Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Diary Entry for May 28, 2008

This morning, I felt better. I have noticed my blood pressure get calmer ever since getting a cat as a pet this past Saturday.

This morning my sugar was lower too, although I don't know if that is due to the calmin affect of the pet or because I had a small simple salad with vinaigrette last night.

Here is what my readings have been so far:

Pre-BK:
6:33 am, 101

Pre-L:
12:22 pm, 98


My menu for today is:

Breakfast:
2 sandwiches w/ 2 slices each of 9 grams carb whole wheat bread, 2 slices of cheese (sharp cheddar), 1 slice of bologna, 1 tsp mayonnaise, coffee w/ non-fat cream

Lunch:
Hearring filets marinated in a stone-ground mustard sauce w/ 1 slice WASA Whole Grain bread and 1/2 cup no-sugar added apple sauce for desert

Dinner:
1/2 cucumber (peeled and sliced), 1/2 tomato (cut into wedges), 1/2 bell pepper (sliced) - all with seasoning.
1 cup low-fat mango mousse.

Lots of water between meals.

Diary Update for April 14 to May 27, 2008

Here are my readings:

April 14:
6:53 am, 129
12:04 pm, 122
3:05 pm, 109

April 15:
6:32 am, 121
7:11 am, 60 (control)
7:12 am, 118 (control)

April 16:
6:47 am, 142
12:32 pm, 121

April 17:
6:39 am, 135
12:05 pm, 129
6:19 pm, 99

April 18:
7:04 am, 118
12:24 pm, 109

April 19:
8:11 am, 126

April 20:
8:35 am, 114

April 21:
7:00 am, 115

April 22:
6:46 am, 117

April 23:
6:24 am, 122

April 25:
6:13 am, 129

April 26:
6:46 am, 135

April 27:
8:06 am, 129

April 28:
7:24 am, 122
11:38 am, 112
11:48 am, 117

April 29:
7:09 am, 129

April 30:
7:43 am, 135
7:45 am, 129

May 1:
7:39 am, 17

May 2:
8:13 am, 136

May 3:
6:52 am, 144

May 4:
7:51 am, 112

May 5:
6:28 am, 98

May 6:
6:10 am, 126

May 7:
6:32 am, 122

May 8:
6:24 am, 130

May 9:
6:25 am, 116

May 10:
8:28 am, 117

May 11:
6:16 am, 144

May 12:
6:19 am, 127

May 13:
6:43 am, 120

May 14:
5:25 am, 111
5:21 pm, 135

May 15:
7:06 am, 118

May 16:
6:09 am, 129
6:35 pm, 113

May 17:
7:35 am, 122

May 18:
6:48 am, 117

May 19:
6:25 am, 127
5:20 pm, 103

May 20:
6:18 am, 130
10:58 pm, 122

May 21:
6:30 am, 133

May 22:
5:45 am, 130

May 23:
7:10 am, 126

May 24:
8:22 am, 120
8:41 pm, 105

May 25:
8:33 am, 122

May 26:
6:08 am, 129

May 27:
6:13 am, 129

NOTE: From April 26 to May 4 I went on vacation to Hilton Head, S.C. with my mom. Ate mainly fish. Had 2-3 sandwiches w/ whole grain bread and cheese. Went bike riding each day for 2 to 2.5 hrs.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Simple Fresh Bean Salad

Ingredients:


1/3 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, drained
1 (15 ounce) can lima beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained


Directions:
1 Whisk the SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, vinegar and oil together in a medium mixing bowl. 2 Combine remaining ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add dressing and stir until ingredients are coated. Refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours or overnight before serving

Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup serving)
Calories 160
Calories from Fat 35
Fat 4g (sat 0g)
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 540mg
Carbohydrate 25g
Fiber 7g Sugar 3g
Protein 7g

Asparagus Slaw

Asparagus Slaw with Onions
Source: dLife
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Yields: (6) 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients:
1 lb Asparagus
very finely shredded (equal to 4 cups) 1 cup each of both red and white Cabbage
very finely shredded 1/3 cup carrots
chopped parsley
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil, toasted
1/4 tsp white pepper, ground

Directions:
1 To prepare, snap off and discard woody bases from asparagus. Scrape off scales (if desired).
2 In a medium saucepan bring 1 inch of water to boiling. Place asparagus in steamer basket; cover and steam for 4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Gently rinse with cool water, drain well. Set aside.
3 Combine in a large bowl the green cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, parsley, and onion. Add vinegar, sesame oil, and pepper. Toss gently to coat.
4 Divide asparagus spears among six salad plates. Top with cabbage mixture

6 Servings
87.2 calories / serving
13.1 g carbs/ serving

Vacation results coming

I will post my vacation results soon.

Fresh or Pre-packaged?

You know, a lot of people think I eat gourmet because I make every dish fresh and vary my ingredients. Well, I look at it this way - I would rather eat dishes made with fresh ingredients than to get pre-made or fast-food dishes. Why, you might ask? By going fresh - you know what is in there. There are no preservatives, no added sugar, like high-fructose corn syrup, no added salt, no added fats.

Only heart-healthy goodness.

For example, the menu for this week and next consists of - 2 salads = asparagus slaw and 3-bean salad, meat patties with cheese and steamed fish and veggies. The asparagus slaw has asparagus, red & white cabbage and carrots in it, while the 3-bean salad has 3 types of beans, artichoke hearts, capers and onions in it. The meat patties are made from equals parts of veal, turkey and lean beef and will have a filling of goat cheese.

The steamed fish and veggies are just that - simple dishes.

The cost for the items for the salads and patties ran me $53.00. That is cheap in today's prices, yet still allows me to eat healthy.

So my menu is this:
BK = 2 slices of whole wheat bread w/ a slice of cheese / de-caf coffee w/ fat-free milk
L = 1/2 cup salad w/ 1 pattie, 1/2 cup no-sugar added apple sauce, water w/ lemon
D = 1 steamed fish filet w/ 1 cup steamed veggies, 4 oz. wine

Simple, yet I get a variety of servings in each meal.

So am I eating gourmet? Call it gourmet if you want. I call it delicious and different. Why be boring? Why be plain? Spice up your life. Have fun!!!

Comments welcome.