Doing a little research...

I am going to be cooking for my parents in about a month or so and need to do a little research for diabetic and cardiac diet cooking.  Here are a few great sites I found today...


Cooking for Diabetics

Diabetic Cooking Magazine

Diabetic Crockpot recipes

Cardiac Diet

Heart.org - heart healthy cooking

I also ordered a few specialty cookbooks for both heart disease and diabetes.  I will share more later on those after I have a chance to review some things...  :)

I really have been swamped...

I have been doing some soul searching the past few months.  I have been in process of losing about 20 pounds since last November and changing how I cook and feed my family.  I also decided to cut the pastry degree back to just a certificate and then just finish my culinary arts degree.  I am also in the process of registering with New Mexico State University to begin their Dietitian Program starting in the fall.  I will have to take a few leveling courses to begin the Master's Program there but I can do that while I finish up my last two classes for culinary and pastry. 

There are lots of changes coming in my future and we are waiting on God to show us what is happening.  I may not finish at NMSU but I can start the process and do what I need to when we have more of a map for our future.  In the meantime, I will keep plugging along in the direction I am going. 

School has been crazy and I finish up the semester this coming Wednesday with my practical final (meaning I go in and cook and they tell me if I pass).  After that I have about three weeks off and hope to post a little more here.

My summer consists of more practicum hours but I am doing the hours with a local caterer and personal chef that I have shared with you guys before.  Her name is Aida and I have worked with her before.  This summer I will be putting in about 8 to 10 weeks with her learning all I can from what she does.  I am really looking forward to that time with her.  She is quite talented and we share a lot of the same ideas about healthy organic food.  I am very excited to be working with her. 

I hope to share some recipes from my new eating style.  I am doing a program using SparkPeople.com.  I have lost about 20 pounds and feel great.  I am eating mostly vegetarian but throw in the occasional chicken and seafood when I get a hankering for it.  I am not eating beef anymore but that has to do with some health issues I am learning to treat with food.  My body really loves the higher fiber of the veggie menus.  I love my food!!!  It has been great for me to do this at this point in my life and I have about 15 to 20 more pounds to go. 

Thanks for hanging in with me while I go through these absences.  I assure you I am still cooking and baking like crazy and will reach a point that I can share lots more with you guys.  I appreciate you all so much.  Stay tuned... I am not gone, I am just on "hiatus" for a bit.  There is so much more I want to share with you all. 

Gluten Free Testing...

I have put myself on an elimination diet and have been trying to stay on a gluten free/wheat free diet. Some days have been easier than others. Here are some of the resources I have been reading to find some tips, recipes and help to smooth this period of my eating life.

Wheat-Free.Org

Gluten Free Cooking School

Only Sometimes Clever - gfcf recipe index

The Gluten Free Chef

Gluten Free Girl

Gluten Intolerance Symptoms

Gluten Free Soy Free Vegan

Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free

ELIMINATION DIET PDF

Celiac.com

Gluten Free Living magazine

Gluten Free Mommy

Gluten Free Homemaker

New Year Foodie Goals...

Dan and I are eating healthier still in 2008. Over the past few years we have gone whole grain, baked not fried and more organic. He has cut a lot of salt and fat from his diet due to hypertension issues and I have come along willingly with him. He will NOT be giving up meat but I am going to be going more vegetarian in this new year. I feel better when I am not eating such heavy meats and such. I feel better eating organic. I feel better NOT drinking milk and cheese so much. I still eat yogurt. I still love eggs but I am eating more beans, peas, nuts and seeds along with more grains and of course, fruits and veggies in abundance. I am experimenting and working on getting the meat out over the next 6 weeks and then making a plan from there. I am not against eating meat. I believe God created animals... certain animals for human consumption. I just don't believe He intended for us to eat as much as the average American eats. I still love chicken and fish. I might indulge in small portions of that along the way. Anyway, the only meat product I am planning on for today is the hambone that is flavoring my black-eyed peas.

I wanted to share this video and site with you, too. I LOVE Dani Spies!!! She has a great site and great energy and excitement about what she is doing. I think you will like her, too.

New Year Video

Dani Spies site

How goes the diet? ...and some culinary school nerves...

Well, I have lost 5 pound as of this morning. I am feeling good and eating mostly vegetarian. I find my body craving a bit of real meat from time to time, though. My book (The Sonoma Diet)and new scale (Tanita brand) should be here this week.

I start school tomorrow and will be doing some weekend menu planning for the weeks ahead as I go. I am using the crockpot more frequently and will try to do some Dinner's in the Freezer sessions when I can, too.

My family is quite precious to me and they are making some sacrifices as I go back to school, too. They are having to suffer through taste testing all my new food skills. ;) (Dan is quite excited about this) They are having to give me some time to study and work. They are doing more chores to help me out. They are also having to do without me in the evenings. ...BUT one thing I have made plans for is the MANDATORY FAMILY DINNER time each night. I have scheduled my classes so that I am home to eat with them every night of the week, either after class or before I have to head out for the evening.

I am really excited about tomorrow and quite a bit nervous. I just hope I am not older than all my professors! LOL

I leave you with this little quote...

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.
~Jim Davis, "Garfield"

Found the plan for me...

You know I am eating MOSTLY vegetarian these days. It is not a political statement or a stand against people who eat meat. I still cook and feed my family meat dishes. I have just chosen, for health reasons, to eat this way for myself. I have kind of floundered in looking for the right eating plan and come across a few links to some pretty good recipes but this weekend I was talking with my MIL and she introduced me to something called the Sonoma Diet. I am reading her copy of the book right now and have my own copy on the way. For me, it is the PERFECT plan. You see, I LOVE to cook and I LOVE great food. I do not cook with boxed products and prepackaged things. I cook with whole foods and this plan lets me do just that. It is the PERFECT diet for those who enjoy being in the kitchen and love to cook. It is also a diet that I can feed my whole family and feel good that they are getting the nutrition they need. It is also a very tasty diet which is important to me as a cook. I can still eat vegetarian, too!!! Things are not worth eating if they are not tasty! So, I am reading The Sonoma Diet...

What is DASH?

I have mentioned this a few times and thought I would share what it is for anyone interested. DASH stands for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension and it is a breakthrough nutrition based prescription that really works. I picked up a book on it and have started shaping what my hubby eats around it. Here is a basic free download that gives you what you need to get started. Here is what a typical day's requirement entails for him...

D.A.S.H. for Dan

Breakfast

2-Fruits

1-Dairy

2-Grains

Lunch

2-Vegetables

1-Fruit

1-Dairy

2-Grains

1-Meat

Dinner

3-Vegetables

1-Fruit

1-Dairy

2-Grains

1-Meat

Snacks

1-Grain

½-Nuts/Seeds

All of this is with as little salt as possible and as much potassium as possible. It is quite effective when followed to the letter. He is NEVER hungry and feels better than he has felt in years on it. My diet is shaped a bit differently. I am eating for Perimenopause and a few other health issues. My diet is much more plant based - more vegetarian in nature with a little fish and chicken thrown in from time to time. I can share more on that at another time.