HaPpY VaLeNtInE's DaY

Hi and Happy Valentine's Day,

As promised I have a couple of great ideas for Valentines Day or any holiday. I made some cute Valentine Marshmallow heart pop's,  home made Lego Star Wars Valentine's with glow sticks for my sons class and finally some yummy Red Heart Butter Spritz cookies!  Hope you enjoy these fun projects as much as my kiddo's and I did!

First up are these cute Valentine Marshmallow heart pop's....

Valentine Marshmallow Heart Pop's

1 Pack of Peeps Hearts  (9 to a pack)

9 Lollipop sticks

1/2 bag of Wilton Candy Melts ( any color I chose pink)

 Nonpareils sprinkles ( any color I chose Valentine colors)

Get out a cookie sheet and line it with wax paper

Melt your candy melts in the microwave ( anywhere from 45 sec. - 1 min.)

1) Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in the melted candy melts and push through the center of your heart almost all the way to the top.

2) Next dip the marshmallow heart into the melted chocolate and place on the cookie sheet, sprinkle with the sprinkles and when all nine are done, freeze in the freezer for about 1 hour until the Candy Melt coating is hard.

3) You can then bag them in treat bags or put in a container and keep in the fridge for about a week!

 Lego Star Wars Valentine's with glow sticks

I found these on Pinterest the other day and decided we had to do these for my sons class they were a big hit. Here is a link to Holly@ Stitch Craft Creations who made these awesome valentine's http://www.stitchcraftcreations.com/2012/01/30/forceful-valentines/.

Finally tonight I have the recipe for the Butter Spritz Cookies I made for Valentine's Day.

Butter Spritz Cookies

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 egg or egg substitute

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

2 cups sifted four

Sprinkles or Colored Sugar

Red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a mixer with paddle attachment, add the sugar and butter.  Mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, food coloring, and mix to incorporate. In a separate bowl sift together flour and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture.  Mix until combined.  Using a cookie press, press the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Top with sprinkles of your choice.  Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until firm.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Low Carb Bread Choices

Today I would like to share with you some ideas for some low carb bread choices.  I know if you are like me and have to count your carbs, your always looking for a way not to waste all your carb choices.  So here are a few products that I have come across that are low in carbs and taste good.  All these items are available at my local grocery store which is Kroger's.

Breads-

Healthlife  White Special Recipe
     70 cal. for 2 pieces of bread
   16g carbs and 4g fiber
  Total carb count = 12g


English Muffin-

Thomas Light Multi-grain muffins
   1 muffin = 100 cal.
  26g carbs. and 8g fiber
  Total carb count= 18g

Tortilla-

Lo-Carb Wheat Tortillas Tam-X-ico's

1 tortilla = 90 cal.
  9g carbs. and 4g fiber
Total carb. count = 5g

These are all great low carb choices for sandwiches, taco's and snacks. Remember there are other low carb bread options out there but these are a few that I have found and thought I would pass the info on to you.  Tomorrow I will have some Valentines Day ideas.

1 Artful Diabetic

Menu for Feb. 4-10 and Slow Cooker Fajita recipe

Menu Monday Feb. 4-10.....  

Sorry this is a little late but here is what we are having this week Feb. 4-10.

Monday-  Calzones with Cheese and Pepperoni

Tuesday- Waffles with strawberries and sausage links

Wednesday- We are going to my sons Boy Scout Court of Honor and they are supplying a meal.

Thursday- Stromboli (with Ham, Cheese and Salami) and Salad

Friday-  Slow Cooker Steak Fajita's, corn and salad

Saturday- Date night! :) 

Sunday - Slow Cooker Pork roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and pound cake with strawberries.

I have included the recipe for the Slow Cooker Fajita's this is enough to make two meals for 6 people. 

                         Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas

                         4 lbs. bottom round steak or beef stew pieces

                         1 packet  taco seasoning

                         2 green bell peppers

                         2 red bell pepper

                         1 onion, chopped

                         4 cloves garlic, minced

                         20 flour tortillas (taco size)

                         2  16 oz. jars of salsa

                         sour cream

1)  Cut steak in to small pieces and sprinkle with taco seasoning.Place in a zip-lock bag.  Cut the peppers and onions and garlic and place in another zip-lock bag. Place the package of tortillas in the freezer. Have the jars of salsa in the pantry until ready to use. Place all the bags in a gallon zipper bag label and freeze.

2) If cooking tonight go to step 3. If pulling from freezer thaw all ingredients in the fridge overnight.  Then place steak, then veggies and finally salsa in slow cooker for 6-7 hours until done.

3) Place everything except for the tortillas and sour cream in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until the beef and vegetables are tender.  

Serve with the tortillas and sour cream.

Thanks,

1 Artful Diabetic

                          

          

Whats Up Wednesday!

So, I thought it would be fun to post whats going on in my world or upcoming projects on Wednesdays.  This week I wanted to cover Once A Month Cooking known as (OAMC).  This process is where you spend a day or  two to make about 15-18 Frozen or prepared meals to use during the month. Lets face it being diabetic is hard and by knowing what you are having for dinner each night can help you plan out your Carb counts and keep sugars better under control.  There is tons of information and recipes all over the internet and Pinterest. It helps to start with an empty calendar month then fill it in with the days you have an upcoming event where dinner is provided or you plan on eating out.  Then fill in the rest of the days with meals you are making on your OAMC  cooking day.   

By now You're probably saying to yourself this seems a little intense Artful Diabetic Lady! Where do I begin?  Here is the easy part, all of us cooks have a couple of go to recipes that we use all the time. So take 3-5 of your go to recipes and triple the recipe and BAM you will 9- 15 meals to use.  Your local library is also a great place to find great cookbooks with new ideas.  Also by preparing your meals in one or two days it will save you lots of time, money, and headaches. I will be posting more ideas and updates about OAMC cooking and recipes for you to use.  I will leave you with two of my family's favorites.

Pizza loaf

1 frozen bread loaf ( I've use both Rhodes and Kroger brand)
1 Jar/ or can of your favorite spaghetti sauce ( also can use homemade)
1 bag Mozzarella cheese shredded
1 pack of Pepperoni
Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, or any other topping you like on your pizza.
1-2 TBS olive oil
Melted butter with garlic

Place frozen bread on cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray, then spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover bread and let it defrost and rise for about 2 hrs.  Once it has risen to half its size, flatten it out into a rectangular shape on the cooking sheet.  Drizzle Olive oil over the crust, then add sauce as much as you 
prefer, down the middle, next add veggies and pepperoni, and finally add cheese.  Fold in the two sides and you will now have a pizza loaf.  At this point you can wrap it in foil and place in a Ziploc bag and put in your freezer.  Or you can enjoy the fruits of your labor by turning on the oven to 375 degrees and put some melted butter with garlic on top of it, cut three slits in the top (to let the steam vent out.) Bake for 15-25 minutes.  Use extra sauce to dip your pizza loaf into. Enjoy!


French Toast Sticks

2 loaves Texas Toast
8 eggs (beaten)
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 cup of liquid coffee creamer (any flavor)
1/2 cup milk 
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp.  nutmeg
1/4 cup of brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix all ingredients except for bread until well mixed.  Cut each piece of bread into three strips. Once all bread is cut, start dipping in mix making sure to complete coat each stick, then place them on a greased cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Cook in oven for 10 minutes then turn them over and bake for another 5-10 minutes.    Take them out and let them cool. Once cooled they can be flash frozen for about an hour in the freezer and then stored in Ziploc bags in the freezer.    Take three or four out at a time and heat in the microwave for about 45 sec. Make sure to label with what the item is and the date it was bagged. Makes about 45 sticks

  1 Artful Diabetic

Hello World!!

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to my blog! As I said in the About me section I am a newly diagnosed diabetic that found out the hard way after I was hospitalized for a week in November of 2012. I am on insulin for now and have to test my sugars 4x a day.  I had a very nasty skin infection that has left me with a medium size hole on my stomach. Until my wound is healed I have to be on insulin. I am learning the in's and outs of diabetes all about how sugars are not my enemy as much as carbs are. 

Anyhoo, enough about me and on to some fun things.  Join me, on my journey to become a healthier and happier person in 2013.  Were I plan on taking time to enjoy the things I love: DIY projects, cooking, Pinterest and making art. Looking forward to learning new things.

1 Artful Diabetic