Sunday, November 14, 2010

"NEW" diet - day 3

Yes! It's working!  I was so surprised when I took my blood sugar test this morning it was only 139!!!  It has always been high for the past 3 years, 324 just 3 months ago.  So... yes, I could say it is working.  I know this won't be  a complete lifestyle change but I am glad I am doing something that has positive results.

Mona and Corry were my guests tonight, they were inviting me to have dinner in Rockwell but told them we will just eat at home.  Since I'm on a "diet" I just prepared Nilagang Baka with lots of vegetables...


Pechay, beans, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, corn and sweet potatoes.  I only had the broth and a plateful of vegetables... I didn't eat the meat.

We also had grilled bangus.  I never did like grilled bangus  with onions and tomatoes inside the stomach cavity.  I prefer grilling the fish open faced (daing style) with just rock salt and black pepper.  I saw this in Boracay last time I was there.  My guests loved it!  The meat was fresh and moist but a bit crunchy on the outside... looked like it was deep fried but it was grilled.



I added more "colors" to my breakfast this morning.  Instead of plain scrambled eggs, I asked Hermie to prepare it with garlic, onions and peppers.  She forgot to put tomatoes.  And I ate the last of the bananas I bought the other day.



It is another challenge for me to think of different ways of preparing vegetables, chicken breast, fish and shell fish.  I hope I don't run out of ideas.  I also hope I can sustain good and healthy eating habits until my blood sugar level has normalized.

Friday, November 12, 2010

"NEW" diet - day 2

I am now trying to follow  a diet by Dr. Michael Dansinger. http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2009/10/eating-for-diabetes-reversal-part-7.html

Today is my second day... no red meat and almost no bread.  I'm still not able to follow the diet religiously but trying... one step at a time.  Even God took 7 days to create the world.

Ideally, I should eat 3 meals a day with a serving of protein (6 oz.), 1-2 cups of vegetables/fruits and different kinds of condiments.

I'm still not used to the amount of servings because they are huge!  I can't eat a heavy breakfast yet so I just had 1 egg, scrambled, a slice of Vintage cheese and 1 big Banana.


I could call it, The Yellow Breakfast!
I  met with Tita Portia and Kuya after mass at Cibo in Rockwell.  I only ordered Squash soup, potato chips with mayo - I know ... I shouldn't have ordered it but I can cheat, it's only my second day, plus I shared my chips with them.  I also had a quarter of Shrimp sandwich.

Dinner was Boneless Bangus - Beefsteak style


Marinate the fish in 2 pcs. calamansi and 2 T. soy sauce for 5 minutes.  Pan fry in 1 T. oil.  Set aside the fish.  Saute the red onion rings slightly, add the reserved marinade with 2 T. water. Pour over the fish.

Pinakbet with no pork



garlic, chopped
onion, sliced
3 tomatoes, sliced
2 T. raw alamang
leftover shrimp heads
1 C. water
eggplant, sliced
sitaw, cut into 2 inch length
okra, cut into 2
squash, sliced thinly then cut into squares

Saute in little oil the garlic, onions and tomatoes.  Then add the alamang and the shrimp heads.  Add one cup water, when it boils, layer the eggplant, sitaw, okra and squash.  Cover and cook until vegetables are crisp tender.

It's already 11:00 pm and I don't feel the need to eat a midnight snack.  Hopefully, this diet works.  Wish me luck! 

Home - Made Chocolate Chip Cookies for Tita Portia

The first time I tasted homemade chocolate chip cookies was a gazillion years ago, baked by Americans at a bazaar in Manila Peninsula.  It was really so delicious, I may have forgotten my first kiss but not my very first taste of the cookies.

Tita Portia asked me to bake chocolate chip cookies for her open house tomorrow.  She serves her guests light snacks and refreshments.

Chocolate Chip cookies are so easy to bake.  I usually ask my nieces to "help" but they were busy with school so I just did it myself.



Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (hehehe found it at the back of the Hershey Chocolate chip package)

2 1/4 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 C. butter, softened (I put mine out of the fridge for 1 hour)
3/4 C. brown sugar
3/4 C. white sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F.  (If your oven is fan assisted like mine, 325F)

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.


Cream butter, brown and white sugar using the paddle attachment of the Kitchen Aid. 


Add vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time.


Add the flour mixture all at once, beat until well blended but do not over beat.

Add the chocolate chips and beat for a few seconds.



Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets.


Bake for 12-15 minutes if you want it crunchy or 10-12 minutes at 300F if you want chewy.   I like my cookies crunchy.


Let cool before storing.  I did not wait to cool before eating though.  It was so delish straight from the oven! The chocolate was all gooey and melty.  I only had a few pieces, saved some for Mona.

Wriggly, patiently waiting for the last batch because the last few pieces do not have chocolate chips in them.


See how easy?????  I was able to make 100 pieces using the smallest scooper (bought it in Unimart). 



Thursday, November 11, 2010

My "NEW" diet.

I'm always ready to try anything just to lower my blood sugar.  I was surfing the net and found a website about reversing diabetes through diet.  Seems easy so I followed it today.  The website said, about 8 oz. (224 grams) of skinless breast or fish or shellfish and 3 cups vegetables per meal i.e. lunch and dinner.



Sweet camote is good for diabetes... but you have to eat it with a little fat for it to work!  It is considered vegetables and not classifed under starches such as white potato, rice or bread.  I made mashed sweet potato with a "pat" of butter and about a teaspoon of low fat milk to moisten.

Finally, I found a brand of butter I really like,  President, salted.  But I am not eating bread at the moment :(



I had the skinless chicken breast marinated together with the pork barbecue over night then had it grilled for lunch.

Boiled the sliced carrots in water with a little Magic Sarap.  Too salty because I added 1/2 t.  Next time will only add 1/4 t.  Then when the carrots were half done, I added the broccoli florets.  I know the author of the diet didn't mean for me to add a pat of butter to the veggies but I did.

It took me an hour to finish my lunch!!!  It wasn't bad but it also wasn't sinigang na baboy with rice!!!

The trainer at the gym told me I should just eat the salad greens without the dressing .... so that was what I  did tonight.


Then pan-fried in very little oil 2 pieces of small sized Sole.  I saw in the vegetables section of Rustan's oyster mushroom, so I got a pack, rinsed it and sauteed with little oil and butter with chopped garlic and 1 t. Kikkoman soy sauce.


I survived the day without eating bread or rice!!!  But I am cheating as I'm writing this post.  I'm eating cheese flavored clover chips :(

I hope when I wake up my blood sugar will be lower than today's.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Char Kway Teow

I was exercising at the gym earlier when I was imagining what I was going to cook for dinner.  In between sets of reps... I could hear in my mind the sizzling of the garlic and can already visualize step by step how I'm going to cook the Char Kway Teow which I researched in the internet this afternoon.
I liked the recipe from the rasamalaysia website.  I tweaked it according to my taste and I must congratulate myself.  It was very good!  For a first attempt.  And so easy to prepare... less than 15 minutes.

Char Kway Teow




Lard
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pcs. shallots, sliced into rings
1 piece Chinese sausage, sliced diagonally
12 pieces shrimps, peeled and deveined then soaked in ice cold water with 2 T. sugar for 30 minutes
1 C. bean sprouts
1 T. roasted chili paste
1 egg

Sauce

2 T. Dark soy sauce
2 T. Light soy sauce
1 T. brown sugar
black pepper

chives, cut into  2 inch lengths
200 grams broad rice noodles, boiled and drained

Heat the pork cubes until fat is rendered in a wok. 

Saute garlic and shallots.

Add the shrimps and sliced Chinese sausage. 


When the shrimps are cooked, toss in the bean sprouts and chili paste.


Push everything to the side of the wok, add a little cooking oil and add the egg.

Toss in the noodles and the sauce, stir and toss continuously for about a minute or two. 


Garnish with chives.


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The week that was...

Wow! I didn't realize I haven't posted in my blog for a couple of weeks.  I suffered from a very bad case of asthma allergy... I had flu like symptoms... ergo .. no appetite and my taste buds were not working properly.

Last week, Ate treated me for lunch at Lili's.  We had the dim sum buffet.
 

Sio Long Bao

Pork Siomai

Hakaw

Chicken Feet

Spareribs

Deep Fried Taro Puff with Seafood and Ham Suy Kuok

Pan-Fried Radish Cake

Baked Barbecue Bun - YUMMMM so flaky!!!!


Masachi with White Chocolate Filling
  I also had a longanisa craving.  I bought Sonsi Cabanatuan longanisa from Rustan's but it was tooooo salty!  Ate Gina of Celina suggested I try the Cabanatuan garlic longanisa from The Blue Kitchen.

Sonsi Cabanatuan longanisa

Then last Saturday, I bought Vigan longanisa from Salcedo Market.  Not bad, but it wasn't what I was looking for.  I really love the ones Mona always gives me from Cavite.  What's so good about it is that she half cooks them... so all I have to do is pan fry in a little oil and time to eat!  I don't have the patience to let it simmer until the water evaporates and oil comes out.  Usually ends up bursting all over the frying pan.

Vigan Longanisa

Saturday night, I attended the post birthday party of Lei.  It was such a fun night!  The invitation stated: Come in your craziest wigs.  Most of the guests did.

Prawns with Garlic

Vegie-Meat Steak

Vegie-Meat Barbecue

Delicious Vegetable Lasagna

 Mona and I tried this new snack, bought it in Landmark Supermarket, we couldn't stop eating!  It tasted like the chips we used to eat when we were younger...  Jack and Jill MUNCHEES.