It's been a while...

It's been a really long time since I've checked in. I got busy with school, finished my program, and have been working full-time as a teacher for most of that time. Last week I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I made it more than 38.5 years, before getting here which is kind of amazing considering the other health issues I have as well as my family history. I've been having my A1C checked since junior high if that gives you any indication. 

So, here's the medical check-in of things contributing to the current situation:

• PCOS - increases insulin resistance
• Celiac - disrupts gut health and lends to higher carb substitutions for the removal of whole wheat items
• Psoriatic arthritis - makes movement harder, meaning less physical activity
• a host of other things that don't necessarily impact this situation, but are just more issues to deal with

Here's the plan:

• Daily fasting glucose testing (pre-breakfast)
• Mounjaro
• Dietary/Nutrition/Diabetes counseling (scheduled at the end of the month)
• massive amounts of research and trial and error to revamp my beloved baking and cooking recipes to suit my body's new needs

You get to come along for the journey and maybe find some recipes along the way. 

One Pot Pasta: Creamy Tomato and Chicken

I made this awesome graphic with PicCollage.

After reading my TimeHop about a delicious dinner I put together this time last year I was inspired to get cooking tonight. I made a one pot pasta with diced chicken in a creamy tomato sauce with stuff I had on hand. I didn't really measure or keep track of time, so my numbers are approximate, as usual. Start here and let the inspiration come to you, add or subtract things based on your tastes and what you have in your pantry.

I like to cut corners where I can, so some of the things in my pot tonight are convenience items: Frozen diced chicken from GFS, jarred minced garlic, jarred pizza sauce and Better Than Boullion Reduced Sodium Chicken Base boullion paste. The boullion paste is a new find for me. I found it on the shelf next to the boullion cubes and broth, and it is a pretty cool product. The jar makes 38 servings of 8 oz of chicken stock by mixing one teaspoon with 8 oz of boiling water. That means you can keep the makings of 2 gallons and 3 pints worth of stock in less space than one can! You do have to refrigerate it after you open it, but that's better than keeping one of those tetrapack cartons in there. All that notwithstanding, if you have homemade and want to use it, go for it, it will probably be so much better.

Another bonus, for my Jewish readers, using the right versions of the ingredients, this delicious beauty is kosher (as long as you skip the Parmesan cheese I cheese I used to top mine).

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups cooked, diced chicken
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil (I used the left over oil from a jar of sun dried tomatoes for extra flavor)
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 package Live G Free fusilli (Aldi GF brand)
• 3 teaspoons boullion paste (or 3 cubes/3 envelopes, etc.)
• 3 cups water + 2 Tablespoons*
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce or thick tomato sauce
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch

Process:

1. Heat the oil, garlic, and chicken in a large frying pan or skillet with a lid
2. Once chicken is lightly browned, add pasta, boullion paste, 3 cups of water and pizza sauce
3. Stir all ingredients, cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes
4. Remove lid and stir
5. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes or until the liquid reduced to a sauce
6. Combine 2 Tablespoons of water with cornstarch and add to the pot, stir to combine
7. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes to allow sauce to thicken
8. Eat. All. The. Deliciousness!

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*Make sure the water you use to mix with the corn starch is cool or cold. Warm or hot water will not combine well with  the corn starch, which is why you can't just add the corn starch to the pot.