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Recipe: Veggie Smoothie

Smoothies seem to be the rage right now. When I first heard about it, I was not interested in trying them.  I had no desire to drink my food. Then I was doing some research about tightening up my diet. I would love to have an amazing muscular stomach, which means I need to be leaner than I am currently. My neighbor then started telling me she was juicing her breakfast, feeling great and dropping weight, without changing anything else. I thought ok, if I need to add more veggies into my diet and I am not interested in eating cups of veggies for breakfast, maybe I need to think about the juicing or smoothie option.  I started looking for veggie smoothie recipes online. All the recipes I found online had lots of carbs- fruit and strong flavored veggies I do not want for breakfast.  

Necessity is the mother of invention!

I started with favorite mild veggies that pack a  good veggie punch, and I came up with my recipe. This has become my breakfast most mornings. I can put it together on the way out the door and drink it at my desk while I am working. I am aiming for about 300 calories, and relatively low carb. I do not want to take a ton of insulin for breakfast. Net carbs = 17 – I am having to take 2-3 units.

  • 1c unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 c fat free greek yogurt
  • 100g zucchini
  • handful of greens
  • 2 cups cauliflower
  • 1 scoop protein powder

1 cup or 240grams of unsweetened Almond milk

1/2 cup or 115 grams of plain greek yogurt

100grams of zucchini, about 1/2 a cup

1 handful of greens.  I like the Aldi mixed greens with baby kale and baby spinach.

I have used both vanilla and strawberry protein powder. I like them both.  I buy whatever is reasonably priced, with minimal carbs.  25 grams of protein,  and less than 150 calories per serving.  

1 scoop = 33 grams of protein powder

I add the protein powder on top of the greens so it does not get wet too soon and stick to the side of the blender cup.

I then cut up and fill the blender cup with cauliflower.  About two cups or so of chopped cauliflower

Once the blender cup is full, screw on the blender blade lid. Blend until super smooth.  

I then add the secret morning ingredient, coffee!

Since the smoothie is somewhat thick to start with, and I drink cold coffee anyway, I add black coffee to the veggie smoothie, which thins it out, ads a bit of flavor along with my morning caffeine. I love it.  I get 3 cups of vegetables, along with the kick from my coffee, and plenty of protein for my breakfast.  It takes me a couple of hours to drink while I am working, so it keeps me full all morning until time for lunch.

I have made this for my mother and my husband without the coffee and they both really like it, so it is kid and mother approved! Husband=kid!

Please let me know what you think of the Pamtastic smoothie…

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Recipe: Zucchini Lasagna

I love lasagna but not all the carbs. I have taken the standby lasagna and  made a healthy low carb version, full of veggies. I use zucchini instead of pasta. I promise you will not miss the pasta!

I calculated the nutritional data with the ingredients and brands I used, please feel free to change anything, to make it your own.

I use about 1050 grams of zucchini, plus or minus and yes I do weigh it on my scale! I slice it long ways using a mandolin on 3/8 -1/2” thick setting. Zucchini that got lost in the garden, hidden behind leaves and ended up getting too big, are perfect for this recipe.

I use the Hunts Garlic & Herb pasta sauce, it is about $1 a can and low carb – two of my favorite things!  5 grams of net carbs per serving.

Brown the meat. I have made this with ground buffalo, or beef.  You can also use turkey.  Add onion and anything else you would like. I cook the meat, remove any water/fat, then add the pasta sauce and a package of fresh mushrooms when I have them.

Then I add just a bit of the sauce in a 9×13 glass baking dish. I am not sure this step is necessary, before layering the zucchini. The zucchini releases water as it cooks, so nothing ever sticks to the baking dish.

I then layer the zucchini in the baking dish, filling it pretty tight.

I did some intersting zucchini patch work here, but once it is put together you cannot tell.

The next layer is 2- 1/2 cups of cottage cheese, 1 egg, and a few spices.  I usually throw in basil and garlic, to taste.  If you prefer the ricotta cheese please use it. I love ricotta, but prefer a bit less calories and fat.

Mix this together and spread half of the mixture on top of the sliced zucchini.

Add half of the pasta sauce, meat mushroom goodness.

Then repeat the layers.  Start with the remaining sliced zucchini, then add the rest of the cottage cheese mixture.

Last half of the meat sauce.

Grate the mozzarella cheese, and add over the second layer of the meat sauce.

Bake at 350-375 degrees, my oven is a bit cranky, so I bake a bit hotter, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how golden you want it.

I slice this into 6 equal servings, which are quite large, but full of veggies. Let me know how you love it!

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LiveCreative: Sandals New and Improved

I was shopping at my favorite store a few weeks ago, and found a pair of Style and Co sandals for $1! Yes a new pair of sandals for $1!

The gold color on the straps  was flaking and peeling in a few places, but for $1 I can get out some paint, and do a mix and match to achieve the right color to update the straps.

I found a few gold, taupe, cream paints in my stash.  I mixed them together to achieve the same gold as the sandal straps.

I was to lazy to get a brush, so I just applied with my fingers and I am happy with the result.  I did not touch up the gold paint on the tag in the sole of the sandal.

I am quite happy with how they turned out.  I have worn them several times since my refurbish.  Always look at a bargain to see if it is worth the time, and if so you have a  new item for a great price, a fun project and a story.  It is up to you if you tell the story, or just say thank you when you receive a compliement!

LiveCreative!

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Recipe: Chicken and Cauliflower

Chicken and Rice made healthy = Chicken and Cauliflower – no one will miss the rice and your jeans will fit tomorrow!

Needing some easy, healthy, low carb comfort food?
I took this to my niece after she had her first baby, because bringing food to a new mom beats a new baby outfit hands down! She loved it and it is low carb and nutritious to help get her strength back without adding any bulk! I have served this to guests and everyone loves it!

Start with a big head of cauliflower, chop into pieces

use the food processor to “rice”.

8-10 cups after processed is a good round number.

Add the cauliflower to a 9×11 baking dish, then cut up chicken.
I use boneless skinless breast, feel free to use whatever chicken you prefer.

I cut the chicken into small bite size pieces, adding to the cauliflower rice.

Then add a can of cream of mushroom soup. There are multiple varieties, choose whichever you prefer, or use sour cream or greek yogurt to make your own sauce.

I spice with chicken bullion to make the cauliflower more chickeny, as well as adding my secret all spice – Tony Chache’s Original Creole seasoning.

Mix the soup, cauliflower rice, seasonings and chicken together, hopefully not throwing too much out of the baking dish!

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, sometimes longer to get the water that cooks out of the cauliflower to evaporate more. I do not cover this to cook, to ensure lots of water cooks out of the cauliflower. If you prefer, you can cook, drain and press the cauliflower ahead of time which would eliminate a lot of the water that cooks out. I have cooked and pressed the water out of the cauliflower ahead of time, laying the cauliflower out on a clean bath towel and pressing before using. This step does help with the extra liquid anytime you use the cauliflower rice. Please feel free to add fresh mushrooms or any other additions to make this fabulous dish, your own.

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Recipe: Broccaslaw Spaghetti

Need a quick, nutritious, tasty dinner? Grab a bag of broccoli slaw,

a lean burger patty of your choice, along with some low carb spaghetti sauce and you have a quick and tasty dinner with plenty of veggies.
Having a patty instead of adding meat to the sauce, you can easily weigh and measure the meat to make sure you are getting the protein needed. My favorite sauce is the Hunts Garlic and Herb – it is cheap, $1 or so a can, as well as only 5g carbs for a ½ cup serving.



Poke a few holes in the bag of broccoli slaw and microwave for two and a half minutes. Ed and I split the bag of slaw, each have a burger, with the amount of sauce we each want. It is one of our favorite quick meals. Neither of us miss the pasta!

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About Me!

I am a Texas girl through and through transplanted into MN after finding Mr Wonderful.  MN is pretty, but the weather is awful.

I have a BS in Medical Technology. I worked in the lab 2 years, then worked for a LIS company in Dallas. When I moved to Minneapolis, I started working for a hospital in their Laboratory Information systems department in IT. After a reorg 9 years ago, I was moved to the Imaging information systems team and have been there ever since. I am Epic Radiant certified and do most of the procedure build, along with supporting PACS and Powerscribe.

I am married to a fabulous Minnesota boy, who works endlessly building his computer consulting business, so I spend a lot of time working on my own projects.

We have no kids, but 2 rotten cats.

I am a type 1 diabetic diagnosed in 1989.  I have not found any type 1 diabetics who work out, eat healthy and write about it, so that is part of my reason for starting this site.

I am on an Animas Vibe insulin pump, with the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor. I have been on a pump since 1993.

The CGM mostly makes me crazy, but I like knowing at a glace what my bloodsugar is. I hate the fact that the thing in vibrate only mode beeps when I am low – in meetings, in a one on one conversation with a neighbor and all inconvient times. The thing wakes me up. I mostly control my lows with turning off my pump.   I rarely feed my lows, if I did I would weigh 300 lbs and have a rollercoaster ride of icky high and low blood sugars.   I eat low carb most of the time and have my carbs to fuel my workouts, usually fruit before a workout.

I work out and eat healthy both for blood sugar management and to make sure my clothes fit.

I will share my tips and tricks for healthy eating along with my projects, my diabetes management, my thoughts and my life.

I enjoy being outside, but am not fond of being cold, so I stay in way too much in the winter, and warm weather in MN is very short season.   We love to bike outside when the weather is good.

I sew, knit, and any other variety of fiber arts.  I read, but never watch TV.

I like to cook healthy and non healthy foods, but lean towards healthy most of the time.  We eat lots of protein and veggies.

I workout to maintain my weight and I like a bit of muscle on me.  I broke my leg last summer wake boarding and am still trying to get the muscle I lost back.

We live on the Mississippi river, so I just need a driver and can go wakeboarding on a whim. After the broken leg I am nervous to get back in bindings, so I am learning to wakesurf this year and it is going very well.

I have just partnered with Rodan +Fields life changing skincare, to change my life and hopefully yours if you would like more to life than you have been getting.  Come along and see what is happening in this adventure we call life and live pamtastic!

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LiveCreative: Bronze Leather Jacket

I was given a really great leather jacket, fun style, but an ugly finish that was very scratched and rough, as well as a color I would never wear. I love the metallic leather finishes, so I decided to upcycle my leather gift and make it fabulous!

I shopped around on ebay and ordered some metallic leather dye/paint. I choose a metallic bronze color that would match the original color of the jacket as well as the lining.

To clean the jacket and prep it for dye, clean it with alcohol or lemon juice. The acid prepares the leather to accept the dye. Make sure the leather is dry before starting. I cleaned on one day, and dyed the next. I used a sponge to apply the dye. I also dyed the zipper fabric, the top stitch thread, the leather folded in and sew to the lining, the leather turned up into the edge of the sleeves, as well as the edges of the leather – everything so it looks like it was always the beautiful metallic bronze. I applied the dye, let dry a bit then added a second coat to even out the color to be uniform in color and texture. I then let it dry overnight before wearing. I have gotten a ton of compliments on my upcycled jacket. Admirers have no idea the jacket was not always this color and effect!

If you do not have a jacket in your collection that needs a new finish, just go to a resale shop and see what you can find. Goodwill has nice stuff for reasonable prices. I wanted a silver jacket, did a bit of shopping before I found one I liked the style and fit, and got it for $5! If you are not in a hurry you can find really wonderful things to personalize and make your own one of a kind creation!

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Recipe: Waffels

 

Who doesn’t love a good waffle? How about a low carb high protein waffle where after you eat it you feel great instead of ready for a nap? I love waffles, because I like the crispy edges, plus I love bread.

I make this two ways, onegluten or as my husband says, glutton free and one not. Choose Whichever fits your needs.

One of my favorite low carb products is CarbQuik. It is a low carb Bisquick substitute I have been using for years. 1/3 c is 90 calories, 2 net carb and 7g protein.

1/3 cup of Carbquik

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup egg beaters

OR

I have made this gluten free with coconut flour. I experimented for a while, and found wheat make me hungry, so depending I use coconut flour instead of Carbquik. The results are slightly different but still good, not as crisy, and I love crispy!

1/8 cup coconut flour

2/3 cup cottage cheese

2/3 cup egg beaters

My favorite coconut flour is the Nutiva coconut flour based on the nutritional value. It is higher in fiber and lower in carbs than the other brands.

Measure out your cottage cheese. I use a plastic measuring cup to mix and pour the recipe.  Then I dirty less dishes. Or you can use your scale to weigh the grams needed, for exact amounts. I have done it both ways.

The cottage cheese is thick and you can then pour the egg beaters on top of the cottage cheese and get a good measurement.

 I still measure the dry Carbquik or coconut flour with a measuring cup, or you can weigh. Mix the ingredients together and pour into a hot waffle iron.

Bake until golden brown. The recipe makes about 1 and ½ waffles on the big square 4 section iron.

I have used this recipe in a Belgian waffler and it works just fine. I prefer the thinner waffles. Please make sure you spray you waffle iron well!  I use a wooden shishkabob stick to help get the waffle out without destroying it! This recipe is husband approved, he loves these!  He continues to use regular lite syrup and also adds two eggs between his waffles.

I do not like syrup, so just eat them plain, with no eggs. I feel like these have enough protein without adding the eggs. Waldens farms does make a no nutritional value syrup. My father really likes these waffles with the Waldens farms syrup.

I have used it, and it is good!. They have 6 flavors of syrup – pancake, strawberry, blueberry, caramel and chocolate syrups

Let me know what you think.  We eat these virtually every weekend.