Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

This weekend has been so much fun! Friday night, David and I went on date night as usual.

We watched the end of the Braves game at dinner and saw the in-fly ball call.

Let's just say, so far, not a good weekend for Georgia sports.

However, I still love my Dawgs!

David and I threw a little get together for the game last night.

But more on that another time!

Onto the food!

The challenge I have found with a low-carb diet is coming up with good side dishes.

I am a creature of habit.

Once I find something I love (for example, mashed cauli) I wear it out.

So I've been searching for something different, something yummy that is not just frozen veggies.

And something easy.

Let me preface this recipe by saying, you will not be able to control yourself.

In fact, David and I tried it before plating it for dinner and had to stop ourselves so we would have some left!  This recipe is SO good and SO easy and SO addicting!

And being the creature of habit that I am, we ate it as a side TWICE last week!

I hope you love them as much as we do!

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

Fresh cut green beans

Mushrooms

1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to your liking

Parmesan to your liking

Then follow these EASY directions...

Toss everything into a baggie.

Shake it up! Cover everything.

I've been shake it up, coating it and letting it sit until the oven preheats!

Spread everything out on a baking sheet.

Make sure you spray it so nothing sticks!

And YUM!

I hope you enjoy!!

We definitely have!

I Did It!!!

I made the cauliflower pizza!!! It was so good (and easy)!  David is never skeptical when I tell him about my cooking ambitions.  But when I said, cauliflower pizza crust, I knew he was wondering how it would taste (as was I), it sounds weird!  However, we loved it!  It tasted just like pizza!

All that went into the crust was cauliflower, 1 egg, and seasoning!  First, I turned my cauliflower head into "rice" via my favorite kitchen appliance, the food processor.  I then steamed it on the stove.  Make sure you pat out all of the moisture afterwards.

Once I mixed the ingredients together, I patted out my crust and baked it at 450 for 30 minutes, or until you've reached the crispiness that you like!  Then I turned my oven to broil, added my toppings, and put it back in for about 6 minutes.  

It was so yummy!  I will definitely be making this dish for us again!

Just like real pizza, but gluten free/no carb!

YAY!

Have you tried cauliflower pizza? What are your thoughts?

insulin resistance

Today was so fun at school! We are studying the Age of Discovery and did a few activities. I blogged about this more on my Teaching page! But here is a snap shot of our fun!

But, on a more serious note...

While I was off enjoying my long weekend a few days ago, I learned some news that will forever change my life. On Friday morning, I found out I have insulin resistance.

WebMD does a great job of explaining what insulin resistance is, so I'll let the "experts":

"Normally, food is absorbed into the bloodstream in the form of sugars such as glucose and other basic substances. The increase in sugar in the bloodstream signals the pancreas (an organ located behind the stomach) to increase the secretion of a hormone called insulin. This hormone attaches to cells, removing sugar from the bloodstream so that it can be used for energy.
In insulin resistance, the body's cells have a diminished ability to respond to the action of the insulin hormone. To compensate for the insulin resistance, the pancreas secretes more insulin.
People with this syndrome have insulin resistance and high levels of insulin in the blood as a marker of the disease rather than a cause.
Over time people with insulin resistance can develop high sugars or diabetes as the high insulin levels can no longer compensate for elevated sugars."

The good news is you can fight against insulin resistance and even sometimes reverse the cycle. However, it takes a very strict diet and exercise plan to do so. I immediately started medication, a high protein-high fiber-NO carb diet, and exercise. By not taking care of oneself with insulin resistance, you become at risk for other problems such as osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer and many other things.

So I've decided to make the most of this opportunity by doing the following things:

1. Blogging recipes. I intend on coming up with substitutes for my favorite dishes. Everything I cook will have to be sugar-free, low-fat, and low-carb. So look forward to some healthy dish ideas!

2. Keeping you up-to-date with my progress.

3. And not turning my blog into "the diary of the girl with insulin resistance". But rather, informing you about new healthy options every now and then!

For now I've started this book, to learn as much as I can about my condition. While there was nothing I could have done to prevent becoming insulin resistance, I intend on doing everything I can to reverse the cycle.


For all of those who have been with me over the last year following my progress, this is the end of the road. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. I love you all.