A Diabetic Christmas

Morning blood sugar: 6.1
Episodes of low blood sugar today: none
C's mood today: Good. No melt downs. I, being home today, thought I would try and stimulate his mind with some crafts instead of TV. I thought we could make some of those snowflake cut outs together; I would cut, and he would color/paint them. Well it turns out, he was more interested in the "let's see how much paint I can load onto my paintbrush and then dunk all of the brushes into the small water container" game (meant for rinsing the brushes). I guess he was experimenting and using his creative side-so still a win in my books. And, no major messes to clean up either-nothing spilled, no faces or clothes ended up with paint on them, so add a W to my record please.
Workout today: 5km outside! Yes, outside! The weather has finally started to warm up here, and it wasn't raining or snowing, so I jumped at the opportunity to drag a Beagle and push a 32lb- 2 1/2 year old in a stroller (I know, call me crazy, but we all had cabin fever). We all got fresh air, dog and I got exercise, and C even got out for a bit to run himself. Another W please. :)
Clean eating today: Breakfast was 1/3 cup oats, scoop of protein powder, 1 tsp natural pb, and a handful of raspberries and blueberries (yes, I buy berries at this time of year. It's a splurge but so worth it. Berries are awesome on blood sugar, and C and I LOVE THEM!). See entry below for what I indulged in as a 'dessert' after my lunch this afternoon (...and on Monday and Tuesday evening!) :)

Eating the right foods on a regular basis can be a challenge at most times. At this time of year, not just for Diabetics, but for everyone, it can be almost impossible. I seriously believe that over the years I have been conditioned to associate December with eating cookies and eating 'not so great food', because I have been craving it lately. Which is weird, considering I thought I had freed myself from the 'white crack' (read: sugar) and the 'yellow crack' (read: grease).

So far, other than making a traditional Icelandic Christmas cake (Vinarterta) with my mom , I have avoided Christmas baking like the plague. Don't get me wrong, I have had moments after dinner in the last two weeks where I have caught myself dreaming of grabbing a handful of shortbread cookies and downing them with a large glass of milk, but I have yet to do so. 1 reason being that I don't have any shortbread in the house (this is a good thing). The second reason being I would likely only feel sick if said dream became reality, and would have to endure 'the guilt' of having sky high blood sugar right before bed. No thank you. A girl can dream though, no?

Another major reason why I have yet to bake and indulge is that I am 11 weeks into a 12 week fitness challenge. This challenge is called 'The Fit to the Core Challenge"and is run by a local husband and wife from Nanaimo. Check out there website here. It has been a fabulous 11 weeks-full of new workouts, nutrition advice, and also some advice on emotional well being, which I feel is so important (ie. staying positive, surrounding yourself with supportive people, etc, etc.). This challenge has kept me on track physically, emotionally, and nutritionally as well; it has provided me with a schedule (I like schedules), and guidelines (I like guidelines) to follow. What more could a Type A girl ask for??

That is not to say I have not had my slip ups in the last 11 weeks. Holiday parties are a tough one. One of my fabulous girlfriends invited me to be her 'plus 1' last Saturday to her staff Christmas party. I use to work with her at the same company, so I knew I would have a good time catching up with old co-workers, enjoying some food and drinks, and getting out of the house on a Saturday night (no offense C, mama needed a night out!)

I had a great time! I did the best I could with eating- my girlfriend had warned me that the party was just appetizers and drinks so I made sure that both of us had some healthy snacks before we left (read: veggies and hummus, nuts, and a small serving each of homemade chili). I indulged in a few appetizers at the party (what do you mean sausage rolls and greasy crab cakes aren't health food?) and a few glasses of wine (read: too many glasses of wine).

I'll sign off with a couple of gems that I have discovered in the last little while. As a (newish) Diabetic I always get excited when I find some treats that feel like indulgences. The two I have listed below have helped me with my cravings in the last few days (read: I have been craving cookies, lots and lots of cookies). They taste delicious, and if you care, they don't raise your blood sugar like other things (read: cookies)-I took a little bit of insulin last night with my treat and went to bed with a 5.8 reading. Nothing to feel guilty about! :)

Unsweetened Almond Milk-my new found love. No carbs in it people, no carbs!

Amy's Almond-Vanilla dream:
1 cup unsweetened Almond milk (I use Earth's Own-the unsweetened part is what makes it extra healthy, as some of the flavored varieties have almost double the sugar that regular milk has)
1/2 tsp. pure Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of the sweetener of your choice (I used Splenda)

Mix all ingredients in a microwave friendly mug-zap it for a minute. Enjoy! It's like a vanilla latte without the espresso...because who can have caffeine after 2 pm? Not me!

A misshaped truffle for your viewing pleasure. I'm a Diabetic, not a food writer :)

 Amy's Chocolate Coconut Truffles
1 cup of Almonds, ground (or any nut of your choice. Pecans are good too)
30 pitted dates (you can buy them in the bulk section of your grocery store)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 scoop of protein powder (I used Vanilla New Zealand Whey-I think this makes the huge difference with blood sugar, adding protein helps to slow digestion and avoid blood sugar spikes)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

Soak dates in water for 20 minutes to soften. Drain water but save 1 TBSP. Place dates in a food processor or blender. Add the ground nuts and combine. Add in all other ingredients except coconut. Mix well. With your hands, roll a small amount of mixture to form balls. Place coconut on a plate and roll each ball in coconut to coat the outside. Place each ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the fridge to set for 20 minutes. Store in the fridge in a airtight container. My recipe made 7 balls but you could make them smaller to have more of them. If you make 7 they contain approximately 200 calories and 9 grams of Carbs per 1 truffle serving. Delicious!

This is soooooo true! Even more so the older you get.

Children teach you patience, selflessness and how to get up freakin' early!

Morning blood sugar: 4.3 (I indulged in a rum and diet coke last night for a Friday night treat- sometimes when I have alcohol the night before, I end up a bit low in the morning)

Episodes of low blood sugar today : none (it's currently 8:45 am)
C's mood today: Good. He suddenly has a runny nose...again (sigh!)...coughing, snotty, but happy.

Workout this morning: 55 minutes of cardio- 10 minute warm up on our elliptical, 45 minutes run on our treadmill. Yes, we basically have a '24 hour fitness' location in our basement!

Clean eating today: breakfast was a bagel thin (as the name sounds, a super thin bagel with about half the carbohydrate factor of a full bagel) with 1 tsp natural PB, egg whites with a bit of hot sauce, and a Christmas orange. About 40 grams of carbohydrate total. My girlfriend once asked me how I know how much carbs are in different foods. The short answer is I read a lot of labels and memorize a lot of packages. For example off the top of my head I know there is 25 g carbs in a bagel thin, 16 g carbs in 12 rice crackers, 15 g carbs in 1/3 of a cup of old fashioned oats. Fruit is a bit of a guessing game depending on size- I wagered my orange had about 15 g carbs in it this morning- we'll see later if I am right based on my blood sugar reading later this morning. All you needed to know and more about carbohydrates, right? Well when it is truly a matter of being healthy and feeling well it becomes very important! 

Yes, I've posted a photo of my breakfast, and you love it!

 

 

 

Another sweaty Saturday! 55 min workout done before 8am-Thanks C for the wake up call.

It is dark and extremely cold outside (for Vancouver Island anyways). I am tucked snugly into bed with my dog and husband snoring next to me. I hear a door knob rattle, and a little person clicking a door shut down the hall. I roll over and look at the clock. 5:38 am. I can't help it and let out a moderately loud, "UGH!" It's Saturday morning and my son is awake. It is not enough that I spent half the night listening to him cough (side note: kids can hack and cough IN THEIR SLEEP, and will remain asleep even though their parents lie awake down the hall, thinking of ways they could help them feel better. Second note: it is possible to feel physical pain when you listen to someone sound uncomfortable all night-when my son has a cough (which is usually like 4-5 times a year) I get a tightness in my chest, and I feel it is more difficult to breathe. The cause is likely my own anxiety and neuroses-but I like to think it is my "connection" with my own flesh and blood, he was a part of my body for nine months after all!)

Jeff tries the old "C, it is too early. Let's get you back in bed." To which C answers, with his favorite 2 year old term "No." Jeff counters with "Do you want to get into bed with me?" To which C answers "Yes". It goes without saying, Jeff and I are perfectly ok with this under the circumstances. Read "The Books" all you like about what to do, and what not to do; Sometimes 'in the moment' as a parent you do what needs to be done, one reason being for pure survival, the second reason being so that you don't lose your s$%t first thing on a Saturday morning. Not a good way to start your day, ever and best to be avoided.

The co-sleeping thing goes well for all of about 5 minutes.  After the 5th episode of C coughing in Jeff's face, Jeff has had enough and gets up to get ready for his day (ie. workout, shower, etc.) C and I stay in bed for another 10 minutes when C decides he is ready to face the day as well. So I do what any good parent does on a cold December morning at 5:50am (Parenting Police-skip over this part, or you might have a coronary!) -I plunk C in front of the TV with a blanket, a glass of water, and I return to bed for a 20 minute power nap. Once you have been up at 5:30, 6:30am feels like a glorious sleep in!

The bright side here? I am up, dressed, showered, and have completed a workout and it is not even 9:30am. One thing about getting up so early-there is that much more day to enjoy. Here is to hoping my day involves a nice long afternoon nap.....with some ear plugs. Love you C!