Ye ask ..

. . . and ye shall receive!

THE BOOKS!!!

I finally got the books yesterday. Obviously the one to start with is the that says it's the Complete IDIOT'S Guide - to Glycemic Index Weight Loss. I mean it's a natural fit, ME - and anything that starts with Complete Idiot's Guide. Of course I thumbed through all of them, looked at the pictures, etc. But - I plan to digest (*snort* *digest*) the information slowly. At work all day long I was looking at things like - If R.25 is null, then OBR.04.1 is populated with the value in OBR.26. But if there is a value . . . ugh - it made my brain hurt. It was like Algebra or something! So my job can be intense sometimes, I do believe my eyes twirl on a regular basis.

So given my work day, when I come home I like to relax. My brain, that is. So I will start with the Idiot's guide because it has a lot of explanations and clarifications and hopefully all in idiot form. I want to understand more about what foods are just out and out good, and what foods are okay if eaten with a good food, etc. I need to understand this stuff intuitively so I can start making better food choices without thinking about it.

In the meantime I will keep eating uncomplicated sticks and stones and try to keep it together until I can get more sophisticated in my cooking. I did find a recipe online that looked good to me. Well, maybe except the peppers. And the onions. But I would try them. Okay, maybe I would have to use minced onions, butanyway, what do you think?

10-Minute Marinated Veggie Toss

Serves 6; 1/2 cup per serving

Ingredients
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and well drained
1/4 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup packed fresh baby spinach leaves, torn if desired
9 small black olives, halved
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced

Directions
In a medium bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Let stand for 10 minutes.

For peak flavors, serve immediately after the standing time.

Cook’s Tip: For additional nutrients and color, spoon the salad onto a bed of spinach leaves.

I DO like vinegar. :)

Grasping at straws ..

As much as I'd like to, I'm not sticking that straw into a thick chocolate shake. But I did eat some awesome deep dish Chicago pizza a couple of days ago. I knew I was going to have to give into the gooey cheese craving sooner or later.

I reward myself with food, I comfort myself with food. Rarely do I actually use food to nourish myself. My blood work says I'm pre-diabetic. I read somewhere that pre-diabetic is bullshit, pre-diabetic is diabetic. The damage to the pancreas has already begun.

I got to thinking about it and decided to learn me some about the glycemic index and how someone with diabetes should eat. My doctor just says - lose weight. Yeah. Thanks for the advice. So I ordered myself some books on following the glycemic index in order to eat well, and to learn to cook a diabetic diet. For some reason diabetes confuses me and since I am so close to having it, I had better start treating myself for it, in the only way I can. Diet.

And exercise. I know. For some reason I just seem to have a need for strict guidelines in my life and diet. I am trying desperately to give them to myself.

Considering this magazine - even if only for inspiration.