Eggies and the Nutrition Police

None of my guys eats hard boiled eggs. I will on occasion. When I saw the Eggies gadget at the Dollar Tree, I decided to try it.  I mean, it was a dollar. I saw tons of reviews online of people that hated it. I saw more who questioned why bother. I saw a couple who liked it.

True, I have more kitchen experience than the average person, but I had no problem with leaking eggs, no messy counter, no boilovers. Pretty straight forward process. It does not save cooking time, and even adds prep time. I does prevent the pain of peeling eggs. I will never be good at that.  I know, I know. Use old eggs. Put soda in the water. Bake them instead.  I still have problems getting the shell off smoothly. No lectures please.

While we are on that lecturing subject. Yes, I know this is cooking in plastic and that is not good. I won't be doing this often-- promise. I figure there are so many bad things out there that I can't avoid, that I am not going to be the super vigilant, hyper healthy mom/wife/person that makes everyone around feel unworthy and judged. I remember the day a fellow parent made me feel terrible because I didn't use the right peanut butter and because my back yard did not have mature trees.  Excuse me. I never want to be her and I feel feel the sting of her judgment. I never go around telling people how awful sugar is. Not even when I see diabetics suffering. I offer our story simply as it is.  It is possible.

I work at keeping us healthy, but certainly don't want to make enemies because we choose to use or avoid certain foods or products. I read an article recently about how the "Paleo Police" make so many people give up even trying to make healthy choices. I got some rather snarky comments because I used Tilapia this week.  Ouch. Sometimes it just seems like there is nothing that is safe to consume.Either it is bad to start with, genetically modified, sprayed with pesticides, fed corn, coated in wheat, cooked with smoke, cooked too long, hard to digest when raw, source of salmonella, cooked in the wrong skillet, a possible allergen, or something.  Aaargh!

 I sometimes make bad choices and I admit it. Life is to be lived and every once in a while I have a diet Dr. Pepper. Not too often.  I do the best I can to be a good steward of our health and our finances. The two don't always get along well. Honestly, shopping at Whole Foods is simply not possible for us, and we have always lived simply, so there is no place to cut back.  I'll just place my hope in the fact that the good Lord has my days numbered and the occasional egg boiled in plastic or fizzy soda will not upset his plan for me. We are seldom sick and I have much more energy than people half my age. The reason for the Diner Plan was to keep us stocked in healthy foods when our attention was focused on life. Hard to believe, but despite having a food blog and being a cookbook author, my life focus is not food. I love it, but there is so much more to life. Let's go enjoy it instead of hyper focusing on every bite that goes into our mouths (and that stands true as to the state of the mouths around us too!) So Eggie or traditional boil, tis the season to enjoy some eggs. Go for it. And oh yeah, I remember when those were bad for us too.

The Chazown

That's me as a little girl with my cousins Vickie and Bobby. Life was all about fun back then, and I wasn't worried about my life vision. Although I was always driven, I somehow ended up overweight and not healthy. I just have to quote my pastor. I attended a study last week that really impacted me and would be great for all of you too. Here goes:

"Everybody ends up somewhere. Few people end up somewhere on purpose." Craig Groeschel, Pastor of LifeChurch.

It is so true--especially where our health goals are concerned. We need a vision--that's what the Hebrew word Chazown means. That is a key part of the Diner program too. If our vision for our health is to be leaner, to have low blood sugars, then we need a plan. That is how we get there on purpose!

Now believe me, I am not saying my menu planning e-book is your key to good health. It is a tool to keep your life manageable, and it is one spoke on your life wheel. As my pastor pointed out, when one spoke is broken, the others soon follow. Healthy habits are important to our spiritual life, our careers and our relationships. Poor health impacts us in so many ways. I have been there!

One thing we must do to take control is to have a plan. The second thing we need to do is to actually follow that plan. That is pretty much as difficult as the 24/7 Diner plan gets. I have spoken with so many diabetics who tell me that you just can't expect anyone to live low carb--that it is too hard to do without...(insert your carb of choice here) But then, how do they explain that we have been able to follow this plan for years? John regularly has blood sugars under a hundred. Although he is tempted to say he is not diabetic any longer, I am quick to point out that if he returned to a high carb diet, his deadly symptoms would return. I am thankful that he has responded so well through diet, but that would not have happened if we cheated the plan.

It is work to keep a kitchen stocked with healthy foods. It is tough to give up on foods others get to enjoy. Sometimes I feel sorry for myself having to cook all the time! That is why I have a system to help make all those meals easier. Having a plan in place each week means we won't be left hungry or running to the drive-through, surrendering to bad food.

The system works with any special diet--I have a friend who has approached me with the hopes of compiling a similar e-book for families treating autism through diet. I hope to do that soon, as my son is also on a similar restrictive diet now. Yep, more for me to juggle, but so worth it. I have learned that when you see results from your diet, it is much easier to stick to. But then, when you stick to it, it is much faster to show results!

If you want to be successful at any diet change, there are some steps to follow. These are my Top Ten.
1. Plan your menu. Make sure to have foods you really enjoy, not just ones that you think you should be eating. Lettuce everyday will lead to pizza binges.
2. Prepare food in advance. One day of extra cooking a week will save you so much time. You will appreciate it later in the week.
3. Get rid of trigger foods that cause binges and cravings! I spoke with a friend today who can't seem to tolerate sweeteners at all. Even no calorie sweeteners give her carb cravings. Better to banish those, at least for a time.
4. Keep a food diary. Sometimes when we are just starting out, accountability to a diary can keep us real. I use Fitday...not everyday, but enough. A notebook will do too. We low carbers can easily eat far more calories than we realize. Cheese is a major problem for me!
5. Related to #3 above, be careful with grazing. I am especially bad about this when I am cooking for others. Tasting easily becomes cheating, which becomes a binge. Can you smell the guilt?
6. Find something else to do rather than eat. You decide.
7. Grab a partner. John and I do this together. So great to have support and accountability. If you don't have one, drop me an email. I love to hear from you guys. Or get involved with an online support group. There are great ideas there.
8. Learn to pack a good lunch. It is much easier to pack a nice lunch than to guess at what you can eat out. Plus, nothing is worse than opening a brown bag to a squished, damp sandwich. If you have good food to look forward to, eating away from home is fun! Make sure you have variety and lots of color and textures. Make your meal better than their fast food and avoid the dreaded food envy.
9. Keep emergency snacks at work, school or in the car. Vending machines are not our friends. Life happens, so anticipate those emergencies!
10. Try not to listen to naysayers who tell you that your eating plan is not healthy. You make the decisions on your own health. I have found that if I don't make a big production, most people don't even notice that I am eating any differently. You will soon have the health to prove them wrong!

I bet you all have some great ideas too. Not planning led my family down the road to obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Yes we were certainly getting somewhere. Now that we are educated and committed, we are on a much healthier path...and we are getting there on purpose. I am so much healthier than I was five years ago. Are you?

Of course, your life wheel has other spokes too, not just health. If you would like to learn more about the Chazown for your life, visit here. It could change your future!

Listen Up Type 2 Diabetics

As most of you Diners know, my family became true low carbers when my husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We are able to keep his blood sugars manageable through diet alone at this point. His A1c went from nearly eleven to the sixes.

My firstborn son, though still a carby boy, has seen the changes in his family first hand. Health improved for his dad, but also, my middle son lost a great deal of weight through carb restriction, and saw most of his insulin resistance side effects diminish.

This year as a senior in Business Administration, Andrew is in a class which requires his group to form a new company. He and his team are doing research, product development, marketing strategies and basically everything one would need to do to launch a business enterprise. My son's pitch involved the formation of a business catering to type two diabetics. His professors love the idea, seeing the impact it could have on a growing number of sufferers. His proposed company, that is the logo pictured above, will provide health training, a cookbook and menu, online community support, exercise recommendations and accountability, etc. I think it sounds like a wonderful business plan. They are currently in the research phase of this new venture. That is where you can help out.

Andrew and his team are seeking type two diabetics to take a short survey. The information will be used to prove the necessity of support and education to help people adapt a healthy diabetic lifestyle. It will only take a couple of minutes to take the survey, and the group will not be asking your contact information, nor will they be selling data to anyone. This is strictly university research and you remain anonymous.

If you can help him out, here is the link:


Feel free to forward this link to other diabetics you know. Thanks from a bunch of poor college kids. By the way, they will be competing in a business competition with this plan, and might win a cash reward.

Dueling Diets and Family Gatherings

My poor mom. Today she had to battle in the carb and fat wars. One group staunchly low carb, the other devotees of the low fat lifestyle. When plans to get the big pork loin fell through, we went with brats. I told my hubby to get some turkey brats too, but he just didn't get it. Of course, the low fat crew went to the store to get their own. A bit embarassing, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

My sweet mom made coleslaw for us, baked beans for them. Of course, they also got corn on the cob, bread, chips and cheese dip. We got nuts and jicama for our dip. I brought along Green Chile Cauliflower, some coconut bark, and made herb dip. Poor mom, she even bought regular and low carb ice cream. I told her not to--and I was right; it was yucky. But she didn't want us to be left out, so we ate it.

Funny thing about the brats. Turkey brands differ widely. Our Johnsonville brats had 270 calories, 22 grams of fat, and 2 carbs. The Jennie-O Turkey Brats have 230 calories, 18 grams of fat and 4 carbs. If the nutrition is that close, I'm going to choose the real version every time. There are sausages out there that have lower calories and fat, but I wonder how many people are fooled into thinking turkey is always a healthier choice? While I ate my tasty, full strength brat, I did manage to mention how good my husband's cholesterol just tested, and how well his diabetes is now under control. I was on the low fat road to "health" for so many years. It sure didn't work for us, and I hate to see others put such faith into it.

But no matter which brat you choose, I'm sure both are better with some flavored mustard. This is one variety I really enjoy. Woeber's also makes a Champagne Dill that is great with tuna salads. I buy mine at Food Pyramid, but you can order online. I think I may experiment this summer with making some of my own flavored mustards. A recipe for honey mustard is in the e-book, but there are lots of flavors to explore.

Easter Celebration Experiments

I hope everyone had a glorious Easter. Even though the weather was dismal here today, we had a chance to celebrate His resurrection among family, so it was blessed. As with most family functions, we had food. Some low carb, some not so low. Because ours was so good, we were able to behave ourselves at the table.

Our low carb menu consisted of a big Easter ham. I glazed it alwith a bit of maple syrup. We also had a family favorite--broccoli salad. Everyone liked that, low carb or not. In addition, my sweet mom made us some sugarfree jello jellybeans. They were really cute and were a hit with the kids.

My main experiment was a request from my hubby. He missed the sweet baked beans we had in years past. I substituted some black soy beans. I added some sugarfree ketchup, some liquid smoke, some bacon salt, some ham flavoring and some sugarfree maple syrup. They were good, although still a little firm. I buy canned black soy beans, and they seem to stay more firm than other types of beans. Anyone else have this problem? John, not having had baked beans in such a long time, still really liked them and had seconds at lunch. I guess the experiment was still a hit. I will tweak the recipe a bit, then post it when I have it perfected.

We also had the Tie Dye cheesecake I blogged about earlier in the week. My almost two year old nephew really liked that.

When I was just home, my friend NeeCee phoned to tell me about a really wonderful Easter experiment of her own. She hosted the Easter Dinner for her entire family, including her diabetic mom. She had a whole low carb feast on the table--hams, cauliflower au gratin, spinach strawberry salad, broccoli salad, dozens of deviled eggs and three desserts. At first the high carbers scoffed a bit, just putting small portions on their plates. Before she knew it, they were back for more. Even the picky little ones. She reported that she hardly had any leftovers.

NeeCee's mom has been diabetic for a long time. She counts carbs, but does not eliminate starches. Her normal routine is to substantially limit the amount of food she is able to eat because her choices have so many natural carbs. When one chooses to eat bread and potatoes, it doesn't take much food to spike blood sugars. She routinely goes hungry because her diet does not keep blood sugars under control. In fact, in their experiment today, her blood sugar reading was 197 before the meal. She ate all she wanted at NeeCee's feast today. Second helpings, three desserts and grazing all afternoon, but when she took her readings before dinner, her blood sugar had dropped to 164. That was a drop after eating much more food that she was accustomed to. NeeCee says we have a new convert to the low carb lifestyle. I am just hoping she finds a healthier way of dealing with her diabetes, and has a better quality of life. I know her family wants to keep her around for many more years.

Check up Time

My hubby John had his check up with his doctor yesterday morning. It was amazing. Just a year ago, he was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic. He had been heading that way for years. Today, his blood sugar was 78. (I don't think he had actually eaten the Maple's Meatballs I had packed for him, so this was after an overnight fast. He usually averages around 100 two hours after a meal) The doctor was thrilled, and asked just what he had been up to to get such a turnaround. John explained how his loving wife, that's me, had gone into research mode and found all the studies about how the low carb diet often controlled diabetes. Last year, John had received permission from one of the associates to go on a low carb regime, but his primary doctor had been unavailable for that consultation.

The doctor asked what he was eating, and they actually pulled up the website right there at the office. The doctor loved the e-book. John offered to give him a copy, but the doctor refused saying he wanted to pay for it, because it obviously represented a great deal of work. Hurray! He also agreed to recommend it to diabetic patients he treats.

I know that this way of eating needs to be a lifestyle for my family, not a diet. We have watched friends and family suffer terribly from uncontrolled blood sugar, and I want better for my guys. The 24/7 system lets me feel secure that our food choices are always under control. I am always able to give my family the meals which will keep them healthy for life. The occasional splurge--cake at graduation, a Christmas cookie or two--is not the enemy. What we consistently eat in our everyday meals will keep nerve damage, circulation problems, and a host of other diabetic complications at bay. Daily prayer and low carb food are my weapons of choice against diabetes. We appear to be winning the war!

Low Carb Family Style

It is sometimes difficult to eat low carb when the rest of the family does not follow the same plan. I refuse to make separate meals. Here at our house, I make low carb main dishes and side dishes. Then I supplement the meal with whole grains for my carb eaters. I keep some cooked rice in the freezer to keep meals simple and usually have some whole grain tortillas handy.

My son Pearson has benefited greatly from our low carb diet. During his early teens, Pearson began showing signs of Insulin Resistance, although I didn't know what it was at the time. He suffered weight gain, skin tags and acanthosis nigricans, a darkening of the skin at the neck and underarms. I was constantly trying to get the boy to wash his neck, thinking it was merely dirt!

When my husband John was formally diagnosed as a diabetic, research led me to the complete understanding of my son's problem. We decided to try a diet formulated for Insulin Resistance. He began to eat moderately low carb, and always balanced the carbs he did eat with appropriate protein. He did not count carbs, but he did give up sodas and sweets. His results have been outstanding! I am so proud of him. He continues to limit his carbs and balance his meals even while at college. Admittedly, this is much harder to do in a dorm and the cafeteria than it is with a concerned low carb mom. He has done a wonderful job and has avoided that dreaded freshman weight gain. Now that he is much slimmer, he has taken to playing racketball and using the school's workout facilities. It has become a lifestyle for him, and that is the key to success.






Pearson in 2005, and then again in 2008

He has lost even more weight since this picture.
What a success story!

Akward First Impressions

It's almost like a first date, or that first day at school...that strange gnawing in the pit of your stomach. That paranoid wondering, "Will they like me?"

It's my first day to blog about my new endeavor. My attempt to share my method with the masses...or at least with a few friends who will stop by. What method you ask?

Well, I wish it was a diet pill that would melt the pounds off while you ate anything you wanted, but...it is instead my meal planning system for low carb dieters and diabetics. One would have made us rich, hopefully the other will make us healthy. I'm not a doctor, so please do not substitute this blog for medical advice...yada yada yada, you know the routine.

Earlier this year, my hubby was diagnosed with diabetes. He had lost weight before on a low carb plan and loved it. It was so time consuming though--and expensive. When a son went off to college, we decided we had best switch to the beans and rice diet. Much cheaper. Not so great for a soon to be diabetic, though. After the diagnosis, we immediately began to research, and found the low carb plans for diabetics. It all seemed to make more sense than the ADA high carb plans. Seeing that the remaining 3 out of 4 of us show signs of insulin resistance, we opted for low carb, family style. The doctor approved and off we went. Converting the whole family to a lower carb diet was going to take some planning.

Restaurants just are not geared toward the low carb dieter--at least those of us who don't have the extra cash to order two entrees and throw out the parts they can't eat. My hubby's snack bar at work could feed him one legal meal for lunch. Grilled chicken salad. That is it. I began to shift into homemaking gear. I tested recipes for months, converted family favorites and returned to freezer cooking. Low carb cooking is not difficult, but it does take planning. That is how I developed my system. No one wants frozen casseroles every night. And who wants to get stuck in the eggs, steak and salad rut?

I use some of the ideas from other meal management systems and I tweak them to fit our life. It takes a lot of cooking to feed three teenage sons. There are so many good plans out there, but it seemed like each one had a big drawback---either it was too time consuming on one exhausting cooking day, or you needed to let someone else choose your recipes, or you were still left staring into the fridge wondering what to cook that night...even though you had a gallon container of frozen spaghetti sauce. Don't laugh, I've been there.

We are in the process of turning the system I now use into an ebook. I decided to call it the 24/7 Low Carb Diner because I really need to have homestyle food available all the time. Someone is always hungry around here, and I now always have something ready at a moment's notice. I have spent the summer creating recipes and cooking. Lots of cooking. I'm pleased to say we are all losing weight (except my already skinny boy who isn't suffering either), John's blood results are good, and I have enough time out of the kitchen to write the book, begin a blog, and homeschool.

Most of my blogs will be about how we are doing this system-- one day at a time. I'll share recipes from time to time. Like right now, I am eating homemade sugar free bread and butter pickles from my mom's garden. Yum. I'll share that recipe soon. The recipe book will be ready to purchase within a week or two. If you are a low carb dieter or diabetic, I hope you'll join me on our journey, and I hope you like me...