I'll definitely check it out. I was right on the edghe of diabetes a year ago; in fact the localGP, when she saw my test results, labelled me as diabetic. But the last time I saw my specialist he said my fasting glucose and fasting insulin levels are now normal.
Losing weight was difficult and required a lot of willpower, but in some ways was easier because I was highly motivated, and felt supported by my specialist. In times past I have had to cope with conflicting information from other specialists, including dieticians. My gastroenterologist made it clear that his word came first. So whenever I spoke to anybody else in a medical capacity whose word conflicted, I told them to take it up with my gastroenterologist and leave me out of it.
Marcie, on the topic of cooking far more than you need - since difficult child 1 married in November, and easy child 2/difficult child 2 & BF2 moved out in June, I've lost three large appetites, more than halved the amount of food I've needed to cook. I also found that the range of food I was able to cook actually expanded, as the various pernickety tastes no longer had to be catered. Now I only have difficult child 3's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to deal with, not two others as well. But I'm still finding myself cooking the same quantities.
What I used to do before when I had the hungry hordes, was cook huge vats of stews, casseroles & curries. I would serve them up on the first night, have enough leftovers for a second night (or for the odd reheat meal for this person or that, for a snack or a lunch) and freeze the rest, in small containers that held two serves each. Each container was labelled with the date as well as what it was, and for those times when I was too tired or too busy to cook, we had leftovers at the ready. Also some of these recipes served as ingredients too. Bolognese sauce, for instance, I make in bulk and then pack off in small containers so I can thaw them out one at a time. difficult child 3 likes his own version of nachos which uses bolognese sauce on top of corn chips, topped with grated cheddar and then put under the grill. Or I might make spaghetti bolognese, or perhaps use the bolognese sauce on a pizza (with other ingredients).
I'm still getting into the habit of cooking smaller quantities. It is actually making it easier to cook different things, recipes I'd wanted to try but which were simply impractical. I also have a lot of recipes for cooking leftovers and turning them into entirely new dishes. For example, we roasted a chicken tonight. I sit the chicken on a rack in a baking dish and put water underneath (not so the chicken is in the water, though). Throughout the cooking, I make sure the water doesn't dry out and let the pan juices burn.
When the chicken is done, I put it on a carving dish and then pour the pan juices into a jug. Any fat rises to the top and I pour it all off into a jar. I then use a very small amount of the fat to mix with a couple of Tablespoons of flour, to make a roux in a small saucepan. Once the roux has browned a little, I add the (water-based) pan juices and stir until it thickens. THis gives me a really rich-flavoured but low-fat gravy, which has been made with no artificial additives.
Any leftover pan juices or excess gravy, I keep.
Any leftover chicken meat, I keep.
Roast vegetables (done in a separate baking dish, also done low-fat) usually all get eaten, but any leftovers - I keep.
Next day - if we have a full complement of leftovers, we can microwave a fresh roast dinner for someone (these days usually it's difficult child 3, so he can keep working on his schoolwork and not have to stop for long for a lunch break). If there's only chicken left, it can be used in sandwiches, wraps (rice paper wraps or burrito wraps) or chicken supreme. Or if there is gravy/pan juices left, I use that plus chopped cooked chicken meat to make risotto (NOT for diabetics trying to lose weight!).
A suggestion for you if you're trying to lose weight/eat healthily due to diabetes - switch to brown rice instead of white rice, and cut out all potato in any form. When preparing roast vegetables, I cook extra pumpkin and carrot instead, for me. Cut intake in general, overall (ie reduce serving size). You may need to do this gradually so it's not too much of a shock. And find something diabetic-safe and also acceptable to you, so you can use it to snack on when you're desperate. For me, it's my home-made muesli.
Good luck with it all, I hope the boys enjoy their chops even better, for the extra marinade time!
Marg
