Taro Puff

Still no FBS report.

I have this Taro Puff obsession these past few days.  It is one of the dim sum that is somewhat allowed because it is wheat-free but not really healthy because it is deep-fried.  I love the one at Luk Yuen, almost tastes like the Taro Puff in Hong Kong.

I went to Luk Yuen, Glorietta last Sunday but as soon as I told the server that I would like one order of Taro Puff, she said, they ran out of stock!!! Goodness! I was thinking .... where to go... where to go that I will not get wet because it was raining quite hard.  I parked my car in the basement of Glorietta.

Then I remembered there is  Le Ching in Trinoma!  All I needed to do was ride the MRT.  When I got there, I was placing my order when the cashier said the man before me just got the last order of Taro Puff!!! What?!?!?!  I was going crazy already.  I saw a security guard and asked if there was a David's Teahouse in the area.

Yes, at the garden wing.  I had to wait for a while and when it arrived, the serving was just 2 pieces!!!!  And I think they used margarine with the mashed taro.  I did not give up, I crossed to SM North, there is a bridgeway, you will not get wet and looked for a dim sum place. But the list of restaurants I have on my phone was not accurate, they all closed down already.  I thought... ok I know in Araneta Center there is a branch of Gloria Maris.

As I was about to exit The Block, I saw Gloria Maris!  I immediately asked if they have Taro puff and the waiter said yes!  It was OK but it was not the taste I was looking for.

So this morning, when I went out of my room, I saw that it was a bit sunny! I immediately called up Jing and asked her if she wanted to accompany me to Golden Bay Seafood Restaurant on Macapagal Ave.

Ahhhhh finally ......

Taro Puff!

 

I told Jing to order her own because I had no plans of sharing it with her.

We also got 2 orders of Chicken feet.



I had the Shrimp Sio Mai.  I forgot to remove the wrapper!!! I am now suffering from a mild headache, one of the consequences of consuming wheat even in small amounts.



Jing ate the Spinach Dumplings.



We shared an order of Congee with Century Egg and Shredded Pork.
 


OK .... I know I should not have cravings in the Wheat-free diet but at least what I am craving for is not made of wheat!

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

1/2 C. Tinapa Fried Rice
1 egg, sunny-side up

Lunch:

Taro Puff
Chicken Feet
Shrimp Sio Mai
half serving of Congee

Snack:

4 oz. full cream milk

Dinner:

1/2 C. Tinapa Fried Rice
Bacon - sliced salted pork
Sauteed vegetables

Tinapa Fried Rice

I still have no FBS report yet.  When the weather is better, Hermie will trek to Bambang to get my medical supplies.

I was researching online the whole day for a recipe of Tinapa Fried Rice.  I found several sites and just combined the recipes.  I did not realize deboning the tinapa was so back breaking!  I used the smoked fish I bought in Bataan a few months ago which I just put in the freezer.  Next time, I better use Boneless Tinapang Bangus.

The result though of my fried rice was wonderful!  Sophia actually had 2 cups of fried rice.  She said it was her first time to eat tinapa.  She did not eat it with the red eggs because she is allergic. Never mind all the hard work I put into it.  I would gladly cook it again.  Maybe next time I will eat it with something cooked in coconut milk.

Tinapa Fried Rice



6 C. cold cooked rice
350 g. tinapa (will yield about 1 - 1 1/2 C. flaked tinapa)
1/4 C. cooking oil
half a head garlic, chopped finely - not crushed
1/2 t. rock salt
1 t. rock salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 reg eggs, cubed
2 tomatoes, cut into squares
1 red onion, chopped
wansuy (for added flavor and color)

Fry the tinapa and flake the fish.  Set aside.

Brown the garlic in oil over low heat.  Add the flaked tinapa and continue cooking over low heat until golden brown in color. Season with 1/2 t. rock salt. Transfer to a plate and remove the visible fish bones.

Return the flaked tinapa to the wok and add the rice.  Do not stop tossing and mixing the rice and add 1 t. rock salt.  Make a well in the center and pour the beaten eggs, when it sets slightly, toss the rice again and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes more.

Transfer onto a serving plate, top with the red eggs, tomatoes, onions and wansuy.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

4 oz. Full cream milk



Beef Torta - it was supposed to be an omelette but it turned out into scrambled eggs! :((  It actually looked like Wriggly's barf!!!!  I have yet to perfect the art of cooking eggs.



Lunch:

1/2 C. rice
Soyless Stir-fried Vegetables with Beef



Snack:

2 pcs. Saba Banana que
few pieces of cashews
Adobo peanuts

Dinner:

Tinapa Fried Rice
Patola Soup
Chicken Adobo
Hot Chocolate

Uh oh! I think I ate a lot today!  And I have no way of checking my sugar tomorrow!  I reviewed my food diary and there is no wheat in.  Just hoping my food will not cause a spike in my glucose reading.

6 Weeks

I have no FBS report today because I ran out of strips!  I get my medical supplies in Bambang but it has been raining lately.  Maybe if the weather is better tomorrow, Hermie can get me what I need.

I have just concluded 6 weeks of being wheat-free!  I did not even notice it has been a month and a half already.  So... 6 weeks of:

• No bread
• No pasta 
• No pancit (my favorite)
• No pizza
• No ice cream
• No soda
• No potatoes
• No breading mix
• No MSG
• No bouillon cubes
• No pastries
• No CHEETOS JALAPENO or RUFFLES SOUR CREAM AND CHEDDAR (my ultimate sacrifice)
• No pancake or waffles
• No fast food
• NO siopao
• No Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs (another favorite)
• NO ham
• No bacon
• No gravy
• No Knorr Seasoning or sinigang mix

There are a lot of food that I have removed from my diet.  If you look at the list, it is mostly made up of delicious yummy snacks we really do not need but I know it makes us happy.

What I realized is that the most important aspect of adapting a healthier lifestyle is preparing one's own food because you get to control what you put in it.

Food Diary:

Brunch:

1/2 c. rice
Chicken Tinola

Snack:

Cashews
Stilton Cheese
grapes

Late Afternoon snack:

Taro Puff
Pork and Shrimp sio mai - skin removed

I did not eat dinner anymore, I was still full from my last meal.  I could not even drink the milk I bought, I was planning of just having that for supper.

Baked Tilapia

FBS: 119

Oh, no! My FBS went up to 119!!!  I have been eating out for 2 consecutive days.  Even if I did not eat any wheat products, I am not sure what other ingredients they used to give me a spike in blood sugar.  It is really better to prepare your own food, at least you know what you are eating is really healthy and wheat-free.

I have a Tilapia in the freezer and did not know what to do.  I do not like fried fish anymore nor grilled.  I was searching online for a recipe when I found one that seems so easy to make!!!!

Baked Tilapia



1 Tilapia, cleaned and scaled
rock salt
onion, sliced
ginger, julienned
lemongrass, white part only, sliced
coconut cream (I did not put but the recipe online has)
oil (sesame or maybe coconut oil? or maybe even better oil from pork fat?!? :D)

Season the Tilapia with salt.  Stuff the cavity with onion, ginger, lemongrass and coconut cream.  

Drizzle oil all over the fish.  Wrap tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes at 400F oven.

Serve with calamansi and fish sauce.

There are so many possibilities!!!  Maybe next time I can even use fish head?!?!?!  YUMMMM!!!

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

1 egg, scrambled
Leftover menudo

Lunch:

1/2 C. rice
sauteed string beans
Adobo

Snack:

Cashews
200 ml. Full cream milk

Dinner:

Baked Tilapia
1/2 C. rice
Tinola broth
sauteed string beans

Pork Menudo with Fried Banana

FBS: 100

Whew! After eating at Yaki Mix yesterday my FBS was still normal!  I do not want to push the envelope but I am glad that my diabetes is more controlled now.

I have not cooked Menudo in years!  I cannot remember a time when we ate it when I was growing up.  I  discovered that there was such a thing called Menudo in the early 90's.  I cannot eat potatoes so I replaced it with cubed fried saba banana! It turned out really delicious!  Very sweet, especially with the raisins.

Pork Menudo with Fried Banana



50 g. pork fat, cut into small cubes
1 t. achuete seeds
250 g. pork tenderloin, cut into small cubes
120 g. pork liver, cut into small cubes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 T. fish sauce
1 red pepper, cut into squares
1 T. tomato paste
1 C. water
carrots, cubed
2 T. raisins
3 pcs. saba banana, cubed and fried

Render oil from the pork fat.  Remove the pork bits and soak the achuete seeds in the oil until it turns orange.  Remove seeds.

Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes in the oil over low heat until the tomatoes are soft.

Add the pork tenderloin cubes and fried fat, continue sauteing until the meat is not pink anymore.  Season with fish sauce.

Add the pork liver, then after a few minutes minutes add the red bell pepper, tomato paste and water.  When it boils, lower the heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the carrots and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Lastly, add the fried banana and raisins.  Season with more fish sauce, salt and pepper.

Jing had lunch here and we could not stop eating it! Of course, we measured our rice.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

2 eggs, soft-boiled - I'm still perfecting the art of cooking eggs



Snack:

Fried rice
sauteed seafood

Lunch:

1/2 C. rice
Pork Menudo with Fried Banana
sauteed vegetables



Snack:

banana cue
peanuts

Dinner:

1/2 C. rice
Mayette's Soyless Adobo



Pesang Bacoco with sauteed tomatoes, onions and garlic in olive oil

Lunch at Yaki Mix

FBS: 90

Much, much better FBS.  As long as it is below 110 and over 70, my Dr. said I'm good!

PD, Ate and I had lunch at Yaki Mix Greenbelt.  I had to choose food that had no wheat and soy sauce.  Good thing, there are many items to choose from.

 

I loved the vegetable dishes, broccoli florets and leaves with garlic and fish but I did not eat the fish because I think it was dipped in cornstarch. 

 

I also got fish, salted beef and pork strips for grilling. 

 

 

I went back several times for the very sweet and fresh Shrimp Suahe.

 

I am waiting tomorrow for my FBS results.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

Daing na Bangus
Fried egg
1/2 C. rice

 

Lunch:

Grilled Beef, Pork, Fish and Shrimps

 

 

Fried rice
 Beef with Enoki Mushrooms (I think this dish had a little soy sauce.)
1 pc. sio mai - no wrapper
crispy pata
Broccoli vegetables
Leche flan with nata de coco and kaong
Mango juice

Dinner:

Romaine lettuce with grapes, pears and Stilton Cheese with Honey wine vinaigrette

Beautiful!!!

FBS:83

Good thing my FBS went up already to 83.  Dra. Wassmer said an FBS of <110 should be the goal but >70.  I decreased my insulin by 10 units and did not take one of my medicines yesterday.

Beautiful!!!!



It is the only word I can use to describe the Chicharon Mayette brought from Bataan.  As the old saying goes.... a picture is worth a thousand words.

Jing and Mayette joined Mona and I for lunch today. 

I just cooked our Wednesday Pork Sinigang. 



I still had the Baked Tahong in the freezer....

 

And I often have  frozen lumpiang ubod.  When I have guests, Hermie would just fry them straight from the freezer, no need to thaw.

 

Ngo Hiong from Metro Gaisano Supermarket Lechon Stall



Too bad we did not spend that much time with each other as Mona and I had to get ready for KST.  We could not be late because I was assigned to lead the prayer today.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

2-egg Tuna and Cheese omelette

Lunch:

1/2 C. rice
Pork Sinigang

Snack:

handful of almonds
4 sticks of grilled chicken bites

Dinner:

1/2 C. rice
vegetables from the leftover Pork Singang
Pan-fried Tilapia

Marked Improvement!!!

FBS: 62

I just came from a doctor's appointment with my Endocrinologist today and she said my blood test results have shown a Marked Improvement!  She was so amazed.  I told her I started adapting the Wheat-free lifestyle.  I just removed from my diet anything that has wheat in it.  She said, I should continue what I have been doing and instructed me to decrease my insulin dosage by 10 units and to further decrease if the FBS does not go up to 70.

She also said, she does not see anything wrong with my diet because it seems balanced because there are carbs, protein, vegetables and fat.

Despite the fact that I decreased my insulin to 50 last night, I still got a 62 blood sugar reading.  I cannot be eating all the time to raise my sugar, I will get fat!    Hahahaha, I meant... FATTER!!!

Imagine, I have to eat even if I do not want to???  I hope I will be able to regulate it and eventually just take the minimum amount of medications or hopefully... not take any at all!

I put together one of my favorite salads tonight. 

Grapes and Orange Salad with Candied Almonds




My favorite dressing:

1/2 T. white sugar
1/2 T. Cava wine vinegar
1 T. Extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

Pan-fried Tawilis
1 egg, scrambled with garlic, onions and tomato
1/2 C. rice



Lunch:

Tapa flakes
onion and tomato
1/2 C. garlic rice

Snack:

3 pcs. Taro Puff

Dinner:

Grapes and Orange Salad with Candied Almonds

Sinigang na Bangus sa Bayabas

FBS: 57

Dangerously low but not enough to panic.  I just had dizzy spells all day and weekend long.  Cristina told me not to take my morning medications but to take it instead after lunch.  Also, she wants me to decrease my insulin by 10 units before bedtime.  An interim solution.

The dosage of medications prescribed to me by my doctor is for very high blood sugar levels (250-350).  Now that it is in the normal level, the dosage is way too much.  Hopefully tomorrow morning, Dr. Wassmer will decrease what I am taking.

My experiment today was Sinigang na Bangus sa Bayabas.  Hermie attended a birthday party last night and she brought home guavas for me.  I used it as a souring agent for my sinigang.  It was very delicious but I forgot to buy Kang Kong in Rustan's!  And .... I did not strain the guava, the small seeds were going in between my teeth.  But for a first time experiement, I would say I got a fairly good score in terms of taste.  I have to practice more to get it perfect.

Sinigang na Bangus sa Bayabas



1 whole bangus, cleaned and scaled - slice into 4
4 C. rice washing
1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into quarters
12 pcs. guava
2-3 T fish sauce
puso ng saging (soaked in water with kalamansi juice to prevent discoloration)
kang kong leaves
jalapeno pepper

Let the rice washing boil, then add the tomatoes, onions and guava.  When soft, mash the tomatoes and guava with the back of a spoon.  Strain.

Let the stock boil again and add the puso ng saging, fish and fish sauce.  Cook covered for 15 minutes over low flame.

Add the kangkong leaves in the last minute of cooking.

Serve with Binagoongan Baboy.



Food Diary:

Breakfast:

Grapes and almonds.  I had to eat the moment I woke up to elevate my sugar. 

When I was feeling better, I cooked...

3 pcs. tuyo
1 egg, scrambled with garlic, onions and tomatoes
1/2 C. rice


Lunch:

Grilled Chicken and Pork
Patola soup
1/2 C. rice





Snack:

Cashews

Dinner:

Sinigang na Bangus sa Bayabas
Binagoongan Baboy
1/2 C. rice

Oh My Holy God! It's soooo Unbelievable!!!

FBS: 74

I had my blood work up done this morning and the results are unbelievable!  What makes it unbelievable for me is the fact that I have been eating to my heart's content, I was never hungry, I lost my cravings, no calorie counting, no portion control, I could even eat LECHON!!!  What's not to like in the wheat-free lifestyle???  And rice! It does not even have to be brown!  And I would eat the visible fat of the pork as in Binagoongan, Bicol Express, etc....  Eggs? 2 whole eggs a day!!!  And yet.... my cholesterol dropped lower than normal!

Take a look at my results and tell me  if Dr. Davis (cardiologist, author of Wheat Belly) is correct in saying that WHEAT is the enemy or not.

                01-05-12     07-22-12     Reference Ranges

FBS           221.65         65.95            54.96 ~ 114.97
Hba1c          11.70           8.10              4.27 ~ 6.07
Cholesterol     4.38           3.59             3.88 ~ 6.20
Triglycerides   3.26           1.76             0.11 ~ 2.26
VLDL             1.50           0.81             0.05 ~ 1.04
SGPT/ALT     42.29         13.98             5 ~ 31
HDL                1.09           1.13            > 1.15

I am very happy!!!!  It is still super surreal to me.   I wanted to wait for 90 days of being wheat-free but friends and family have been alarmed by my low FBS.  For sure my HBa1c will be low and normal by then.  It is still over the limit now but definitely a big improvement from my January results.

I have to work on my HDL which is the good cholesterol.  I have to eat more food which would elevate the HDL levels.

I cannot wait! I want to show it to Dr. Wassmer, my Endocrinologist and write to Dr. Davis!!!

Never in my wildest dream or prayer that my numbers would improve. I have been praying and praying for a miracle to happen, I have been asking God to teach me how to make it better without making it hard for me... and this is it! I got the answer to my prayers!  Which is, to be able to eat all my favorite food and at the same time have a normal blood chemistry.  It is still a work in progress but Yes!!! .... I'm on my way.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

1/2 C. white rice
half daing na bangus
atchara



Lunch:
3 pcs. taro puff
4 pcs. sharksfin dumplings

Snack:

grapes
Stilton Cheese from Jing

Dinner:

1/2 C. white rice
half daing na bangus
garlic Kangkong

Little bit of trouble....

FBS: 61

I am in a little bit of trouble.  My FBS is quite too low these past few days.  My friends and family are alarmed already.  They even wanted me to rush myself to the ER!  I said, what can they do to me?  Give me glucose solution?  Can I just eat a lot today?  My doctor friends said I HAVE to eat "normally" until my Endocrinologist adjusts my medication. 

I am not starving myself, I even eat rice two times a day.  I ate a lot of food yesterday, I had guests for lunch and dinner and had several servings of Minatamis na Saging.  They said, something must be wrong with me because in spite of eating so much food, my sugar was dropping to the low 60s.

We will find out soon.  I already scheduled a blood test tomorrow morning and I plan to go to Dr. Gia Wassmer on Tuesday.

It was raining the whole day  ... perfect for snuggling under the blanket or ... for soup, champorado and tuyo!!!



The soup I had today was a little weird  hahahaha because I could not go out and buy the right ingredients. I just made do with what I had.  It was a cross between Tinola and Nilaga!  Just the same, it was perfect for a rainy day. 



Since my sugar was very low today and my friends were getting nervous about it, I had Saba con "chunky" yelo for merienda! 



I have an electric ice crusher which I used for my pastry shop before.  Hermie said she was too tired to look for it in the bodega for a single serving!  She just pounded the ice, not snow like but hail like!!! hahahahaha I did not take issue with her anymore because she has been tired from the moment we started preparing for my guests.

I asked Tita Portia if she wanted to eat Tuyo because I was going to buy in Rustan's, Rockwell.  She said, yes and would also like it with Champorado!



Food Diary:

Breakfast:

2 hard-boiled eggs.  I was able to cook perfect hard boiled eggs today!  I got tips from Lisa and Bibo.

Lunch:

Tinola/Nilaga Soup
Fried Rice with vegetables and leftover grilled liempo




Snack:

Saba con yelo
2 pcs. siomai
1 pc. hakaw
2 pcs. steamed shrimp balls

Dinner:

1/2 C. white rice
3 pcs. Tuyo
1 fried tomato

*I received Holy Communion today.  I figured, if I need to raise my sugar, what better carb to eat than the wafer of the Eucharist.

Lunch for Manay Ana and Mia

FBS:63

I was a little alarmed because 63 in my opinion is too low.  I immediately texted Mico, my friend who is an IM.  She replied, indeed it was quite low and she urged me to eat immediately! Wow! For the first time in my life a doctor was telling me to EAT!  I did not cook anymore but reheated the Chicken Adobo and asked for half a cup of rice from my neighbor, my brother.  I think Hermie was not up yet.

I woke up early to prepare for an early lunch with my friends from overseas, Mia and "Manay Ana", the sister of Catherine who wanted to meet me.  I was supposed to go with them to Cebu but  my Wednesdays these days are not free anymore. 



Marianne, Candy, Michelle and Cath also attended the lunch.



I usually prepare Filipino food for Balikbayans.  I just told them it will be a simple ihaw-ihaw and ginataan affair.



I used the recipe of Thai Grilled Pork Belly for the inihaw.

Hermie prepared the Baked Tahong.

Everybody loved the Fried Lumpiang Ubod with my vinegar dip.  I added a little sukang tuba to the cane vinegar.

Bicol Express



Sinampalukan Hipon, my favorite!



I cannot eat Sinampalukan Hipon without the Binagoongan Baboy.



I used the bagoong from Bataan.

Candy brought Putong Puti from Cabanatuan.



I tried just a little ... as small as the size of my fingernail and it was soooooo good!  I wish I could have eaten more.

Marianne and Catherine brought Crabs in Butter-Garlic Sauce. 



You cannot believe the aligue of the crabs!!!  Super super orange!!!  Catherine cooked the crabs, I just shared my recipe with her.

I looooooved the Minatamis na saging the best!!!! 



I added butter and rhum!  I could not stop eating!

I hope it will not affect my FBS tomorrow. 

It was so nice to meet Manay Ana for the first time. 

I am also glad Mia is in town and I was able to cook for her.  I really cannot forget when we were in grade school that I would eat lunch almost everyday at their house!!!!  Hahahahaha!

I had this bad habit of eating at my classmates' houses for lunch.  I do not know if I was invited or not, all I can remember, when it was lunch break, I would tag along with them.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

Chicken Adobo
1/2 C. white rice

Lunch:

1/2 C. white rice
Sinampalukan Hipon
Binagoongan Baboy
Crabs
Grilled pork belly
Minatamis na Saging

Dinner:

Leftover from lunch but no more rice