Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

After all that has transpired over the last couple of years, hubby's and my new mantra is "simplify." We have decided that quality of life outweighs quantity of things. There really is nothing we need (well, a cancer cure would be appreciated), and the wants don't count. I have 4 pair of shoes I wear and one purse that I carry. I've never been much of a clothes horse. I've been trying to convince my future daughter-in-law to let me wear jeans to the wedding, but she's having none of that. Anyway, in keeping with this new philosophy, we are getting ready to put our house on the market and divest ourselves of all the expenses and work that go with homeownership. We have decided that the less complicated, less expensive, less stress of apartment living far outweighs the benefits(?) of owning a home.. We already have really noisy neighbors, so we will be ready for that. So, a new journey begins.

Today also ended up being one of those simple days. A couple of days ago we celebrated 37 years together with leftovers. So we thought we would go see a movie this afternoon and then treat ourselves to dinner. Well, as they say about the best laid plans. The movie was sold out, and because I am working on controlling the old blood sugar, we nixed the dinner. Instead we took the money and hit a couple of grocery stores to purchase some healthy food to add to our pantry. In my opinion, a much better choice was made.

Once home I made a simple but yummy fairly low carb dinner. Saturday should really be all about simple. For dinner we had a simple tossed salad and individual pizzas made on low carb whole wheat tortillas. And I must say this about the pizzas...mmmmmm. I brushed a little olive oil on the tortilla, topped with homemade pizza sauce, fresh grated mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, olives, and fresh mushrooms. The sauce I made by sauteing 1/4 cup finely chopped onion, 2 grated cloves of garlic in a little olive oil then adding a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce, about a tsp. of Italian seasoning, some salt and pepper, and some red pepper flakes. Then I let it simmer for about 15 minutes. When the pizzas were assembled I baked them at 425 degrees for about 7 minutes. It will totally depend on your oven and how done you want them. I just know they were good and simple...and something I could eat!

Now, I have to show off a few of the Christmas goodies I received that will me aid in my quest towards health.

My mom gave me this awesome blender. Yea for soups and smoothies and salsa!

I have discovered that caffeine raises my blood sugar. Talk about cutting my legs out from under me! Son to the rescue with this lovely teapot and a supply of herbal teas.

And this last gift, hmmm. I'm not sure what my daughter was trying to tell me. She says these chefs remind of all the joy I take in cooking. But, could subconsciously she be telling me something else? Hmmm.....

To end this post on simplifying, here's my hubby simply taking it easy with the girls as he waits for his pizza tonight.

2010...What Lies Ahead

2009...Good-bye and good riddance. You were sucky and crappy and no friend of ours. Thank heavens you're gone. 2010...We are welcoming you with open arms. Please be kind to us.

I have to say that out of all the years of my life, I definitely would not ever want to repeat 2008 or 2009. Initially, my older son was diagnosed with oral cancer, and just as he completed treatment, my hubby was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Whew! Talk about your stressed filled couple of years. But fortune smiled on us. My son is in remission and doing out standing. You can actually read about his experience here. And hubby is still alive and kicking...maybe not as hard as he used to, but, hey, at least now I can keep up with him.

Now, all of this care-giving I did during this time took somewhat of a toll on me. It's like this. Cancer patients have a tendency to lose a bit of weight, which is not a good thing. So, my mission became feeding them, and feeding them well. It was particularly important for my son who had lost part of his tongue. Eating was an all day process for him. Making rich creamy, fattening soups became my purpose in life. And I became very good at it. Then as my hubby became sick, I added more home cooking to the mix. I wanted to eliminate as much processed food as possible. Cooking became an enormous part of my life.

But...and herein lies the problem...I am diabetic. With all this cooking for the guys, I wasn't taking care of me. So, 2010 is going to be for me. I going to get back on that horse and get healthy. It is going to be a journey, and I am going to drag you along with me. Hopefully you won't be kicking and screaming along the way. I kinda figured that if I committed to healthy living here in front of God and everyone, I would stick to it. I need this to keep me honest.

Here's the plan.

1)I will eat healthy. Some diabetics follow the AmericanDiabetes Association diet. Some eliminate all carbs. I am going to basically marry the two. The ADA diet really has too many carbs to be able to control blood sugar without a heck of a lot of insulin. And "low/no carb" really leaves out some essential nutrients. So I will be eating carbs, not many, but some healthy ones.

2) I will monitor my blood sugar, record the numbers and keep a food diary.

3) I will exercise...a big yuck! I hate exercising. Thus probably the diabetes. Anyway, my sis and I are going to do this together. She has a Wii Fit, which might make this palatable.

So this blog is going to basically evolve into a journal of my new healthy journey, the steps forward, the steps backwards, the highs, the lows, the ups, the downs. And along the way, I will still be cooking and posting recipes. I hope you will join this little trip of mine!