Odds and Ends

I woke up this morning with the desire to write, so here I am. I'm sure it has something to do with my reading habits as of late. I just finished Karen Armstrongs's Through the Narrow Gate. I'm also reading The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs. I'm always interested in other people's spiritual journeys, especially when it takes them away from orthodoxy, because I'm still very much on an unorthodoxed journey of my own. I'm in pleasant and comfortable territory but I haven't gotten a full lay of the land yet. I'm still trying to find my way through the mysterious terrain of spirituality and so I read about others who have navigated this area before. I don't always follow their path but reading about their journeys helps me to find my bearings.

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The Boyfriend and I are still wrestling with marriage and finances. I think "wrestling" is an accurate term. It seems healthier and more productive than "arguing" or even "disagreeing". "Wrestling" indicates that we're trying to find an approach to finances that satisfies us both, that we're not caught up in pettiness, that we are truly seeking what is best for us as individuals and as a couple. Yes, I think "wrestle" is the right word.

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The Week Ahead

Monday: Even though I'm unemployed, I'm thankful to have this day "off". I don't plan to do much -- maybe clean up a little (emphasis on "little"), maybe do a load of laundry, probably get in a workout and that's about it. Oh, yeah, and I'll probably make tacos for dinner.

Tuesday: It's nose back to the job searching grindstone. I plan to send out about 5 resumes (it takes longer than you think, people), do some aerobics and then go to a friend's house for dinner. She lives in another county so I'll be making quite the trek. I love this friend. She's one of my favorite people. Her religious views are a bit unorthodoxed as well but not as unorthoxed as mine. She's still welcomed by the mainstream religious establishment. Me? Like Jesus did to the moneychangers, I'd be driven out of the temple as a heretic.

Wednesday: In keeping with my heretical religious views, I am going to my local county commission meeting to listen as they read a proposed non-discrimnation ordinance that ensures gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered are treated fairly in government and in the workforce. I truly believe it's what Jesus would do.

Thursday: My favorite day of the week, because it's grocery shopping day. I love to grocery shop! I love going up and down the aisles, surveying all the grocery items, imaging what I might cook with them someday. It's often the hightlight of my week. Sad, I know.

Friday: Friday is a big day. I'm having my friend Julie over for dinner. We're going to grill steaks. Or should I say she's going to grill steaks. I'm making creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms. I'll probably roast some shrimp and make some homemade cocktail sauce for an appetizer. For dessert, I'm leaning towards a summery, diabetic-friendly banana pudding. Bon appetit!

The Life of the Unemployed, Day 71: How an unemployed person keeps herself busy.

By cooking!

That's what I've been doing for the past couple of months -- trying out new recipes and making them diabetic-friendly.

Just this morning, I made a ham and cheese quiche with a diabetic-friendly whole wheat crust.



Other things I've made are:

The infamous non-diabetic friendly Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins I made for church.


I also made a yummy diabetic-friendly version with Splenda and whole wheat flour. I omitted the chocolate chips.




Last week, I made Kung Pao Chicken. It was da' bomb!



A deceptively good diabetic-friendly cherry crisp. A friend of mine, a non-diabetic, almost ate the whole thing by herself.

Diabetic-friendly Sloppy Joes


Diabetic-friendly Thousand Island dressing.


Funky looking but delicious whole wheat biscuits.


Whole wheat buttermilk pancakes.


And the list goes on.

I love cooking. And what better time to expand my repertoire then while I'm unemployed?

Both my mom and uncle are diabetics but they eat the same uninspiring things day in and day out. If I had to do that, I'd slit my wrists and put myself out of my misery. Diabetic-friendly doesn't have to be synonymous with boring.

I've started a blog, The Cooking Diva, where I've begun to post some of these recipes. Hopefully, I can fulfill a niche out there and help make someone else's diagnosis seem a little less like it's the end of the world.