Comment by Kathy on September 3, 2009 at 2:04pm

Grilling is good. Sometimes for dinner we grill out chicken or steak. Then I make kabobs out of zucccini, onions, portabello mushrooms and bell peppers. I Marinade them in olive oil and fresh dill for about half an hour. Then I put them on the skewers and grill them for about 10 minutes. I don't have a problem with anykinds of protein. Last night we had smoked sausage with saute veggies. Whenever I eat potatoes I have small portions and make sure I eat a protein with them. There is a forum on here called recipes and eating. You may want to check that out.

Comment by Gerri on September 3, 2009 at 2:04pm

Hi Michael,

There's a link on the lower right side of every page for recipes under "Most Popular Pages." You might find some great ideas there & inspiration.

I've found great recipes on these sites:

Here are some sites:
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes http://genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html
The Low Carb Cafe www.lowcarbcafe.com
Low Carb Luxury http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/index.html
Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/low_carb/
Low Carb Eating http://lowcarbeating.com/
lowcarbfriends.com

Comment by Michael Boggan on September 3, 2009 at 2:15pm

Good deal. Thanks a lot.

Comment by Kelly Rawlings on September 3, 2009 at 5:53pm

When you cook healthfully for yourself, you're also setting up your kids to eat well and in a way that can help them minimize their risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. But who has the time, right? It does take planning and prep. Writing out grocery lists and planning meals ahead can be big help if you can just set aside an hour a week to do it.

Here's how I add good nutrition to foods that my 11-year-old loves while catering to my diabetes needs:
Frozen spinach, shredded zucchini, finely chopped mushrooms--To add more fiber-rich veggies to our foods, I often bulk out lean ground-beef (or ground turkey breast) dishes with low-cal, low-carb veggies. Spaghetti sauce, taco seasoning, etc., are flavorful enough to "mask" the taste of the veggies. My son gets a serving of veg and less saturated fat (from eating less meat).

Veggie bases instead of pasta, or at least mixed in with pasta: Spaghetti squash looks and feels quite similar to pasta. Plus, it's fun to scrape out of the cooked squash. Mixing any sort of non-starchy veg with cooked pasta is a great way to lower the carb count. I look for whole wheat, fiber-rich pasta. Also, when it comes to other grain bases, I often substitute quick-cook barley for rice. Much more fiber in barley, but the consistency is pretty similar.

Reduced sodium everything: There's WAY too much sodium in packaged foods. When I don't have time to cook from scratch (and that's often), I always purchase the low- or reduced-sodium version of canned veggies, flavoring packets, sauces, etc. We use lemon pepper or some of the Mrs. Dash spice mixtures to flavor up the food without added sodium.

Breakfast for dinner: This is always popular with kids, and eggs are a nice source of lean protein. You can eat more whites than yolks to further reduce cholesterol. Eggs can take the place of meat in burritos, on salads, on sandwiches.

I look for recipes that use beans. Although you do need to count the carbs in them, they are very fiber-rich, which means it's easier to keep your blood sugar steady.

Dip night. This is a fun one! We make several dips (melted peanut butter, hummus, low-fat sour cream dip, low-fat cheese dip) and an assortment of cut up veggies, fruit, and strips of crisped whole-grain bread or crackers. No double dipping ;-)

I try to serve a lot of "build it yourself" meals. Sandwiches, pasta with toppers, thin-crust pizza (you can make it on small tortillas). Then several small dishes of cut up veggies. The rule is that my son must choose at least one serving of fruit and one of vegetable at each meal. Somehow, veggies are more enjoyable when you're allowed to pick and choose.

When I'm able, I set aside Sunday afternoon to cut up and blanch veggies, make a couple of reheatable recipes, and make sure I have nutritious grab-and-go products on hand: low-fat yogurt, high-fiber cereal, etc.

There are many recipe sites online (of course I have to plug my magazine) that offer full nutrition info so you can count calories and carbs. As your kids grow up, they can help you cook and learn good nutrition along the way. When my son pointed out the other night, "There's no dairy item with this meal," I was pretty proud of him.

Comment by Maureen on September 3, 2009 at 6:28pm

I post recipes that I often make on my page's blog - you're welcome to scoop them!

I just cook a normal, healthy, heart-smart diet. I use a lot of veggies, fruits and whole grains/legumes, and stick to lean proteins, olive and canola oil and low or no-fat dairy. It would look like a Mediterranian diet, and it suits us all fine.

Comment by Mamadog on September 5, 2009 at 11:00pm

Hi Michael,

I too am the chief cook for my family and fortunately no one is terribly picky. The rest of the family does like their carbs though. One of the things which helped my fight my frustration was to sit down one day a week and lay out a meal plan. Usually the day the grocery store ad gets to the house. I can plan what to buy check my pantry for anything I may be low on and set up my list.

I may ask the rest of the family, what haven't we had for a while or what do you have a taste for for ideas. I do keep a fairly well stocked pantry/freezer which helps when something happens to the plan. I can partially thaw a frozen chicken breast, cut it up and stir fry with frozen veggies over brown rice for nights when the plan goes out the window.

I will also pick up ethnic cook boods at the library and adapt the occasional recipe to our likes and needs.

Hope this helps...my best to you

md

Comment by Mamadog on September 5, 2009 at 11:04pm

PS if you like to grill, try cutting your veggies like squash, peppers, asparagus or even green beans with a little oil and putting them on the grill with your meat! Season to taste and they are fabulous!

md

Comment by Leticia on September 5, 2009 at 11:26pm

Oh how i miss just ordering pizza...I still have all the pizza delivery numbers on my cell phone... Hey this is Texas ...When in doubt grill it... But really my quick fix is- i use whole wheat tortillas , make some chiken fajitas in a skillet, heat the tortillas add cheese and the fajitas you can grill them and make qusadillas or soft tacos.. its fast and easy and under 45 carbs... super yummy...

Comment by Alisha Steele on September 7, 2009 at 8:17am

Oh, don't let it overwhelm you...you don't have to change that much. Have you seen a nutritionist or looked into diabetic diets? You can grill fish, chicken, lean cuts of beef and veggies. You can still cook rice, pasta and potatoes, except your portion has to be measured out to stay within your carb count. As long as you count your carbs, you'll be fine :)

Comment by Alisha Steele on September 7, 2009 at 8:19am

PS: You'll do much better with brown rice and wheat pasta, but you can cook those for the whole family too :)

Comment