We're still eating :)

I haven't stopped cooking.... the family's been fed... I just haven't felt up to writing about it lately. Ever since my DD's Type I diabetes diagnosis, meals and food have taken on a whole new meaning. Planned meals get changed at the last minute to balance out carbs and portions. Unplanned meals get thrown together. It's been working out fine, it just has not been particularly blog-worthy.

In the meantime, here's the excellent Baked Pasta recipe that DD helped me make last night. This one has chicken broth in it, which sounds weird, but keeps the pasta nice and moist. We used tiny shell pasta rather than ziti, and sausage rather than hamburger.

Souptacular Crockpotalooza: Potato Soup

Potato soup is one of my favorites- I like to make a big pot and eat it for lunch all week. This is my very own recipe, put together after much trial and error. I've also published it on RecipeZaar, so it's possible that you may have seen it there.

Amy's Potato Soup:

Ingredients:
5-6 large potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons margarine
3 chicken bouillon cubes (I use bouillon paste when possible, about 2-3 TBSP)
3 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons cilantro
3 cups water

Place all of the above ingredients into the crockpot, cook on low all day.

About an hour before serving time, add in either:

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup flour

OR, as I more often do, add in about a cup of whatever kind of milk you have on hand and a sprinkle of instant potato flakes.

Garnish with:
shredded cheese or French-fried onions or croutons

Enjoy!

Back to the menu planning...

I know I haven't been here on my cooking blog too much lately... my apologies! Since September 19, when my five year-old was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, our meals have been kind of thrown together, trying to balance her carbohydrate needs with everything else we have going on that day. This week, though, I'm starting to feel more confident and ready to jump back into menu planning. Here goes...

TUESDAY: *new recipe* Deep Dish Sausage Pizza and salad

WEDNESDAY: our favorite crockpot BBQ ribs, corn

THURSDAY: *new recipe* Beef Stew in the crockpot

FRIDAY: Chicken Hurry, steamed broccoli, rice

* If you're not familiar with Type I/ Juvenile Diabetes, it's in many ways treated the opposite of Type II, which is much more common. (Our doctor says that only 1% of children will develop Type I Diabetes.) Type II is often diet-controlled and in some cases medication can prompt the body to produce insulin as needed. My daughter has Type I, which means that her body produces no insulin at all. There are no limitations on what my daughter eats, but, every carb must be counted, she has to eat at certain times of day, and she must receive insulin injections 4-5 times daily for the rest of her life.

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