Diabetes Is Quite the Wake Up Call

Here's the thing.

I've known about this possiblity for two years.

Two years.

Yet, I did not make the changes which could have prevented a diagnosis. I could have altered my lifestyle but chose instead to ignore (stick my head in the sand--foolish) and think "No. This isn't going to happen".

And so now, my life is measured in a series of blood glucose checks before meals, after meals, etc. An exercise which can prove to be both encouraging and discouraging.

This is my life now. I have diabetes.

Yay Me!

I made a stir fry using Baby Bok Choy (new for me), fresh grated ginger, spring onions, garlic, baby portabella mushrooms, and sweet snap peas over brown jasmine rice!
This may not seem like a big deal to some, but this is on the heels of an (admittedly not vegan) rainbow chard quiche (wherein I used coconut milk rather than cream or half and half) for dinner yesterday.
I'm feeling very accomplished.

Good Days and Bad

Well, there are good days and bad.
Some days, I have no problem avoiding cheese, eggs, or meat products. Other days, not so much.
But today has been a good day!
I made a very tasty pasta dish with olive oil, toasted walnuts, roasted garlic and brussel sprouts.
My husband even liked it!

Maybe This Time It Will Stick?

So, a couple of years ago I started this blog to chronicle my "journey to health" through a vegan diet. Except, I pretty much abandoned the whole plan within a few weeks. I have found it difficult, I suppose, to adhere to a vegan eating plan because I'm the chief cook in my home and those I'm feeding are dedicated omnivores with no desire to even try vegetarian cuisine on a consistent basis, let alone vegan.

Here's the problem.

A few weeks ago, I was officially diagnosed with high blood pressure and pre-diabetes. My doctor is now making a change to a low sodium vegan food plan. His recommendation, so long as I follow it will (hopefully) control the first and prevent the latter from turning into Type II Diabetes. Well, that's the plan anyway.

My husband is on board in a way. His suggestion is to make a vegan meal and then add a meat protein on the side for other diners (such as himself).

Alright. I will give it a go.

Life changes. Old habits can be hard to kick. On the plus side, there are very few processed foods now in my kitchen, replaced with lots of fresh fruit, veggies, legumes, etc. Tonight's meal will be a homemade vegetable soup (he will have to deal with no meat a few days a week) and Olive Oil Bread from Isa Chandra's new cookbook "Isa Does It". BTW. You can find a recipe for Isa's Olive Oil Bread on her website, The Post Punk Kitchen. There's a link on the right.

I have found a great vegan oatmeal cookie recipe. The recipe is found here Vegan Oatmeal Cookie Recipe along with a lot of other great vegan cookie recipe's to try.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

3/4 cup margarine (make sure it's vegan margarine!)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup soy milk 1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries
3 cups rolled or quick cooking oatmeal
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Beat together the sugar, brown sugar, vegan margarine and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add the soy milk and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and spices, and stir until well mixed. Add the remaining ingredients. Batter will be very thick. Drop by 3 inch balls onto cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until done. Cookies will still be slightly soft and chewy.

Why do I find it so hard to get started on this healthy way of eating? I can make the excuse that it's because I'm cooking for my omnivorous family. I suppose I don't want to have to cook a separate meal. Someone gave me an excellent suggestion to make all vegan sides and make the entree's different. Perhaps I can do that. Either way, I MUST do something now. The doctor is not saying anything about my cholesterol but it's on the high side, as is my blood pressure. My weight keeps going up. If I don't make the change now I fear my grandmother's fate will one day be my own.

Discovering Gardein

Okay, so I've heard about this mean substitute in my VegNews magazine for awhile, but until recently my local stores didn't carry it---until now!

I was shopping at Meijer last week and found a corner of the freezer case filled with a selection of Gardeinproducts. Lucky for me, they also happened to be on sale.

So I bought a variety:

Crispy Chikn Strips (delish)
Barbcue Wings (also delish)
Beefless Tips (not my favorite)
Beefless Patties (very delish)
Crispy Tenders (my fav)

I'm hoping the store will carry the holiday Stuffed Turky to try for Thanksgiving. :)