I want some sugar in my bowl ... of yogurt.

So I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. And I had an Ob/Gyn other than my Dr to give me the news; I started crying and could not stop. I was devastated and was pretty depressed for a couple of days. Nevertheless, that same day I scheduled an appointment with a nutritionist and got on a diet right away. My main concern is what kind of harm I may cause to my baby and how can I prevent it. But also, I know this diagnose throws a 50% chance of me acquiring diabetes in the future, and since diabetes runs in my family, I know I am now at a very high risk of getting diabetes later in life. I guess this only means I will need to watch my diet and make sure I get plenty of exercise so my chances drop.
I been on a low carb diet for about ten days and my glucose has been good for most of the time but mornings are when my glucose levels go a bit high and my Dr has put me on some medication. I am so against taking drugs during pregnancy but she assures me this one does not penetrate the placenta.
And since I am required to have 4 servings of diary every day and I do not like milk; I am having tons of yogurt and cottage cheese. I have made my own granola to add to my yogurt and I love it. It has lots of nuts which count as protein, a must when I consume carbohydrates. Here is the recipe:

Sweet Bea's Granola
4 cups of oatmeal
4 tablespoons of wheat bran
1/4 cup of raisins
2/4 cup of dried fruit, I like a tropical mix (cranberries,pineapple,papaya)
1/3 cup sliced raw almonds
1/3 cup pecans
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup turbinado cane sugar
1/3 cup agave nectar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Mix all ingredients except last three. Combine oil, sugar and syrup and add to dry mix. Make sure is well mixed. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn granola to expose uncooked oats and bake for other 10 minutes. Check every five minutes as some areas may over roast depending on your oven. I like mine medium brown but feel free to pull granola before it gets dark. I used some agave syrup because it has a low glycemic index which some claim makes it a good choice for diabetics. A bit expensive but so much better than fake sugar substitutes. And the turbinado sugar is so much tastier than regular sugar though I admit I could have used a bit less. This batch was sweet and great tasting but not so healthy for someone that is supposed to be watching her sugar intake. I will use 1/5 cup of each sugar and nectar for the next one and rely on fresh fruit for sweetness. In the meantime, I am enjoying my cup of yogurt topped with 1/4 cup of sweet nutty crunchy granola.

Food Memories

Some of my favorite books have been books with recipes on them. It is fascinating the way an author uses food to reveal a character's personality, soul and history. Well, who has not been shaped up by food or the lack of it.

I was raised by my grandmother while my mother would work and her cooking was exceptional. Simple recipes with simple ingredients. Staples on the everyday menu were of course, beans and flour tortillas. The best flour tortillas I have ever had; freshly made for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. She would not make us eat a reheated tortilla. If for any reason, a couple were left from the previous meal, she would try to slip them on the stack of freshly made ones but we always could tell them apart. Reheated flour tortillas smell and taste different than fresh ones (a connoisseur is talking here). No food was ever wasted; her second attempt would be to fry them and put beans on top. We loved them like that. My grandmother would be cooking flour tortillas and bringing them to the table from the stove as we were eating. She never sat down with us to eat. She would eat at the kitchen, standing or at the table after all the family had eaten. I probably asked her once why wouldn't she sit with us and she probably brushed me off with a comment of how she preferred it that way. My mother now does it with her grandchildren but she sits with the adults after she is done cooking.

My grandmother could whip up a meal for 5 with one egg, a tomato and plenty of "chile piquin" (those tiny red hot peppers) from her chili plant. I remember that she would make a very hot sauce and add it to the scrambled egg. Now, I laugh of her resourcefulness. We would dip our tortilla on the "egg salsa" and spoon some beans with it. We would say "esta picoso, guelita" and kept eating. How I miss her cooking, specially those tortillas.

Some books with recipes I have read:

-Like water for chocolate. I have prepared the "Codornices en petalos de rosa"

-Afrodita by Isabel Allende. A collection of memories and recipes.

-Secrets of the Tsil Cafe. A novel about a boy growing up around his mother's and father's cooking; includes 26 recipes.

-Hallelujah! The Welcome Table. This is more of a recipe book with stories. Love the banana pudding, caramel cake, braised cabbage with ginger and the best one of all, smothered chicken.

Happy Mother's Day!

I've decided to take the blogging matter easy. I will post as I feel comfortable. It is certainly not easy to find interesting things about what I do all day. Mostly is taking care of my two princesses. I am as many may say an overdoer on the mothering role. I believe in constant supervision, I mean constant. I wish I was not the anxious kind and be more relaxed but I am working on it. My poor first child was never put on the floor until she was almost 9 months. I was affraid she would slip and bang her precious little head. Her pediatrician had to tell me "She will be fine." But I most say in my favor that, eventhough my heart is constantly jumping, I decided a long time ago to evaluate and observe until they get into a not so safe situations for me to interfere. That I've become good at. My wish of wanting to transmit confidence to my children is greater than my fears.
I want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all blogging Moms which I must say inspired me to start my own blog. Also, Feliz Dia, Mama! Te quiero y tus nietas tambien.
I am proud to say I was raised by two wonderful women. My grandmother, Lupita and my mother, Juanita. My grandmother was a lady with strong convictions of what she wanted for her children, specially her daughters. She had 5 daughters and 2 sons. She learned to earn her living since she was five from her mother who was not exactly a loving or kind woman. She was poor and overworked for a good portion of her life. Living in a time,place and class status, where everything would stand against a woman, she managed to provide trades and education to all her children. A natural born economist, she always provided plenty of food,clothes and shelter to all. She worked from home making flour tortillas (the best I've ever tasted), bread, sewing, washing clothes, ironing (yes, coal iron)and anything that could make a decent peso. My mother remembers that my grandmother would often miss school presentations because she did not own a good pair of shoes. Poor and with so many needs but she never sent her daughters to clean other people's homes where they could be abused and molested by the owner. A risk she would not take.
My mother is my other hero. A woman that inherited her mother's strong convictions and honesty. Add to that generosity and servitude and you have a woman with a big open heart. She helped her mother to provide education for her younger siblings from the time she was 15 and started studying to become a teacher. A hard working woman who had her share of struggles thru life but decided to always present a brave face to us, her children.