fajitas + smoothies, but not together

 One of my favorite meals at the Holt house is fajitas. I used to be more intimidated by them because it is hard to find a carb-friendly tortilla. We found a great Carb Balance variety by Mission. 6 Net Carbs? Yes, please! The recipe is easy. You can remember it just from this image. Once you purchase the flavor you want, you follow the directions on the back to marinate (usually water, olive oil, and the flavorings). Marinate for 15 minutes. Cook until browned - we added bell peppers. And VIOLA! Fajitas :)

make with

guacamole (recipe here)

The world deserves to see this clip in keeping with fajita night. Ross was having a bit of a hard time coping with Joey and Rachel's relationship...

I am also obsessed with berries. They are lower-glycemic than most fruits, so I can eat more with less of an impact on my blood sugar. They are packed with fiber, so they are perfect for a side or the flavor of a smoothie. 

Phones and Phobias

What? Phones and Phobias? What kind of title is this? I'll begin the explanation now (12:19 PM), and I will end the explanation this evening, as I will have more information to impart. "Phones" refers to the prospect of purchasing the iBG*Star glucose reader for my iPhone. If you know me at all, you know I am a product junkie. I usually like having the newest, most convenient gadgets that the market has to offer. For me, that includes a glucose meter than plugs into your iPhone. Do I own other meters? Yes. The hospital gave me an Accu-Chek. My Diabetes Educator gave me an Accu-Chek. JDRF mailed me a free Accu-Chek. I bought a One-Touch on Tuesday simply to see the difference in size and readings. It was $9.99 at Walgreens, so how could I resist? The iPhone gadgets, naturally, are a bit pricier, but it may well be worth it. For starters, I love that I could run with my iPhone and check my blood sugar with it while I am running. All I would need to store is the pricking pen (you can tell I am a new Diabetic, because I have no idea what these things are formally called) and strips. That, in and of itself, is fantastic. Plus, I am excited about the weird looks I will get when it appears that I am sending blood into my iPhone. Bring on the perplexed onlookers!

So, "Phobias"...I don't know about you, or whether you have experienced panic attacks before, but I may or may not have experienced one yesterday. While driving. Awesome. My day yesterday was not too shabby. I got up, ate breakfast, went to school to take a 100-question Barbri exam, came home, ate lunch, analyzed my exam, and then decided to drive out to Cordova to my doctor's office to pick up a letter to send the Bar Examiners regarding the accommodations I'll need for the Bar. Early in my drive, I was thinking about how tired I felt. I really shouldn't be tired, unless exams zap that much energy out of you. I had plenty of sleep and food. Then, the sunlight beaming into the car was bothering me. I get on Sam Cooper and get off on the Jackson, MS exit and my heart begins to race and my head feels fuzzy, for lack of a better word. It felt somewhat like low blood sugar. So, I pull over on the shoulder and check. It was in the 120s. So, my blood sugar was normal, but I could not have felt more strange. Andrew called me and talked to me all the way to my destination, and I was explaining to him how I felt - foggy, tired, and a bit like I should not be driving. He ended up picking me up from Cordova, and I left my car there. I didn't want to drive home and experience that feeling again. Hey, maybe it was nothing. But I still feel a little like my energy has been depleted today, so I am going to see my internist. I am leaving for a FUN trip to Los Angeles tomorrow, and I just want some explanation for what may have been going on before I leave. That makes sense right? I have to hand it to doctors...they must have the patience of Job to deal with neurotic people like me whose illnesses may or may not be in their head. Andrew says it takes a little bit of neurosis to be good at Diabetes management. Well, that's good news. I know one thing - my first Diabetic episode that led me to the hospital and a diagnosis, happened in the car. My legs felt numb. My mouth got dry. My heart starting pounding, then my vision got dark. So, even though I knew my blood sugar level was fine yesterday, I think feeling unexplained weirdness while driving does give me a sort of anxiety. Even if she tells me to take a multi-vitamin and calm down, at least I'll have on good authority that I have no need to worry. Then, I can go on my trip with no cause for panic. Anyway, that appointment is at 2:00, so I will let you know the outcome.

Okay, so it is 8:09 PM. I've got good news and pretty good news. The pretty good news is that none of my tests at the doctor indicate that I am sick. I gave blood, I don't get to know the results from that immediately. Um, so I'm sure I am not the only one, but I totally almost passed out when she took blood from me. It was not fun. What do I do in the short term? Advil + Multi-Vitamin + B12 + B6. I am going to see if this helps my energy level. I don't feel sick. I just feel depleted of all my energy for no apparent reason. The GOOD news is that my mom bought me the iBGStar meter at the Apple Store today. It is pretty awesome. The meter itself is tiny. Everything is intuitive.

My new toy and a smoothie, why not? 

Notice anything? My Accu-Chek and my iBG*Star read the exact same thing :)

Just so you all know, I am completely nerding out over here.

As promised...

Well, it is official. Catherine and L.D. are married, and I survived another wedding weekend as a Diabetic-in-training. The whole thing was a fantastic experience. I'll keep this post mostly photographic.

This fantastic meals was served at Catherine's Bridesmaid's Dinner Thursday night. Everything was so delicious, especially the chicken-noodle-poppyseed stuff. 

This was the meal at the rehearsal dinner. That was some delicious chicken, scalloped potatoes, and broccoli. It was amazing. 

 This was a nice fruit spread we had at Monica's house while we were getting ready for the big day!

Watermelon is my favorite thing ever. 

Catherine bought us all these shirts to get ready in as bridesmaid's gifts. They were monogrammed and everything! We loved them so much, we had to take a picture or five.

This was lunch today. It is a 1-egg omelet with muenster cheese and chicken + 14 baby carrots and 2 TBSP of hummus + apple and PB2 Peanut Butter. I really look forward to each meal these days. Eating healthily can be very satisfying. 

This is for fun, because my father-in-law placed Rosalyn on the watermelon. She was not liking it one bit.

This was tonight's dinner, courtesy of my mother-in-law. It was full of all kinds of great things - ham, egg, broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, almonds. I could eat this all day. 

This is my favorite post-breakfast/pre-Barbri activity. Read a catalog, drink the coffee, and chew my fiber.  If you were wondering, I am 25, look 15, but have the habits of a 75-year-old. It's fine. I've accepted it.

So, you can tell I am obviously excited about my PB2. My lunch on Saturday was a smoothie comprised of these ingredients - (2) TBSP PB2 + (1) TBSP Chia Seeds + (1) TBSP Ground Flax + (2/3) Cup of Frozen Strawberries + (1) Cup Dairy-Free/Sugar-Free Coconut Milk + (1) Packet of Truvia. 

Calories = 235; Carbs (including Fiber) = 22 g; Carbs (minus Fiber) = 9 g

And this is proof that I eventually fit in the dress. It took three girls and an adjustment in my methods of breathing for the rest of the evening, but it worked. But I must say, it has been awfully nice wearing gym shorts today...