The doctor told me I needed to start eating as if I were diabetic, unless I wanted to actually become diabetic. So I sat down at my computer and figured I’d Google “diabetic meal plans,” print out what I found, tweak it here and there, and be good to go! But as I started searching, I couldn’t find anything that looked like the way I would eat. Either the meal plans made a special point to include meat in every meal, or they were strictly vegetarian. I eat meat when I feel like it, and don’t eat it when I don’t. The meat meals included lots of pork and seafood, neither of which I eat. The vegetarian meals included lots of pasta and rice, both of which the doctor told me to avoid. All the meals included tons of parts and pieces and lots of prep work. I work during the week and need to prepare my lunches in a small office kitchen that I share with twenty others. Half my meals are on the go. I needed things that were quick, easy, and portable. But I also needed fun and intricate gourmet type meals for when I was home and in the mood to cook. And I certainly didn’t want to eat baked chicken and steamed vegetables for dinner every night for the rest of my life. But there was no pre-made meal plan that fit everything I wanted. Very well then, I’d have to make this up as I went along.
Day 1
I made my lunch in the morning, whole wheat turkey wrap with cheese, spinach, and alfalfa sprouts, with just the tiniest bit of a no-sugar balsamic vinaigrette. I finished eating at 1pm. I was hungry again by 1:15. For dinner I made spicy baked chicken and brussels sprouts. Delicious, but still not filling. I sat starving for the two hours I had to wait before checking my sugar. It was perfect. But I was starving. So I ate a giant slice of chocolate cake. Not exactly what we’d call contributing to the cause.
Day 2
I decided to add snow peas and apple sauce to my lunch wrap. I’d always loved both. But the snow peas were disgustingly bitter. Turns out I didn’t actually like them, just the ranch dressing I’d always dipped them in. Which I wasn’t allowed to have anymore. The apple sauce was good though. The black bean burritos I made for dinner were fabulous as well. So that was one for the plus column. But I still didn’t really know what to eat on a regular basis.
Day 3
I decided to take a new approach and find recipes I’ve always liked, plus new ones online that look good, and figure out how to make them work for what I now needed to eat. Some of them may fail miserably. Some of them may be my new favorites. But I’ll share them all here, the good and the bad. Hand made meals and foods I eat out. Spinach wraps and chocolate cake. Hopefully you’ll get to watch me discover a way to make the good foods work for me and my life.
I'm Not Diabetic 