Raw Fresh Cranberry Sauce

bag of organic cranberries

1 orange

1 apple

sweetener ( i use stevia, you could use agave, sugar etc)

in a vita-mix place a bag organic cranberries, 1 peeled orange, 1 apple, cored,

and blend. Use tamper. (you could try doing this in a food processor and transfer to a blender if needed).

Add sweetener to taste.

let sit at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld..

repost

Roasted Carrots

Roasted Carrots

sliced carrots (strips, quartered to stay firm)

olive oil (to coat)

salt and pepper

herbs of your choice like marjoram, oregano, thyme or herbs de provence

  ( i toss random amounts in, depending on my mood but you can try a tsp. or two of your choices)

preheat oven to 375

in a bowl toss the carrots, oil, salt, pepper and herbs

place on a cookie sheet 

check for tenderness after 15 min. until desired firmness....

serve warm..

I like using the carrots at the market with the greens on them, they have a very pretty shape. You would need to get them on the smaller size (trim and just leave an inch or so of green at the top)

repost for the holidays

waffle/pancake recipe GF!

i have been working on recipes these days and i actually started writing them down!

i finally perfected this recipe and it is a hit with many.

waffle/pancake recipe

2 c.almond flour

1.5 c. corn flour

.5 c. coconut flour

2 tblsp coconut sugar

1 tblsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

1 qt. buttermilk ( i make our own with raw milk and lemon juice)

.25-.5 c. coconut or rice bran oil.

mix dry ingredients together

mix eggs and oil together

let homemade buttermilk sit for 5- 10 minutes

mix all together, just until blended.  a light hand in mixing makes a light result.

cook as you would your pancakes or waffles

seasons of life

there has been a lot going on over the past 6 months. but here i am back in the saddle, ready to hit the trail again. glad to reconnect with all of you.
much has gone on. on the d- side tyler is liking the pump. after the initial pump session we had to reschedule our six week appt and the earliest they could get us in was 3 months later. ok, for those three months he ran high, really high.. we did not know how to tweak, no one had taught us. at the 3 month out appt they tweaked us but not very well. luckily just several weeks later was our endo appt and we got perfectly tweaked. the dr. taught us how to tweak and we are much more comfortable now.
on the life side
we moved to a lovely little farm. the goats and chickens are happy to have lots of space and sunshine. we are happy to have space and sunshine  too!

i have been working on recipes but often i forget to write them down. a goal is to put them to paper and transfer them to the computer. i tried the recipe to computer route but it does not work.  i do not want the mac ruined from me spilling something :) i have already done that!

tyler and i are now jdrf mentors. we will visit homes of newly dx families with T1 and bring the bag of hope to them. we hope to offer comfort and answer questions that weigh heavy on their hearts.. at least be there to listen and support.

i hope to share some recipes as time allows and check in more often... thank you for all your support!

you can have your cake and eat it too! gluten free!

 Carrot cake

breakfast the next morning

carrot cake recipe

3 cups almond flour ( i get mine blanched, from honeyville)

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tblsp cinnamon

1/4 c. coconut oil (use your fave oil)

1/2 c. maple syrup 

5 large eggs

3 c. carrots

1/2 c. raisins

you can add 1/2-1 c. nuts if you’d like

preheat to 325

grease 2 pie plates and dust with almond flour

mix all the dry ingredients together

mix all the wet ingredients together

combine, mix well and add carrots and raisins (nuts), mix again

divide in pie plates evenly

bake for 30-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. cool and serve

you can top it with your favorite cream cheese frosting !

chopped salad and a dog

sometimes we get tired of lettuce salads, even when lots of yummy things are added. that is when the chopped salad comes into play

it is simple to make and offers a different texture.
you can add any veggies you like, though i usually stick to crunchier  ones.
some crunchy veggies that we like
carrots
cucumbers
celery
radishes
colored bell peppers
onions
jicama
broccoli
i am sure you get the idea.
you can add cheese, avocado etc

chop the veggies small and toss in a bowl. if you like fresh herbs, chop those and add them too.

a dressing we like is a balsamic vinaigrette. i do not have measurements because i go by taste.
i add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a tsp or 2 of dijon mustard, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. add ingredients and mix well. adjust to taste. toss together and serve.

oh, and about the dog. we ran into some acquaintances and told them about tyler. the man looked at us and said "i know how you feel, our dog has diabetes and we need to give him a shot once a day"
what could i say to that??????

orange date nut salad

this is so yummy! a great winter treat.

orange date nut salad

6 oranges, peeled and cut into pieces, we usually cut between the membrane (but not necessary)
2 tsp. of orange juice ( we use a fresh squeezed orange)
3-4 dates thinly sliced (add more if you'd like)
3-4 oz sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1 tblsp mint, chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon

combine in a bowl. let sit for a bit in the fridge for the flavors to meld together and enjoy!

since the carbs in this are a bit high, we enjoy it after a meal or with some protein if a snack.....

48 hrs.

it has been a bit over 48 hours now that tyler has been on the pump. we have had issues since the beginning. not that this will deter us, but issues none the less.
we arrived at the training and the nurse asked tyler to put on the infusion set. as soon as he began, she said he was doing it wrong and he needs to do it her way. we explained that this is how the medtronic rep had us do this when we were trying it and how the trainer explained it to us when we did the week of saline prior to class. she said she never heard of it before and she was a rep before... well,  the way she wanted to have tyler insert the infusion set didn't seem as natural to him and we asked if we could do it the way we were comfortable, no she said.
as we were sitting in class, kids were dropping low and adjustments were made. tyler kept climbing and no adjustments were made. as kids were getting low all day, tyler's numbers remained high. we were told the  numbers just needed to be adjusted until we found the correct dosage. he dropped a bit (but still high) that night, but then climbed again.
the next day (friday) his numbers were still running high, even hours after heavy exercise. we called the office and they suggested a small adjustment, assuring us higher numbers can be normal in the beginning.
tyler felt crummy all day yesterday, high numbers even with adjustments, no ketones. we decided in the evening to change his site, a day early.  we noticed that his shirts smelled heavily of insulin. when we removed the site, the thingy that goes in him was bent and kinked..... answer: the initial insertion was bad... sometimes when we are learning something new and we have found a way that works for us, we should not try something new until we have mastered what we are doing. the nurse did not understand this.
after we changed the site, tyler started to feel better within a few hours. his number were nice last night. he looks and feels much better today.
tyler has mentioned that the new site is sensitive and hurts a bit, perhaps it is near a nerve. i told him we could change the site if he wants...
let's pray the next 48 hours goes a whole lot smoother.
our next class is thursday....

pumping

today, tyler began pumping. we had a 6 hour class where we learned the ins and outs of it all.
well not really, but we are beginning. we do have the nurses on their toes as tyler is so insulin sensitive during the day and so insulin resistant at night. so it will take some time and programming to get this down.
hopefully this will make it easier for us to control his numbers.
i am proud of him, working through his fear (going too low at night) and giving the pump a try. nothing has to be permanent.
next week class number two.. this time 3 hours.

did i mention how proud of tyler i am??!!!!

Chatter

Chatter

in a nutshell, here is the discussion, abbreviated. 

last night as i sat in my daughter’s ceramics, an acquaintance mentioned how horrible it is to be gluten free in this world. a friend of hers, her daughter, was dx as celiac and said how much this dx has messed up her family and caused her much distress over the fact that she needs to prepare ‘special food’ for her daughter. i mentioned something about us being gluten free and she asked if i was celiac. i told her no, my son is type one. she proceeded to tell me that her brother is type one (he’s 50).  then she let loose about how her brother got type 1 from too much sugar and juice and all the foods her mother fed them (dx at 8). he was also the skinny one and she was far from it. the story is typical, he does not eat healthy, exercise or take the best care of himself. that is why he is on the pump, the pump does it all for him.

another lady turned and said her husband is type 1, dx at 18 when they met (47 now). he does not take care of himself either. he eats almost all his food at night, does not exercise and gets very low, often. he went on the pump several months ago. she wishes he took better care of himself but it is a touchy subject between them.

ok, 3 people with type one families in the room of 4 families that day, including me.  i don’t need to tell you, there was even more in the conversations.

i was asked a lot of  questions.  they were amazed that the kids and i all follow the same way of eating as tyler.  they felt it must be tough being dx as a teen. it was also commented on how my kids must be missing out on ‘real life’.

one of the ladies told me that by  the way we are working with  tyler, then, perhaps, it will keep him from going blind, loose a limb, kidneys or worse.... all within earshot of my daughter. she kept looking back at me, giving me the look of ‘are these people for real’

after ceramics, we ate out before we headed over to our 4 H meeting where pizza, cupcakes and juice were being served.  one of my kids said, i am glad we ate first and i cannot wait to have our yummy chocolate chip cookies when we get home! 

grumpy update

tyler has a pump class scheduled for the end of jan. he is looking forward to it and is willing to give it a try for a while. being 15, it will be up to him to decide which works better for him. :)

i just plopped down 2875.00 for tyler's supplies/insulin for 3 months... gotta love the high deducible, you get to start off the new year in debt!!!

i have spent to past few months in burnout mode (mainly in the kitchen). i guess that is what happens when you go full force for a year, the first year of dx. now that the burnout has passed, i am being more creative in the kitchen again. we have been whipping up awesome muffins, pizzas (not as low carb as i would like, but it is a treat), soups, veggies, stews, cookies.. oh i had better stop, i am getting very hungry. i plan on posting pics of some of the foods we make. got myself the camera i have wanted for some time now :) happy me. just don't get too close or you may just get photographed....

may your day be filled with blessings beyond measure.

grumpy

i am kind of grumpy today. not because of my family, friends or  blogging buddies. nope not from any of that.

i am grumpy because

-this new lovely “insurance” which most companies need to adhere to forces us to pay 3K out of pocket before ANY benefits kick in. prescriptions too. 3K! 

-my insurance denied a three month supply and is charging 898.00 for tyler’s supplies for ONE month, yup one month.....

-we will be doing mail order, but that can take weeks to get started and i need supplies now! the cost will still be outrageous until the 3K is met

-final denial notice for a cgm, after 5 appeals!

-dealing with the ins. review board to try to get the cgm

-a new pump sitting in the box waiting for the pump classes next month, glad i got it the last day of 2010 when my meager 500 dollar deductible was already met

-not sure tyler will use this pump without a cgm.... encouragement please :)

there is more......

i am still continuing my gratitude journal. it is days like these that it becomes invaluable!