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! :)
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| 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!
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| A misshaped truffle for your viewing pleasure. I'm a Diabetic, not a food writer :) |
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!
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| This is soooooo true! Even more so the older you get. |
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