Week One Meal Plan

I have to say that this was a PIA to prepare. First of all, the information on diabetic sites about the exchange list is all over the place. Not one site agrees with any other. I spent one whole day just trying to decipher the gibberish out there. What you will read here came from an updated article about the recommended average exchanges for each category that will be the best to help maintain an acceptable glucose level. Although there are supposedly 6 basic categories, some recipes and lists break each of them down into low, medium and high sub-categories.
Due to complete and udder confusion, I am not posting the daily exchanges and will only list them for the individual recipes I post.
I will tell you that each day I used 5 protein foods (meat, fish, eggs and soy), 5 grains/seeds (wheat, oats, barley, quinoa etc), 5 fruits, 4 vegetables, 2 dairy and 2 fats.
There are FREE foods that I think should be used on a daily basis but each only once and I have them listed here (example being tablespoon of Parmesan/Romano cheese).
Copy and tack or file this information in your kitchen or near your computer and take advantage of them all.
What finally is posted here is as close to 1500-1600 calories per day and around 130-140g of carbohydrates. If you find a huge discrepancy in my calculations let me know please (I am cross-eyed by now), each week is a spreadsheet that I can easily amend.
The new and improved MyPlate.org suggests that you eat the majority of your carbs before 3:00pm and the rest for dinner and dessert. with a total of NO LESS than 130g of carbs. No carbs might sound better but from what I have read, if you use insulin you need the natural carbs and insulin to work together to help maintain your glucose level. One woman says that she uses her daily meal carb count to actually set her pen to the right amount of insulin. Almost sounds too easy, but eventually you will just have to test, test and test to find the right equation for your lifestyle.
What it comes down to is to eat a balanced meal and eat small snacks in between.
I will show you my attempt to try to balance my daily day of eating. My eating habits are not the best, I have my snack with my coffee and then for a snack, breakfast. It just works for me.
Feel free to substitute any vegetable for ones I listed, salad makings you like and anything whole grain.
Since there was no room to list the daily nutritionals I will list them here with a link for each day. Any recipes in red will be posted with substitutions and reviews.
If I do not like something does not mean you will also and I might use ingredients needed and not found in your neck of the woods.
I tried to choose new recipes and except for this smoothie we had for breakfast this morning, tonight's dinner (a quiche) will be posted tomorrow.
Here is the link for my first week meal menu plan. If anything, I hope it shows you exactly what you should be eating and encourages you to keep a food diary.
See you tomorrow.
 
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