Peanut Butter Smoothie & Chocolate 'Malt' Smoothie

This is a great smoothie.  It tastes like Reese's Pieces in a glass.  So good.  More than that, it is also healthy and less than 300 200 calories!  Sounds like a great breakfast to me.  It also keeps me full all morning.

Peanut Butter Smoothie

1 scoop Vanilla Attain Powder. (You could substitute SlimFast powder or any meal replacement or protien powder.)

1 Tbl. Creamy peanut butter

8 oz. or 1 cup Coconut Milk

1 Cup crushed ice

1 Medium Banana

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Pour into 2 glasses.  Enjoy with a friend.  :)

 This tastes like a chocolate malt shake, only it's not a shake, and there isn't any malt.  How is this possible?  Nutella.  Oh yeah!  My friends know that I have a slight obsession with Nutella, but I had never considered adding it to a smoothie.   After all, it is a high calorie treat.  But- it's only 10 calories more than peanut butter.  I can work with this.  :)  Turns out, it is delicious and I still came in around 200 calories. And it seriously tastes like a creamy, yummy ice cream shake. Decide for yourself.  Make this soon!

1 cup Vanilla Soy milk
1 small to med. banana
1 Tbl. Nutella
1 scoop vanilla Attain powder
1 cup ice

Blend well and pour into 2 glasses, if you can stand to share.  But you must share, or it's not 200 calories. lol.

Calorie breakdown--

1 scoop attain powder -- 120 cal.
1 banana 90-105 cal. depending on size
1 cup soy or coconut milk 70-90 cal. depending on brand
1 Tbl. Peanut butter 90 Cal.
1 Tbl. Nutella 100Cal.

Each shake averages 190 Calories, based on 2 servings per recipe, or 380 calories for the entire recipe. :)

Off Track

The easiest way to get off track for me to be too tired to deal with eating.  If I get too busy or overwork, I tend to not care about what I eat.  I just grab something fast and easy.  I have spent the last 2 days being too busy and too tired to care.  This does not reflect well on my food log-or my sugar log, which is the bigger concern.  I have not checked my sugars regularly in those two days.  Considering how hard I have worked to keep my levels in control the last few months, this seems silly.  Two days can really throw a diabetic or a dieter off track.  I will report what I can here in my food log, but I have a goal to be much more diligent over the next few weeks.  I'm sure that success doesn't mean I never mess up.  It means that I get back on track the minute I realize I am not being diligent enough. :)

This is a blueberry shake.  It is a clam shell of blueberries and a couple cups of ice cream and some milk.  I made enough for the whole family.  Yes, I ate it for lunch.  Ahhhh---  I did say I needed to do better.

I really needed some protein.

And some yogurt covered pretzels where yummy, although not filling.  I did not over do it, I only had a couple.  However, when combined with the day- it wasn't a good choice.

Teaching my son to make a yummy fast meal, so we made BBQ sandwiches in Grands rolls.  I generally start teaching with some easy things like mac and cheese and hamburger helper, etc.  Then when they understand the rules of using the oven and stove and measurements, I move them into cooking from scratch.  He was so proud of these, so even though they are not great food for a diabetic, it was worth it.

a big slice of watermelon. 

Some pork n beans from the can.  I love this stuff.

4-5 Big strawberries. Yum!

a small handful of chocolate chips.  Sometimes you gotta have a fix.

Then since I'd already had the chips, I figured "why not?" on the tootsie roll.  I did give some to my kids.  It felt great to eat it, but 10 min. later, I did not feel great.  In fact I felt sick.  Lesson learned.  1 or 2 of the little tootsie rolls is a much better option.  Save the king size thing for when you're hiking and need a quick pick me up. :)

Back on Track

So the past two weeks, I have not been as diligent with my diet as I should be.  Yesterday, I decided to fix that.  I am back on a plan that controls the sugars and allows me to feel healthier.  I also resumed my workouts.  Exercising is never easy, but if you back off for a time it is so hard to start again.  It's better to not stop, but sometimes life forces you to stop.  Hopefully, I will be more diligent at making time from now on.

Shakes Alive! I eat a lot of these. lol

This is one of my favorite treats.  Frozen blueberries.  I am not a fresh blueberry fan, but frozen, these little babies are sooo addictive.  The process of freezing enhances their sweetness, and their texture is exactly like a little Popsicle. It's like eating little baby popsicles.  A serving is 1/4 c.  I think I always eat about twice that much.  (Also, if I make oatmeal for breakfast, I put a few of these in the bowl and pour the hot cereal over them and then I cover the bowl for a few minutes.  The blueberries swell up and sweeten the entire bowl. So good!)  Do yourself a favor and freeze some of these babies.  Yum!!

Tillamook Yogurt does not have growth hormones, or any strange preservatives.  It is sweet and yummy and I love it.  I love Yoplait too, but I really like knowing that there are no growth hormones in my yogurt, so I chose this.  It is a nice snack, but can raise sugars.  My sugars were only at 74, so I was pretty safe with this choice.

Lunch was lettuce wraps and cottage cheese with light peaches.  Not gourmet, but very satisfying.  Look how many wraps I can have.  That is more than a sandwich.

Dinner was hotdogs and sausages for the family.  Mine was a Louisianan style hot sausage.  I made my diabetic-friendly cole slaw, and cherry-pineapple salad.  That salad, is not salad, by the way- it is dessert.  Very good, but really sweet, even with my modifications.  I froze the left-overs, so I won't be tempted to eat them this week. 

I made peanut butter protien balls for a late snack.  Because these have honey, they still have sugar and raise sugar levels, but they are better than a cookie with refined flour and sugar.  Plus they have lots of protein and healthy oats, so yum.  :)

I ate doughnuts for Breakfast

Okay, I did eat doughnuts for breakfast, but only 2- and they were small.  Later I went back for a 3rd.  But I watched my sugars.  And they were baked, and they weren't really doughnuts. They were biscuits filled with jam and folded over.  I brushed them with butter, sprinkled on cinnamon sugar and baked them.  Tasted like doughnuts to my family, and they weren't fried.  Now they aren't exactly health food, but they are better than a deep-fried fat bubble filled with sugar.  (Did I mention that I don't actually like doughnuts?) Any way, that was the way the morning started. 

Later in the day, when I realized that once again I hadn't eaten enough, it was too late.  Actually I had eaten, but I had worked hard, and I hadn't compensated for the extra exertion on my body.  I started to pass out.  Luckily, my hubby was home and put my feet up and finished making dinner.  Hubbies are not happy when wives do not take care of themselves.  I got that accusing look.  Controlling diabetes through diet alone isn't easy, and I got complacent.  He went to the store and bought 4 of my favorite candy bars.  He said they are to treat myself when my levels are in range.  It was sweet of him.  I know that it is also so that when my sugars sink too low, he has access to some fast sugars that I will eat. :)  That's my guy- always the problem solver. :)

Here is a picture of the doughnut, half eaten, because I remembered to photograph it half way through.

I also had my favorite smoothie.  However, I added peanut butter to it.  I wanted to make sure everyone got full and got some protien.  One of my kids said it tasted like a peanut butter cup. I thought it was really good too.

I remembered my morning snack.

and even had a little rice pudding. The craisins were delicious in it, by the way.

Lunch! Whole wheat toast, peanut butter and banana.  mmmmnnn.

No this wasn't dinner.  Because my sugars were so low, I didn't stop to take time to photograph my dinner.  I just ate.  We had baked chicken, salad, and some rice pudding.  After dinner, my hubby went to the store.  He bought all sorts of little goodies that I haven't been buying. Sabotage!!!  Just kidding.  He put most everything away, out of my sight before I even realized he was unloading groceries. These however, were left out. And yes, after checking my sugar levels, I had a late night snack of Oreos.  Yes I had 6.  Please, do you actually only eat 2? My sugar levels were still within range this morning.  On the high end, but in range. 

2 days in 1

Because my internet was down, I didn't blog my meals for Thursday.  So I will combine Thursday and Friday here.  I had a visit with the nurse practitioner at my doctor's office yesterday.  I have not lost weight!@!! Yeah!!!!  I have not gained weight. !! Yeah!!!!!  So everybody is happy!!!  This means I am probably striking close to the right balance on my meal plan.  Now in normal circumstances the meal plan I am on, would probably cause me to lose weight.  And actually my scale says I lost 3 lbs, but since my doctor's scale didn't say that, all the world is happy. lol

So Thursday, I was pretty good and kept my levels decent, although a little high after dinner.  However Friday, well, I did well for breakfast and dinner, but lunch?  Ha ha -- it was splurge day. :)

Started out pretty normal.  I had some cheerios and almond milk.

Lunch was simple, PB&J on whole grain with 1/2 a banana.  As you can see I split the plate with my youngest.  PB&J is really hard on sugar levels, so I can't have a whole sandwich, but I really wanted one, so I just ate less.

You will notice there wasn't a snack, and dinner is pretty small.  I fell on Saturday.  I mean epic parking lot fall.  I didn't think that anything more than my skinned knee would show up.  Wednesday night the back pain started. By Thursday I could barely move.  I have a hard time eating when I am in pain. All I want to do is sleep.  So cooking was out of the question.  I pulled out some chicken patties and made the family sandwiches and then grabbed easy sides.  I chose not to have a bun.  Then I had 2 bites of the patty and chose not to eat that either.  I don't know what that was, but it was not chicken!  Anyway.  I ate the cheese and the rest of what you see on this plate, plus another helping of beans.

Later, when I got hungry, I had 2 handfuls of this.  Yep, straight out of the box.  Come on guys- this is real life. We all sometimes just eat some cereal out of the box. :)

Breakfast on Friday started out normal. A yummy protein shake with banana and strawberries added to the mix.

Lunch was Red Robin.  This is the burger that I had. I ate it all- well almost. I also had sweet potato fries and part of my child's strawberry shake.  Yes, I did just have an entire day's worth of calories at one sitting, and I enjoyed it. 

I had 2 for a snack and then 2 after dinner. Yummy.

Dinner was yummy and diabetic friendly. A little rice, some fresh pineapple and 2 grilled chicken kabobs.  I will post the recipe later. It was yummy.  Later that night I started to feel really sick.  I tested my blood sugar and it was only at 74.  OUCH!  Seth made me a pancake and fried egg, pronto. I felt much better. :)

Shakes and Potatoes

Seriously, these potatoes are the best I have had in a very very long time, and there isn't a drop of butter on them.  Yum.  The shake, it is a protein shake, but it is delicious, and my own special twist.  Keeps my blood sugar levels down and me full for a very long time.

Okay, the shake first.

This is so easy, that it isn't really a recipe.  The Attain, is a Meleluca Product.  It is designed for weight loss, and as full as it keeps me, I imagine it does a really good job.  I am not supposed to be losing weight right now, but I really don't like breakfast, so I compromised.  I looked at the ingredients on the back of the Attain, and guess what? I know what they are, and they all come from FOOD.  Not chemicals- food!  So I use I powder scoop and 1 banana and 1 cup of chocolate silk, (I'm not losing- remember). I add these to a blender and and add 1 cup of crushed ice.  I blend it all up.  It makes 2 and 1/2 servings.  I give the 1/2 to my kiddo, and I eat 2 servings.  Yup, I really do.  It is still only 360 calories for the entire shake, so my share of the calories is about 280.  If you are interested in the Attain- I can get it for you. You can learn more about the company here.

Now for the potatoes.

Clean and boil some red potatoes for about 20 minutes until they are soft inside.

You need some yummy tasting Olive Oil.  Get the good stuff, first cold press, extra virgin.  It isn't much more money, but it is a much better taste.

spread around on your pan.

You will need salt, pepper and your favorite spice. You can use rosemary, basil, garlic, or anything you like.  Lemon pepper would be super yummy.  I used chives.

When the potatoes are fork soft, pull them out of the pan and dry them on a towel. Then put them on the olive oiled pan and smash them.  Yup, grab a cup or potato masher or strong spatula and give 'em a smash.  Ahhhhhh see all the money you save on therapy by cooking?

Once smashed, sprinkle with salt, pepper and your spices. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 20 min.  They are done when they are brown and crispy.

I forgot to take a picture on the pan, but here they are scooped up into a bowl.  You can serve with a little sour cream, but keep butter away from these babies.  They taste fabulous without. Plus, this was you can tell yourself how healthy they really are because you used a healthy fat on them.  ha ha --- watch your portion sizes.  lol

Back to the Log

So you have probably noticed that I don't log my weekend meals.  I'm just too busy.  Also, I am not a vigilant on the weekends.  I have noticed that the new way of eating is becoming part of me though.  I tend to automatically add fruit and whipped topping to my pancakes instead of syrup. My husband made me a fabulous stir-fry for Mother's Day dinner.  It was great.  It was loaded with veggies and a New York Strip steak.  Since my iron is also low, this turned out to be a great meal for me.  I am automatically reducing my portion sizes. This is becoming a way of life, and that is good.

One big surprise to me is the almond milk.  Ummm. . . I like it better than milk.  I never thought I would say that.  It was nice because I thought I was going to have to "make do" and give up something I liked.  Turns out I like the alternative as well or more.  How often does that happen?  Maybe my tastes are changing.  I don't really care about the reason.  I'm just happy that it's the case. :)

Okay, yesterday's meal log; because you have been waiting on pins and needles, right?

This is a protein shake. I used a product called Attain from Melaluca.  If you have never heard of it, I will do a post about it later today. Done, use protein shake link. Suffice it to say, it was delicious, and kept me full for hours.  It also kept my blood sugars under control.  I am not trying to lose weight, so I made it into a shake with a banana and some Chocolate soy milk.  I'll post the recipe later.

What I used to make my shake. :)

Lunch was whole wheat bread with a small Spanish omelet on top, cottage cheese with mandarin oranges and left-over cole slaw from the other night.

My sugars were really really low in the afternoon yesterday. As in, 72.  That is low.  So I had a mango.  In the past I would have said, fabulous! Now I can have chocolate!  But I wanted the mango. I think it was a lot more satisfying too.

This is what my husband had for dinner.  Ribs, potatoes, and biscuit.  I know there is no green.  He is a grown man, I do not tell him how to eat. lol

This is my dinner.  I had left-over BBQ chicken with 2 Tbl BBQ sauce, over - you guessed it- cabbage.  I also had some potatoes.  I will post the recipe soon.  Done. These are AWESOME and there isn't a spot of butter on them, just olive oil. mmmnnnn.  I did add a little sour cream.  About 1 Tbl. Diabetics can have funny things.  Sour Cream is okay, in moderation, and even helpful to items like potatoes, because the fat slows the sugar absorption.  Weird, huh?

Okay, I only had one.  I shouldn't have had any.  But I did.  My sugar levels 2 hours later were a tiny bit high at 125, but that is high on the acceptable end, so it was fine. Still, I shouldn't have had one.

I do want chocolate milk. But I know it's not always the best choice.  This is 1/2 Soy chocolate milk, and 1/2 almond milk.  Delicious.  I admit, I had another glass of soy chocolate milk, straight- but only 1/2 glass. :) Sugar levels were at 95 this morning - fasting.  So a tiny bit high, but still in the acceptable range.  Tonight, only the 1/2 and 1/2 mixture.