That Low-Carb, No Sugar Life
My gestational diabetes is your healthy newsletter gain
Buh-Bye Udon Noodles, for the next 7 weeks…
Well, this caught me off guard! In comparison to this time around, my pregnancy with Dean was so uneventful and easy breezy. I found out last week that I do indeed have gestational diabetes. I was not aware that someone who makes everything from scratch, juices at home, and has never had issues with weight could develop such a thing. Was I naive or what! In some cases it has little to do with your lifestyle choices and everything to do with genetics and hormones. I spent about 2 full days beating myself up badly about the news. Now I’m into the phase of *kind of* being excited about learning more about my blood sugar. I’ve always been a bit of a nerd about nutrition and wellness, but I’m terrified of needles so the pricking would never be a voluntary experiment. But here we are! The diet changes are fine for me, this is how I used to eat pre-baby/toddler/moving/working mom. Very very low carb and absolutely no sugar aside from a little bit of fruit. The 4 finger pricks a day are taking some getting used to (understatement). Luckily my uber-patient husband has been helping me get through it (me hysterically crying). SO! I thought I’d share with everyone what I’ve been cooking. I’m sure a lot of you would like to cut the carbs and sugar without sacrificing delicious and satisfying food. That’s what you can expect for the next few weeks.
Snacks:
I did lots of meal prepping this week so I would never get into a jam and cave for toast. I made sure my fridge was filled with snacks that weren't going to spike my blood sugar.
Soy Sauce Jammy Eggs with chili oil (there’s a link here to the recipe on my website but I omitted the sugar)
Simple Mills almond crackers with goat cheese
Macadamia nuts (If you haven't had them in a while… YUM!)
Cucumber slices with everything bagel spice dipped in greek yogurt
Babybel Cheeses
Olives
Carrot Ginger Soup
This isn't only low-carb but just a delicious way to get tons of vegetables and good fats. Also I’ll take anything that's a vessel for chili crisp and fried shallots (mine have nothing but oil and shallots in them). It’s one of those easy recipes that you can cook while multi-tasking- everything is rough chopped, thrown in the pot, cooked without stirring until soft and blended up, done! Eat some and then toss the rest in the fridge, it reheats beautifully. I had this for lunch a few days in a row and mixed it with some cooked pasta for Dean’s dinner. Subscribers will get this recipe later this morning!
Our other dinners:
Dry brined chicken thighs roasted along side chopped carrots, Japanese sweet potatoes and garlic all spiced with NY Shuk’s Hawaij spice (basically cumin, turmeric & cardamom)
A big salad with roasted and marinated beets (made a big batch of those and kept in a jar), pistachios, fried shallots, sliced apples, and a ball of burrata each
My daycare’s (yes, they send home food, it's amazing, I’m spoiled) the-best-you’ve-ever-had chicken curry. I usually serve with rice when she gifts it to us, but this week I served it alongside really well roasted cauliflower and a scoop of Greek yogurt. Lots of cilantro on top!
What I’m Loving This Week:
Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty: I’m listening to this on audio book in the car. Maybe you’ve heard of it or follow him on Instagram. This guy, who spent years living as a monk, has a really straightforward, 21st century approach to spiritual fitness. Which in this moment of stress and worry about things to come, I’m in serious need of. Growing up with AA as a kind of religion in my household, and now a big part of my family’s life, learning to let go of what we can not control has always been a big mantra always swirling around me. It’s really a lot easier said than done, at least for some of us. His message is all about dropping the control which is JUST what I need to hear! And I love the theme of service and selflessness, which is very specific to monks, woven throughout. Anecdote from my childhood: I only found out as an adult what the sparkly “One Day At A Time” bumper sticker plastered on the fridge in our house was signifying! I still chuckle about this.
Simple Mills Almond Crackers: Basically you want a wheat thin, but don’t want the carbs and chemicals? Enter these almond based crackers. They are really delicious. These people have cracked the code on keto crackers. The price for a small box is not great. BUT they do sell a giant box at Costco for $9.99. That’s where I get mine. The plain flavor is delightful as is the Sundried Tomato.
Chavrie brand goat’s cheese: You know, the one in the plastic pyramid? My mom used to buy this for me when I was little. I sort of forgot about it, until a friend recently brought it over. Man, is it good! You’d think there was something insidious in it, but nope! The ingredients are simple: goat's milk and salt. They must do some voodoo to it. Pop the top, drizzle with a little olive oil and cracked pepper and go to town. It's a blast from the past for me, and maybe your new favorite snack.
Well, I’ll be over here portioning out nuts and berries like a squirrel :) Next week’s newsletter may be arriving a little earlier than Friday because I’d love to share what I plan to make for Christmas! My plan is Italian in honor of my family for Christmas Eve and Swedish in honor of my husband for Christmas Day. More on that in a few days! XO Liv