JGE 103 – No-Knead Tally Increases – White Whole Wheat Raisin Flax and The Next 29 Loaves

Good Day,

Just took loaf #139 out of the oven. This time a White Whole Wheat Raisin Flax.

Here’s my condensed version of the recipe –

Ingredients –

1 c King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat Flour; 2 ½ c King Arthur’s White Flour; 1 ¼ t Yeast; 1 ½ t Salt; 1 T Honey; ¾ c Raisins; 5 ½ T Flax Seeds; and 13 oz lukewarm Water.

Mix.

1 ½ h 80°F, in oven, oven light on.

450°F. Pot and cover in oven to heat.

Dough in pot. 30 min covered. 15 min uncovered.

Loaf out of pot.

Thump. Cool. Eat.

Enjoy.

And here are the set of images of my last 28 loaves, including the one definite fail... You can figure out that one.

Bread is good.  And Jim's gotta eat.

Jim

JGE 102 – FBS Net Decrease Over 7 Days – Broiled Shrimp, White Beans, Tomatoes and Onion

Good Day,

Today my early morning blood sugar count, as compared to 7 days ago, dropped 1 point to 101 mg/dL. My A1c remained the same and my eAG increased 0.01. As compared to the previous day my FSB increased by 11 points.

Supper last night was my version of Martha Stewart’s Quick Skillet Dinner – Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and White Bean

This was a definite “I will do this again, and again, and again” dinner… and it was so, so bloody easy to put together.

I followed the recipe but I did add a couple of extra ingredients to the mix. I included 1 chopped Onion, 1 small Habanero, and some freshly ground Pepper.

And my approximate carbohydrate tallies -

Shrimp ≈ 0.33 grams
Tomato ≈ 2.4 grams
Onion ≈ 5.0 grams
Capers ≈ 0.2 grams
Chicken Broth ≈ 0.35 grams
Habanero ≈ 0.5 grams
White Beans ≈ 7.0 grams
Slice of White Bread (Loaf #138) ≈ 15.0 grams

Total carbohydrate count was about 30.78 grams.

I had to have, (yes I am feeling so much better), 1 cup of Almond Biscotti Ice Cream. Chalk up another 42.0 grams of carbs. And a late night snack, about ½ cup of Blue Corn Chips ≈ 60.0 grams.

Possible total intake last night, somewhere in the vicinity of 133 grams of carbohydrates.

This morning’s results –

FSB – 101 ↑ up 90 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.37 ↓ down 5.38 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.5 ↓ down 107.6 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

And oh yeah, I am planning to start on a new Jim’s Trek Part V.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 101 - Still Baking Bread

Good Day,

Yes I still am baking my no-knead bread; Loaf #138.

White -

Heated bowl.

3 ½ c King Arthur Bread Flour;
1 ¼ t yeast;
1 ½ t salt;
1 ½ t sugar; and
13 oz lukewarm water.

Mix.

1 ½ h 80°F, in oven, oven light on.

450°F. Pot and cover in oven to heat.
Dough in pot.
30 min covered.
15 min uncovered.

Loaf out of pot.

Thump. Cool. Eat.

Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 100 – FBS No Net Change in 8 Days – Picadillo and Yellow Rice

Good Day,

Today my early morning blood sugar count, as compared to 8 days ago, has remained at 102 mg/dL. Both my A1c and my eAG increased 0.01 and 0.2, respectively. Supper last night was my version of Picadillo and Yellow Rice.

And of course, I couldn’t stop eating chocolates.

The Picadillo recipe I followed was from Sam Sifton’s write-up and recipe in The New York Times. I basically had and was able to match all the ingredients. The major change was that I didn’t have any dried Chorizo. I substituted Andouille Sausage.

There are many, many recipes, about 2.1 million hits, online for Yellow Rice. And I learnt something about Sazón Goya; you know those little boxes that can be found in the spice aisle at the supermarket. There appears to be at least three varieties of Sazón Goya:

1. Con Culantro y Achiote – Coriander & Annatto
2. Con Azafrán – Saffron, and
3. Con Cilantro Y Tomate – Cilantro & Tomato

I used the Coriander & Annatto variety.

And my approximate carbohydrates tally -

12 ozs Picadillo ≈ 15.6 grams

1 cup of Yellow Rice ≈ 33 grams

Total carbohydrate count, not including the Godiva chocolates, was about 48.6 grams.

This morning’s results –

FSB – 102 ≡ 102 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.37 ↑ up 5.36 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.4 ↑ up 107.2 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 99 – FBS Net Decrease 4 Points – Chopped Enchiladas

Good Day,

Today my early morning blood sugar count dropped another 5 points to 102 mg/dL. From my last comparison 3 days ago that is a net decrease from 106 mg/dL. And last night’s supper fare was my version of Chopped Enchiladas.

I sort of followed Tyler Florence’s Chicken Enchiladas recipe, found at FoodNetwork.com with a few twisted variations. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-enchiladas-recipe.html

My ingredients – Market Pantry Green Enchilada Sauce and Flour Tortillas; Black Bean Dip; Kraft 5 Italian Shredded Cheese (there was no Cheddar Cheese in the house); Onions; and Leftovers which included: Publix Rotisserie Chicken; Bob Evans Stuffing and Hash Browns.

2 Homemade Chopped Enchiladas ≈ 52.4 grams

This morning’s results –

FSB – 102 ↓ down 107 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.36 ≡ 5.36 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.2 ≡ 107.2 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 98 – FBS Increase 9 Points – My Kabocha Squash Dilemma

Good Day,

Thursday is my volunteer day, and Thursday is the day that there is really no planning to what I eat. And because of the no planning I can always guarantee that my early blood sugar will increase somewhat. I usually get my lunch and supper from Whole Foods and then top off the evening with something I quickly throw together when I get home. And sure enough, I recorded an increase of 9 points to 106 mg/dL.

Thought I would take a different direction today and discuss my latest attempt to grow Kabocha Squash.

I discovered the Kabocha Squash a couple of years ago. The one major thing I like about the Kabocha Squash is that I do not have to worry about cutting and/or removing the rind. The rind is edible. I really like pumpkin and squash but I find it a pain to cut and remove the skin and rind especially of the varieties that have that hard-type shell of a rind.

The above Kabocha squash is almost 4 pounds.

The description at Wikipedia is just about right. The “Kabocha is hard, has knobbly-looking skin, is shaped like a squat pumpkin, and has a dull-finished, deep green skin with some celadon-to-white stripes and an intense yellow-orange color on the inside.”

It is super easy to grow. I stuck two Kabocha seeds from the last one I had into the planter that I have a Thai Chili Pepper plant and a Habanero plant growing in. Well guess what? The seeds sprouted and the ensuing vines are now growing on the deck near my pool.

And I have this wonderful idea that I could train the vine to grow up one of the supporting poles and maybe cross-over to the next one. The vines are doing exactly that.

Question - How the hell are 3 to 4 pound Kabochas going to hang from the ceiling?

Another benefit apart from being able to eat the skin, the Kabocha squash has less than half of the carbs of the butternut squash – 7 grams versus 16 grams.

If you a somewhat timid about trying some new foods a quick way to prepare and fix is to bake some slices of Kabocha squash, skin and all sprinkled with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper.  The taste is amazing

Oh yeah, this morning’s results –

FSB – 106 ↑ up 97 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.36 ≡ 5.36 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.1 ↓ down 107.2 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 97 – FBS Decreases 6 Points – Ravioli Lasgna, A Wee Bit Salty

Good Day,

This time I decided I had to have something quick and homemade for my Supper Showdown. This dish is sort of homemade, as I put everything together and I cooked the concoction.

My early morning blood sugar count decreased 6 points down to 97 mg/dL.

A quick creation – Ravioli Lasgna, recipe borrowed from Taste of Home


Ingredients I used – Publix Ground Mild Italian Sausage, Onion, Olive Oil, Publix Premium Olive Oil and Garlic Pasta Sauce, Publix Italian Seasoning, Buitoni Fresh 3-Cheese Spinach Ravioli  and Sargento Shredded Mozzarella Cheese.




And I think you’ve guessed where I shop?  Sort of regularly.




This one was a quick and very, very, very easy put together.

Only one negative comment about this supper, (and I added about ½ teaspoon of salt (1,200 mg Sodium)), was that it tasted too salty for my liking. My guess: there may have been a slight excess of salt in the Publix pasta sauce (380 mg Sodium), the Sargento Mozzarella Cheese (210 mg Sodium) and the Buitoni ravioli (580 mg Sodium).

And NO, I am not tracking my sodium intake. Hell I would be analyzing every food that I eat.  I intend to remark and note on the positives and negatives of the dishes I attempt to create.  This one was a bit too salty for my tastes.

Supper included –

1 serving is about 1 ½ cups Ravioli Lasagna. And I must have had about 2 cups. Carb count ≈ 56 grams.

Total carb count, somewhere in the vicinity of 56 grams.

Results –

FSB – 97 ↓ down 103 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.36 ↓ down 5.37 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.2 ↓ down 107.3 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 96 – FBS Increases 13 Points – Kentucky Fried Chicken

Good Day,

Supper last night was on the Colonel. Yup that’s right it was a Kentucky Fried Chicken meal. My early morning blood sugar count increased 13 points down to 103 mg/dL.

And I had the following: Grilled Chicken; Coleslaw; Biscuit; Popcorn Nuggets; and Potato Wedges.

Supper included –

3-Piece KFC Meal Plus. Carb count ≈ 90 grams.

And when I got home I had a late night bowl of Publix Premium Hazelnut Amaretto Biscotti Ice Cream ≈ 44 grams

Total carb count, somewhere in the vicinity of 134 grams.

Results –

FSB – 103 ↑ up 90 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.37 ≡ 5.37 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.3 ≡ 107.3 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Here are my tracking graphs as recorded since the beginning of 2016 –

FSB - Early Morning Blood Sugar

A1c

eAG

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 95 – FBS Decreases 26 Points – Chicken Tikka Masala

Good Day,

Well this is the best decrease in my Supper Showdown thus far. My early morning blood sugar count dropped and registered 26 points down to 90 mg/dL.

Last night’s supper was a first attempt at Aarti Sequeira’s Chicken Tikka Masala, with a couple of my own twists. The twists were very, very minor. I didn’t have, with I thought I did, any tomato paste, and so I substituted Tomato Sofrito. Also instead of grilling, in the downpour of Tropical Storm Colin, I broiled the marinated Chicken thigh chunks.

Supper included –

Chicken Tikka Masala. Carb count ≈ 41 grams.

Basmati Rice. Carb count ≈ 40 grams.

Total carb count, somewhere in the vicinity of 81 grams.

Results –

FSB – 90 ↓ down 116 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.37 ≡ 5.37 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.3 ↓ down 107.4 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Oh yeah, this Chicken Tikka Masala was loaded with garlic and ginger, and some Thai chilies from the garden. It was a great supper for dealing with a harsh sinus infection. It helped to relieve some of the pressure, or so I was told.

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim