Great Sugar Free-low carb Chocolate Chip Cookie

It's not always easy to find a good recipe that our kids will like eating. The texture is always off and most of all the flavors just aren't right. But, this recipe isn't too bad. The cookies are quite yummy. 

Some of the recipes I’ve tried were dry, flat and crispy. These decadent cookies however are soft, chewy and moist and not the greasy or under cooked kind. They have a great density, meaning that they’re nice and thick. You can also add pecans or sea salt to really pack a punch.

MAKE IT AT HOME

• Sweetener – Swerve Sweetener
• Coconut Flour – Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
• Almond flour – Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour
• Chocolate Chips – Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
• Cookie Scoop – Wilton Cookie Scoop

• Ingredients:
• 
  
• 11/4 cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, room temperature
• ¼ cup butter, room temperature
• ½ cup sweetener
• ⅓ cup sugar free chocolate chips or high % cacao chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift together almond flour, coconut flour baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low-medium speed, cream butter, sweetener, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix until evenly mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop 1-2 tablespoon size mounds of dough onto baking sheets, spacing the mounds at least 2 inches apart. Using your the palm of your hand or the bottom of a clean cup, flatten the cookies to the desired size and thickness.
6. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 2-3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES

Serving size: 1 Cookie (Total recipe makes 12 servings)
Protein 3.71g, Cals 145, Fat 12.24g, Carbs 7.48g, Fiber 2.28g, Sugar Alcohols 3.09g — NET CARBS: 2.11g 

Baking with almond and coconut flour can be pretty tricky but these cookies are fool-proof and the recipe is nice and detailed. This recipe should be just as easy as baking ordinary chocolate chip cookies, just a lot less guilt at the end.

Diabetes Diary 2/26/15

It's been a better two days. We have had a few lows, but numbers are much closer to his normal ranges. I'm spending this morning organizing his supplies. I found some cute glass containers from Ikea over the weekend that I love for his syringes and pen needles to keep them secure from our toddler. 

Now, I need to start working on our closet that has come over ran with medical supplies that make us look like hoarders. It's back to Ikea this weekend. It's got to be convenient, yet secure. I'll post our updates next week. 

IKEA had very cute baskets as well as sealable containers that may work for this little space. This is my newest organization project to tackle in our little place. I've got to get creative. 

My Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy bags are still my best friends. Being able to wear them as a backpack and having my hands free to chase a toddler or give an insulin shot makes all the difference in the world. I do change them out to MK or Coach totes just because I need to feel like I'm apart of the fashion world, but honestly being a Type 1 Mom beats out any fashion preference anyday. I just love my little guys too much to care about anything else. Here's to my trusty Boxy Backpacks! Of course, a lot more goes inside than what's pictured, but thank goodness they hold a lot. Thanks Petunia Pickle Bottom for a great product! 

I did receive my Diabetes Necklace this week. What a great way to represent being a mother of a Type 1 Diabetic Child. Proceeds go to the research of finding a cure. And for us Mom's, it's a way to share our pride of our precious children fighters each and everyday. 

It's the true Type 1 Diabetes ribbon with a drop of blood in a ruby to represent the drop of blood our children need to give all day long to check their blood sugar. 

For all the other Type One Mother's who are interested, you can get yours at diabetesnecklace.com 

Diabetes Diary 2/24/15

It's been a strange week with numbers and adjustments. Lantus has been moved after three years to 7am and unfortunately I can't stop the 2am checks because he's been running extremely high and I have to give him a correction. He goes to bed with a beautiful number around 100, but something happens and it hits 350/450. 

Frustration doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. The sense of worry is greater than any other feeling. I am extremely exhausted and find it hard to get the daily routine moving as I feel like a zombie. But, with a couple cups of coffee I'm good to go. 

My alarms are set for night and I lay here trying to fall asleep. I just realized I've forgotten to eat today. Just the normal simple things that get forgotten when your busy caring for your child. 

I'm praying for a better night tonight. God bless all the type 1 families out there tonight. God only gives us what we can handle. 

My precious Daniel. This tired Mommy will make it through. 

The Oregon Trip

I came home from Oregon, so excited to blog about our first trip since diagnosis.
But, as my first week home passed, I began to feel the weight of emotion of coming back into the routines of the Southern California life. The thoughts over the traffic, the amount of people and their diversity, the compacted life will live in the big city. I feel as if I have returned to chaos. Life is so busy. Our vacation was so peaceful and the days just seemed longer. 

I look through photographs taken from our trip and can feel all the wonderful emotions as if they are still with me. I do not ever want to forget these memories. The tranquility of taking a road trip honestly re-charges oneself. You are reminded of the surroundings and of so much more than your little small world you thrive in day to day. The experiences gained through traveling are worth much more than the money that was spent. Our boys have had their eyes opened to so much more and so have we. Reflecting back now on my week at home... We are less shallow, less envious, truly happy with what God has provided us with. It wasn't just a vacation, It was us as a family getting closer, bonding, sharing, loving each other, just the four of us. It was perfect!

We didn't forget about Diabetes, it didn't let us. Our lancet pen decided to break at dinner time on our first night. Hubby to the rescue and bought disposable lancets as the boys and I waited to eat our dinner until he returned. That was a nervous 15 minutes. Then there was the change in Lantus moving from 9pm to 7 am. Each day on our trip was 3 hours sooner and my phone alarms seemed to be going off non-stop. We managed. Daniel had his highs. Maybe it was the excitement or maybe just his diabetes.

We spent our first day in Oregon visiting family. It was Valentine's Day and we headed to the historic town of Jacksonville for the evening. What a beautiful little place. Old architecture, restored buildings, small unique shops, and a unique mix of restaurants. The perfect hidden small town gem in southern Oregon. 

Our Valentine's dinner was spent here in Jacksonville with my sweet little boys. I couldn't be happier. My perfect dates. And the food, was the best Thai food I've ever had. Amazing since we were in such a small town far from a freeway or a large city. When we make it back to Jacksonville, OR I'll be right back at the Thai House. 

We headed to the Oregon coast the next morning and decided to take the long way home. The scenic route was worth all the extra hours on the road. It was breathtaking. Running creeks, flowing rivers, natural waterfalls, forests that suddenly open up to the coastline, and the most untouched beaches. 

Lunch on the beach before heading into the Redwood State Park. The boys had a blast climbing tree trunks and fallen down redwoods. We visited every tourist spot along the coastline that was in the tourist pamphlet. I never knew those little pamphlets in the hotels really are worth picking up and following. This was I believe the funniest part of the trip for us. Daniel tried climbing a fallen tree over 6 feet in diameter, Landon stepped in elk poop while watching them graze in a meadow, the boys played inside a redwood tree trunk, Daniel said he felt like Tarzan as the boys ran along the empty highway thru the forest, and we drove thru a tree. It was off season so we had the forest to ourselves for the moment. It was so quite. Only the sound of the water flowing down the  river. The night sky lit up with thousands of stars. 

Our final spot on our way home was San Francisco. Daniel wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. The weather was beautiful and the bay was clear. We made it in perfect timing as the fog rolled back in as we were leaving. We drove down the famous crooked Lombard Street, ate lunch at Fishermans Wharf, walked along the water, drove on the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay bridge. 

It was just spectacular! I'm ready to plan our next vacation. Life with Type 1 Diabetes is just wonderful. I have a completely different outlook now. The vacation did this Mom good.

Diabetes Diary 2/11/15

It has been a busy weekend and start of this week. Daniel's numbers were running low at school and I was fighting highs in the afternoons. Constant carb ratio changes and Lantus doses changing mixed with 2am sugar checks have me feeling like a zombie again. It is taking me extra time just to accomplish the daily routine. Time just seems to be running away from me this week. It has also been a huge adjustment for us as we are moving the Lantus dose to the mornings instead of the evenings. After 3 years, it is just strange and I catch myself wanting to prep for the 9pm dose every night. I am praying we hit his target range soon. 

We have managed to have a little fun this week so I'm posting some pictures of the upside. It might have been a rough few days, but the boys are still smiling. 

A quick picture before heading to the lab for more bloodwork for Daniel's latest A1C.

Playing at the lab and spilling a little water in the process... Oops 

Landon watching his big brother being brave. 

At hockey practice last night. It was a nice escape from our warm Southern California weather. It almost made me feel like we have a real winter. 

My little boy just being a kid. I love watching him participate in sports and not letting his diabetes interfere with it. 

We had a decent bedtime BG75 after hockey practice, but then he woke up this morning at BG348... Sigh... Well, it's another day and this mommy isn't giving up. There's a good blood sugar day coming soon! 

One Pot Pasta

Now this is propbably the easiest pasta dish you'll ever make in your life. There is a 5 min prep then everything gets tossed right into the pan including the uncooked spaghetti. Let the water come to the boil and that's it! How simple is that?  My son loved it and the carb counting was simple it was just the pasta. We chose to serve it with a Caesar salad and garlic bread. It's a great way for our busy family to make a healthy meal and save us from eating out. We hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:
1 package of uncooked spaghetti
4 andouille sausage links (may substitute) sliced
3 cups grape tomatoes halved
4 gloves of garlic chopped
1 small onion sliced
1 bunch of basil chopped
4 cups cold water
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan to sprinkle

Place all ingredients into a pot. Bring to a boil and boil uncovered for 10 mins. Once noodles are done add Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. That's it!

Diabetes Diary 2/2/15

As a parent with a 11 year old son who has had this disease for three years, I've become an expert on managing his blood sugar highs and lows, making sure the tips of his fingers don't turn black because he pricks one more than the other, and teaching him how to take care of himself so he grows up to be a healthy confident adult. But, this isn't the only thing that I'm teaching him. I'm also teaching him how to find ways to have fun in between the not so fun moments.

Below are a few fun ways to make living with type 1 diabetes fun! The little things such as the below has truly made a difference in my son's life. And the smile I get when I do one of them is so worth it!

1. For dinner, eat dessert first. Then eat the meal.
2. For breakfast have a piece of birthday cake or a slice of pizza. My son has been invited to  birthday parties and has been unable to eat the cake because of his blood sugars at the time of day. So instead, we wrap it up, take it home, and he eats it for breakfast.
3. Give a lollipop after your child's plays football, basketball, or other extracurricular competitive game. After every football, basketball, and baseball game, I surprise my son with a different colored lollipop. This keeps his blood sugar from dropping fast and also puts the sweetest smile on his face. It's his special treat after the game.
4. Sneak two pieces of hershey kisses into your type 1 child's lunch box. I usually try to sneak two pieces of chocolate because it doesn't affect my son's blood sugar as much as other treats. And he loves chocolate! Two Hershey kisses are only 5 carbs.

This disease is not always about the downs. As a parent of a diabetic child, I am always trying to find ways to make life fun and a little easier for my son. The little things that can make him feel normal are worth it!