Counting Carbs At Our House

The first meal I cooked for Matthew after he was diagnosed with diabetes left me shaking in my Texas boots!

It was his favorite: tortellini.  (I know---clearly I had lost my mind!)  Our CDE suggested we stick with easy meals at first and I should have listened.

By the time I cooked the pasta, calculated the carbs, measured it out, checked his BG and gave the shot of insulin, I was a nervous wreck!  It was the most stressful meal I had ever made in my life!!

We're 2 years into Type 1 now and while we're definitely in a groove, I want to know how other families handle meals.  


Here's a sneak peak into what dinner looks like around here.  

Our 4-Step Process

1. About 15 minutes before dinner, I'll call Matthew to check his sugar. 
2. We'll discuss the menu.
3. He'll decide how much he wants to eat (we write that down) and he'll count the carbs.
4. He'll bolus the full amount. Sometimes he'll stay and help me dish everything up. He might measure out peas or fruit.  Sometimes I do all of it..

A Couple Notes

• After eating dinner, occasionally he'll want more food.  He just boluses again at that point, but most of the time it's done up front.
• If his sugar is high, I'll try to delay dinner.  
• If he's low, he might wait and bolus right as we sit down to eat.
• I'm a big believer in pre-bolusing, so we do that as much as possible. (This leads to my question below...)

At a Buffet Restaurant or Party

In these situations, I love for him to pre-bolus about 50 carbs.  Then he'll fix his plate and keep track as he eats more.  He'll keep bolusing as necessary.

Sometimes he'll just dish up his food, count the carbs and bolus per plate. (This is my big question: Do you handle all meals like this, instead of bolusing up front?)

One Last Note

When eating at home, we try to be as exact as possible with the carb count.  We weigh or measure every single bite that Matthew eats.

I find this gives us more freedom when we eat out.  We just SWAG and feel more relaxed about it.

Please share what dinner looks like at your house.  I'd love to see other perspectives and get some tips!  And if you decide to write your own post, let me know and I'll link to you.

Favorite Websites for Saving Money

When Matthew was diagnosed with diabetes, I worried about giving him shots.  I worried about pricking his finger.  I worried about counting carbs and giving the correct amount of insulin at every meal.  

But one thing I didn't worry about?  The cost of diabetes.  I had no idea that this disease would be so expensive.

So what's a D-Mom to do? Try to save as much as money as you can elsewhere.

A Way to Save Money

Several months ago, I discovered a great website that's helped me build a budget, save money and get myself a little better organized. Financially, physically, and around the home .

Best of all? It's just an ordinary website with no fees. Years ago I did the Grocery Game, but there was a monthly charge and I was tired of paying to save money.

The website is called Money Saving Mom and it's truly fantastic. You'll find tips on grocery store sales. Drugstore deals. Every week there are links to several freebies that you can sign up for. There are even tons of great recipes.

Just this week on her website, I discover that the Apple Store has FREE Apple Camp for kids ages 8-12.  They learn to make movies!  Matthew's going to love it!  Many of the classes are filling up, but you still might snag a spot.

So pop over and visit Crystal, from Money Saving Mom.  It'll be worth it!

FYI...I have no connection with her. I just love the website!

How do you save money?

Do you have a favorite website that helps you pinch pennies?  I'd love to hear about it in the comment section.

How to Chop Onions without Tears

Tuesday Tip of the Day returns.

Don't you hate it when you chop onions and your eyes start to sting?

Storing onions in the refrigerator never worked for me.  But finally, after about 15 years, I figured out a solution!

The Secret

Chew gum while you chop up that onion.  Your eyes won't burn!

A Recipe:  Chicken Tetrazzini

Since I'm writing about onions, I thought you might enjoy a recipe.  For D-Moms with a gram scale, I've included the weights.  Our carb count is listed below.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti Noodles, 8oz, 283g
Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 Can
Flour, 1/4 cup, 30g
Shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup, 104g
Chicken broth, 1 can
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter (I never use that much)
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
Cooked chicken. (I usually get a rotisserie chicken.)

Directions:

1.  Cook noodles for 10 minutes.
2.  In skillet, mix together the chicken broth and flour. Slowly add in the remaining ingredients, except for the cheese.
3.  When noodles are ready, put everything into a greased glass pan.
4.  Top with cheese.
5.  Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This recipe makes 8 servings and each serving is about 22 carbs, depending on your particular ingredients.  Enjoy!

Related Links:
How to Store Strawberries
How to Store Celery

How to Store Strawberries

If you're a strawberry lover like me, then you're going to love this storage tip!

First, get a plastic container or glass bowl that has a lid.  Line the bottom and sides of the container with paper towels.

Toss the unwashed strawberries into the bowl and cover them with additional paper towels.

Make sure the berries are COMPLETELY covered up with the paper towels.  You should not see the strawberries at this point.

Put the lid on the bowl and place the container in the fridge.

Those strawberries will last for AT LEAST a week.

When you notice that the paper towels are getting damp, just replace them with dry paper towels and you're all set.

Now, go find some strawberries on sale!  : )

Tuesday Tip of the Day! The BEST Cookie Recipe

You know how homemade cookies look so....homemade?

That is NOT the case with the cookie I'm sharing with you today.

My boys LOVE the way these taste, but honestly, I love how they look.  Just look at these pretty cookies!

Perfect if you need to bake something for school or church or whatever.  I'm betting you'll find any excuse to whip up these babies!!

One warning:  They're not healthy.  So don't freak out when you see how much oil is in the recipe.  The goal is a pretty and wonderful tasting cookie.  Keep that in mind.

For those of you who use a gram scale, I'm including all the weights for you.  Hope that makes the recipe even sweeter for you!

Carb count information at the bottom.

Tracy's Terrific Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups of flour, weight of 360g
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker Old Fashion oatmeal, not quick 1 minute, weight of 240g
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar, weight of 200g
1 cup dark brown sugar, weight of 220g
1 cup of mini chocolate chips, weight of 165g (You can use regular chocolate chips, but your cookie will not be as pretty.  One secret to a pretty cookie is using mini chocolate chips.)
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375.
2. Get a LARGE bowl.  This recipe makes about 70 cookies!
3. Mix all ingredients.  Keep scooping up the flour in the bottom of the bowl.  It will a while to get it all mixed in, just keep at it!  
4. Line cookie pans with foil and spray with Pam.  (See tip below)
5. Drop small amounts of dough on the cookie sheet.  Smaller amounts of dough will give you a prettier cookie.
6. Bake for about 9 minutes.  Don't bake too long and don't worry if they look a touch underdone.  They are fine. Check because your oven make cook different.
7. Let cookies cool for a few minutes.  They will look very puffy at first, but will "settle down" within a few minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack.

Tip:  I prepare 3 cookie pans with foil.  While pan #1 is in the oven, I get pan #2 ready with dough.  Cookie pan #1 comes out of the oven to cool.  Pan #2 goes in oven to Bake.  Now I get pan #3 ready.

The goal is to make sure you put dough on a cool cookie sheet. Very important!

Carb Info:  Your ingredients may be slightly different, but I'll share my carb count information.  If you follow the directions, your cookies should be similar.  For me, one batch of dough is 938 carbs.  I make small cookies, so I usually get about 70 cookies.   That makes each cookie about 13 carbs. Of course, some are bigger and some are smaller.  You know the routine!   The carb factor is .60  Hope that helps.

Now, go make your family happy with some yummy cookies!

Tuesday Tip of the Day! Swagbucks

If you haven't heard of Swagbucks, then today is the day to change that.

It's a great and easy way to earn free gift cards!

Swagbucks is basically a search engine like Google, but you earn "bucks" that you can redeem for all sorts of prizes.

You can also do a daily poll or various little surveys to earn "bucks."  They even have coupons that you can print off and you'll be awarded "bucks" when you redeem them at the store.

Pretty easy, huh?

It really takes up very little of my time, but it's totally worth it.

Personally, I love getting the $5 Amazon Gift Cards. I can usually earn at least one card a month (sometimes 2) and that $$$ adds up fast.

It really comes in handy when I'm running short on test strips and then it's like getting the test strips for free!  You can't beat that.

But of course, you can use your "bucks" however you want.  They have all sorts of gift cards and prizes to choose from.

Take a few minutes and check it out.   It only take a few moments to sign up and then you'll be on your way to earning a little extra money.

I bet you'll thank me in a few weeks!  : )

The Truth About Cheese

If you're a "nutrition label reading geek" like me, then this won't be news to you, but perhaps it will help a few people.

Did you know that cheese is not always carb-free?

When we were trained on how to care for Matthew, we were taught that cheese is always considered a free food.

Not true!!

For a long time the Kraft Single Slice cheese has had one carb, which is probably not a big deal for your kid.



BUT....recently I've noticed that the carb count has gone up to 2.

I'm guessing they've added more milk.

Again, 2 carbs isn't a big deal if your child is just having one slice.

But if they're hungry and decide to grab a few slices since they're "free"....be careful.

Those 2 carbs will add up quickly and that could make a big difference in the BG later!

Tuesday Tip of the Day: Makeup Remover

Because I wear contact lens, I'm very picky about my eye makeup remover.

I also tend to be....ahem...cheap.

But most of the inexpensive removers leave a greasy film on your eye that is quite nasty when you wear contacts.

So.....Johnson's Baby Shampoo to the rescue!

This stuff is fantastic for removing makeup!

It doesn't burn or sting. It doesn't leave that yucky residue.  And it even works on waterproof makeup!

It's much less expensive than fancy removers and lasts a LOT longer.  Even the generic brands work great.  (I usually buy the Target brand.)

One important note:  Make sure you wash with warm water.  This little tip doesn't work with cold water.

Oh!  And if you're wondering how I discovered this trick....my fabulous mom gave me the secret years ago.

Isn't she smart?

Tuesday Tip: Checking BG at Night

If you're a D-Mom (or Dad!), today's tip is just for you.

I've heard of people fumbling with flashlights, meters, and alcohol wipes in the middle of the night.

Been there.  Done that.

But there is an easier way.

First of all....skip the wipes!

Simply have your child wash their hands right before bed.  Easy breezy!

And if you haven't already--- install a dimmer switch in your kiddos room.

It's so much easier than fumbling with a flashlight at 2 o'clock in the morning!

How to Store Celery

Today kicks off what I'm calling the "Tip of the Day."  Each Tuesday I'll share some helpful tips that I've learned over the years.

Sometimes it will be diabetes-related.  Sometimes not.

Today?  No diabetes talk.

Instead, let's head to the kitchen and talk about food storage.

Do you know the best way to store celery?

Take the unwashed celery, wrap it in aluminum foil, and keep it in the fridge.

COMPLETELY surround the celery with the foil so that NO celery is exposed.

It will last for a LONG time!

And you probably know that wilted celery can spring back to life quickly. Just cut off the ends and stand it up in a glass of water.

Now go make a salad for dinner!

Related posts
How to Chop Onions without Tears