolution books have been in print for a long while (thanks previous career in the bookstore!). The second book is by the same group of people and is the Low GI Family Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0023RT07W/ref=oh_o00_s01_i00_details). I love recipes. I am awesome at modifying recipes to meet my needs, but I like having a few on hand that I can turn to for alternatives if I don't like an aspect of something I've made. Sometimes things don't taste just the way you want or the texture is off. There is no harm in asking for help.
I am a follower of the school of Alton (Alton Brown, FoodNetwork celeb and cooking guru). I get that recipes must have a certain chemical balance. The problem with healthy alternatives to the norm is that they don't always behave the same way as the normal items. Did you know adding Flax seed to a recipe means you have to decrease one of the fatty moistures in it or increase the dry ingredients? Flax, despite being a plant/seed/grain actually will increase the moisture content of the food. That reminds me of my cheat muffin recipe...
Blueberry muffins
1 pkg muffin mix (the kind that comes in a big envelope/baggie and only requires milk)
1 tbsp flax
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 c oats or oat flour (you can make a basic oat flour by grinding oats in a food processor)
1/2 c milk
Preheat oven to 425. Spray muffin tin or 6 liners with non-stick cooking spray.
Put all ingredients but milk in a flour and mix, making sure to coat the blueberries. This will help keep them from sinking to the bottom when you add the milk. Add milk and stir just until moistened. Fill the six muffin liners until about 3/4 full. Bake for 14 minutes and test with a toothpick. The flax and oats will make these muffins seem a little more dense in the oven, so the toothpick test is only the first check to see how close they are being done. Cook until golden brown (about 3-4 more minutes). Serve warm so you can enjoy the fresh baked goodness.
To make up for missing yesterday, I will do a second post today. 8)
I've had a couple of rough days now where I haven't been able to watch my food as well as I wanted or get the exercise I need. I know we all have those days, right? RIGHT? Of course we do! The point is to know that every day is not going to be filled with stellar, rock-star decision-making. Okay, maybe rock-star isn't good for decisions. Doctor-approved? Gold star? Approving nod from Mom? Whatever works for you. The point is, it won't happen every day. Acknowledge the bad decisions, celebrate the good decisions and know that you are doing the absolute best you can but you're only human.
Yesterday's mail brought me a plethora of reading materials via Amazon.com. (Hey Amazon, if you want to send me FREE goodies in the future, I would happily mention your brand a few more times!) The first book on my list of GI Sensei to worship is The New Glucose Revolution Low GI Eating Made Easy by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569243859/ref=oh_o00_s01_i01_details) I bought this one for one specific word in the information about it: Beginner. I love wading through the waters of the ocean of internet information out there, but I don't like when I can't get in-depth about information I want/need. I will always turn to full books eventually and the Glucose Revolution books have been in print for a long while (thanks previous career in the bookstore!). The second book is by the same group of people and is the Low GI Family Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0023RT07W/ref=oh_o00_s01_i00_details). I love recipes. I am awesome at modifying recipes to meet my needs, but I like having a few on hand that I can turn to for alternatives if I don't like an aspect of something I've made. Sometimes things don't taste just the way you want or the texture is off. There is no harm in asking for help.
I am a follower of the school of Alton (Alton Brown, FoodNetwork celeb and cooking guru). I get that recipes must have a certain chemical balance. The problem with healthy alternatives to the norm is that they don't always behave the same way as the normal items. Did you know adding Flax seed to a recipe means you have to decrease one of the fatty moistures in it or increase the dry ingredients? Flax, despite being a plant/seed/grain actually will increase the moisture content of the food. That reminds me of my cheat muffin recipe...
Blueberry muffins
1 pkg muffin mix (the kind that comes in a big envelope/baggie and only requires milk)
1 tbsp flax
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 c oats or oat flour (you can make a basic oat flour by grinding oats in a food processor)
1/2 c milk
Preheat oven to 425. Spray muffin tin or 6 liners with non-stick cooking spray.
Put all ingredients but milk in a flour and mix, making sure to coat the blueberries. This will help keep them from sinking to the bottom when you add the milk. Add milk and stir just until moistened. Fill the six muffin liners until about 3/4 full. Bake for 14 minutes and test with a toothpick. The flax and oats will make these muffins seem a little more dense in the oven, so the toothpick test is only the first check to see how close they are being done. Cook until golden brown (about 3-4 more minutes). Serve warm so you can enjoy the fresh baked goodness.
To make up for missing yesterday, I will do a second post today. 8)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Day 7 - Half-baked ideas
11 days until Christmas and I'm beginning to think about my baking. I love baking for the holidays. I love making little baskets of goodies to share with friends, neighbors, teachers, etc. It is tradition for me. I am my own Betty Crocker/Paula Deen (without the addiction to butter and all the "ya'll"s in my sentences). I've been baking since I was young and I can't imagine a Christmas going by without it.
So, what do I do when most of my goodies are high sugar/high carb/low-gluten UNfriendly? I think that some of you might be with me on this worry, so I've decided to kick this problem in the pants!
First, I want to give you a list of holiday goodies (and I'm talking sweets here) that are low-gluten/gluten-free without modification:
1. Muddy Buddies (or as we call them back home, "People's Puppy Chow" or "who ate all the People's Puppy chow?!?")
Believe it or not, this is a gluten-free snack. Does that mean inhale the whole bowl? No. It's bound to get you dirty looks when people see the powdered sugar on your hands, mouth, shirt and in your hair. Moderation is ALWAYS a good idea at the holidays. Think of it this way: if you eat all of one thing, you don't get to sample anything else without that belly bursting button blow-out and the whining about how you ruined your diet. Here's a recipe for those of you unfamiliar with this treat: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chex-muddy-buddies----gluten-free/detail.aspx
2. Chocolate Peanut-butter bars (Also sometimes called Chocolate Haystacks)
Again, the use of Chex in this recipe helps keep it Gluten-friendly. If you want to take it a bit further, you can supplement an artificial sweetener for the sugar (I've heard good things about Truvia and Splenda. Demarara sugar is also a bit lower on the GI). Here's the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gluten-free-honey-peanut-butter-bars/detail.aspx
Okay, now for the modifications.
1. My all-time favorite Christmas cookie is Russian Tea Cookies (also known as Italian Wedding Cookies, Snowballs and Frosted Nut-bombs).
I will be making this goodie for Christmas baskets. I can't imagine not making it. So, let's look at the recipe, shall we? (We shall!)
Who sees three BIG problems with this recipe? Lots of sugar, flour and butter! There are a few ways to break this up to try to make it a healthier option. You could reduce the butter and insert a healthier fat in its place, but that might mess up the chemical composition of the cookie. These babies are already a fall-apart-and-leave-a-trail-of-white-powdered-sugar-down-your-nice-clean-holiday-shirt goodie. Granted, it isn't the holidays unless you leave wearing some of the food, right?
For the butter issue, it isn't the gluten. Butter has no gluten on a general basis, but the fatty content of butter can increase the problems PCOS-diagnosed have with their insulin absorption. Because of that, it would be good to mix the dairy fat with something to make it a bit more friendly to our bodies. Here is what I'm going to do -
3/4 c (unsalted) butter
1/2 c butter replacement spread (most-likely Smart Balance or Brown's butter spread)
1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1 c white whole-wheat King Arthur flour
1 1/4 c gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 c finely chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon sault
1 tsp PURE vanilla extract
confectioner's sugar for decoration
You can try this on your own if you want. The rest of the original recipe is here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Russian-Tea-Cakes-III/Detail.aspx I will make the cookies this week with my modifications and let you know how it goes. I think I will also make sure to add at least 1 gluten-free/low-gluten holiday treat recipe each day for those of you fighting through this like me. If any of you have recipes you want to share, please feel free to comment or email me!
So, what do I do when most of my goodies are high sugar/high carb/low-gluten UNfriendly? I think that some of you might be with me on this worry, so I've decided to kick this problem in the pants!
First, I want to give you a list of holiday goodies (and I'm talking sweets here) that are low-gluten/gluten-free without modification:
1. Muddy Buddies (or as we call them back home, "People's Puppy Chow" or "who ate all the People's Puppy chow?!?")
Believe it or not, this is a gluten-free snack. Does that mean inhale the whole bowl? No. It's bound to get you dirty looks when people see the powdered sugar on your hands, mouth, shirt and in your hair. Moderation is ALWAYS a good idea at the holidays. Think of it this way: if you eat all of one thing, you don't get to sample anything else without that belly bursting button blow-out and the whining about how you ruined your diet. Here's a recipe for those of you unfamiliar with this treat: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chex-muddy-buddies----gluten-free/detail.aspx
2. Chocolate Peanut-butter bars (Also sometimes called Chocolate Haystacks)
Again, the use of Chex in this recipe helps keep it Gluten-friendly. If you want to take it a bit further, you can supplement an artificial sweetener for the sugar (I've heard good things about Truvia and Splenda. Demarara sugar is also a bit lower on the GI). Here's the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gluten-free-honey-peanut-butter-bars/detail.aspx
Okay, now for the modifications.
1. My all-time favorite Christmas cookie is Russian Tea Cookies (also known as Italian Wedding Cookies, Snowballs and Frosted Nut-bombs).
I will be making this goodie for Christmas baskets. I can't imagine not making it. So, let's look at the recipe, shall we? (We shall!)
Ingredients
Who sees three BIG problems with this recipe? Lots of sugar, flour and butter! There are a few ways to break this up to try to make it a healthier option. You could reduce the butter and insert a healthier fat in its place, but that might mess up the chemical composition of the cookie. These babies are already a fall-apart-and-leave-a-trail-of-white-powdered-sugar-down-your-nice-clean-holiday-shirt goodie. Granted, it isn't the holidays unless you leave wearing some of the food, right?
For the butter issue, it isn't the gluten. Butter has no gluten on a general basis, but the fatty content of butter can increase the problems PCOS-diagnosed have with their insulin absorption. Because of that, it would be good to mix the dairy fat with something to make it a bit more friendly to our bodies. Here is what I'm going to do -
3/4 c (unsalted) butter
1/2 c butter replacement spread (most-likely Smart Balance or Brown's butter spread)
1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1 c white whole-wheat King Arthur flour
1 1/4 c gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 c finely chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon sault
1 tsp PURE vanilla extract
confectioner's sugar for decoration
You can try this on your own if you want. The rest of the original recipe is here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Russian-Tea-Cakes-III/Detail.aspx I will make the cookies this week with my modifications and let you know how it goes. I think I will also make sure to add at least 1 gluten-free/low-gluten holiday treat recipe each day for those of you fighting through this like me. If any of you have recipes you want to share, please feel free to comment or email me!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Day 7 - I have nuts! (Why are you laughing?)
I love nuts and I'm not afraid to show it! Pecans, walnuts, almonds.... What were you thinking?
It turns out nuts are a great food for PCOS. You get the Omega-3 we always hear about, a complex protein and healthy good stuff that fills you up (fiber). They add a crunch to my oatmeal, they are an awesome addition to salads and I LOVELOVELOVELOVE putting nuts in my chicken salad. No joke. In fact, I may put that recipe up here for you all (once I get the mayo modification right -- I'm thinking greek yogurt!).
I think, too, this change in diet is having positive effects on my youngest. I'm lucky in that she likes a lot of the same foods as me and is not a big fan of carbs. Anyone else have a kid who peels the bread off of her sandwich or hamburger and turns down hot rolls with dinner and peels the toppings off of her pizza to eat them? Anyone? Hello?
I also checked out a frozen Amy's meal. I got one of the frozen meals a long time ago and really liked it but didn't really care for how expensive they are. When I was getting my bag of low-sugar, low-carb....oh you get it...goodies yesterday, I found that there were a few Mexican flavors on sale. All gluten-free! I can't tell you how happy that made me. But I can show you through interpretive dance!
No? Okay, maybe later then.
I also ordered 3 books on the Glycemic Index and shopping. I don't like looking around and feeling so clueless. At least not at the grocery store. I'll save that for when I go tool shopping with the hubbs. I also have to admit that grocery shopping has never really been one of my favorite activities.
*hear the whiney voice with my head flopped back and my eyes rolling*
It just takes so looooooong. And everything is so expensive! And the people are so rude! And there's so many germs on all the carts! (seriously, there's a report about it that I don't recommend for the faint of heart)
I totally blame my mother for not buying me enough candy when we were at the store. Because we all know that candy is exactly what a hyper child needs whilst force to go up and down, up and down, up and down the aisles of a supermarket. Totally your fault, Mommy.
No recipe for today as of yet, just recommendations for the lazy days: Naked drinks, Kozy Shack pudding and Amy's Organic frozen dinners. Seriously. Add them to your list. Now. I mean it. Oh and nuts. Don't forget the salty or not salty nuts. ;)
It turns out nuts are a great food for PCOS. You get the Omega-3 we always hear about, a complex protein and healthy good stuff that fills you up (fiber). They add a crunch to my oatmeal, they are an awesome addition to salads and I LOVELOVELOVELOVE putting nuts in my chicken salad. No joke. In fact, I may put that recipe up here for you all (once I get the mayo modification right -- I'm thinking greek yogurt!).
I think, too, this change in diet is having positive effects on my youngest. I'm lucky in that she likes a lot of the same foods as me and is not a big fan of carbs. Anyone else have a kid who peels the bread off of her sandwich or hamburger and turns down hot rolls with dinner and peels the toppings off of her pizza to eat them? Anyone? Hello?
I also checked out a frozen Amy's meal. I got one of the frozen meals a long time ago and really liked it but didn't really care for how expensive they are. When I was getting my bag of low-sugar, low-carb....oh you get it...goodies yesterday, I found that there were a few Mexican flavors on sale. All gluten-free! I can't tell you how happy that made me. But I can show you through interpretive dance!
No? Okay, maybe later then.
I also ordered 3 books on the Glycemic Index and shopping. I don't like looking around and feeling so clueless. At least not at the grocery store. I'll save that for when I go tool shopping with the hubbs. I also have to admit that grocery shopping has never really been one of my favorite activities.
*hear the whiney voice with my head flopped back and my eyes rolling*
It just takes so looooooong. And everything is so expensive! And the people are so rude! And there's so many germs on all the carts! (seriously, there's a report about it that I don't recommend for the faint of heart)
I totally blame my mother for not buying me enough candy when we were at the store. Because we all know that candy is exactly what a hyper child needs whilst force to go up and down, up and down, up and down the aisles of a supermarket. Totally your fault, Mommy.
No recipe for today as of yet, just recommendations for the lazy days: Naked drinks, Kozy Shack pudding and Amy's Organic frozen dinners. Seriously. Add them to your list. Now. I mean it. Oh and nuts. Don't forget the salty or not salty nuts. ;)
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