Fantasy, A1C, Diabetes. Butter.

On Glenda Larke’s blog, Tropic Temper (see link this page) we were discussing when people started reading fantasy. I said I had come to it later in life because it was a genre which was frowned upon. However, I just remembered a book by Elizabeth Goudge called The Little White Horse which I had as a child and loved very much. It was certainly full of magic so would come under the fantasy genre heading. I suppose despite the general opinion on fantasy, it was alright for children. I lost my original book somewhere over the years, a pity, I bought another, but it isn’t the same as the book where I had coloured all the pictures and such. Henrietta’s House was another book I have by Elizabeth Goudge, not quite so magical as the other. Last, but not least, I have The White Witch. All of these books can still be bought at Amazon which somewhat surprises me. However, doing some research they appear to be a popular books still. The picture shows the cover I have now but I am not sure if its the original cover, I seem to remember a plain blue cloth binding.

I was pretty pleased yesterday – I went to my diabetes seminar (one on one for half an hour) and she took my A1C which turned out to be 5.7 which she assured me was lower than some people who didn’t have diabetes. If you don’t know what an A1C is, you are obviously not suffering from diabetes and don’t need to worry about it, but suffice to say 7 is considered a good number. I was also talking to one of the staff at Canadian Diabetes about an upcoming seminar they are holding. The subject being the kidneys. She asked me what would attract me, or others, to such a seminar. I have been thinking about it and d’you know I cannot think of a good way of attracting people with diabetes to such a seminar. I tend to go to most things to keep myself informed. There are people who do not look after their disease and end up in all kinds of trouble, hell you can get into trouble even if you do take care of yourself. I do know I was frightened by diabetes years ago - hearing of people losing feet or limbs because of the disease. Of course since getting it, I have heard more about all the other problems which can occur. Just today I discovered that it can delay healing; Matt could never understand why my hip operation scar took so long to heal, I guess that’s why. It is also why I take care to stay as informed as possible.

I love French butter, the taste is totally different to either the butter we get here or in the UK. So when I heard there was a Normandy culture butter available I got all excited and we bought some. Big disappointment, it doesn’t taste the same as the butter in North America, but nor does it taste like the French butter in France (or Martinique). In fact the last time I had real French butter was when we were on our one and only cruise and we docked in Martinique. The next morning and for a few days, we had French butter and I was in heaven. Matt swears I ate all the smoked salmon on the ship, I did a number on the butter too.

Eating Well have sent me their latest ezine with farm fresh ingredients packed with anti-oxidants. One recipe particularly appealed to me and will be being added to our future menus.

Thai-Style Melon & Beef Salad

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/thai_style_melon_beef_salad.html

From EatingWell: July/August 2009

We give this Thai-style beef salad a sweet twist by adding thin matchsticks of melon to the mix. Firm orange- or pale green-fleshed melon is equally good. The saltiness of the fish sauce helps to balance the sweetness of the melon.

6 servings,

Ingredients

12 ounces beef sirloin, or other boneless steak, about 1 inch thick, trimmed

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup lime juice

3 tablespoons fish sauce, (see Shopping Tip)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 clove garlic, grated or minced

1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 medium-to-large firm ripe melon

1 small green bell pepper

1 small red bell pepper

6 cups lightly packed torn Boston lettuce, (about 1 head)

1/2 cup slivered red onion

1/2 cup thin cucumber slices, halved

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup lightly packed torn fresh mint leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Grill the steak about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare and 6 minutes per side for medium. Transfer the steak to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing crosswise.
3. Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and crushed red pepper to taste in a small bowl. Cut melon into enough 5-inch-long matchsticks to make 4 cups. (Reserve any remaining melon for another use.) Cut bell peppers into 2-inch-long matchsticks. Combine the melon and peppers in a large bowl along with lettuce, onion, cucumber, cilantro and mint.
4. Add the sliced beef to the salad. Whisk the dressing, pour it over the salad and gently toss to combine.

Nutrition

Per serving : 150 Calories; 3 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 21 mg Cholesterol; 18 g Carbohydrates; 15 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 690 mg Sodium; 721 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 lean meat

Tips & Notes

• Shopping Tip: Fish sauce is a pungent condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our nutritional analyses.

Have a great day