DINNER TIME! Lemon Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

We have a lot of chicken thighs frozen in our freezer. Letty had some leftover lemon garlic marinade. Taylor made for a quick, easy, and delicious dinner.

First, I better give you the marinade. I used leftover but use the juice of a lemon, 6 garlic cloves minced, a tablespoon of olive oil, a sprinkle of Kosher salt and pepper.  Use this as a rub on your chicken and, when you cook it, save the drippings...that's how we ended up with leftover marinade.

Take three thighs, put in a ziploc bag with the marinade (fresh or leftover...only difference is that the leftover also has chicken stock), and let sit in the fridge for 6 hours.

Dice up some yellow potatoes.

Put in a ziploc bag, sprinkle in about a quarter teaspoon of Kosher salt, a few sprinkles of black pepper, and a teaspoon of olive oil. Shake well in sealed bag.

Smear olive oil on a baking pan, put the potatoes in the bottom of the pan.

Put the thighs on top of the potatoes, skin side up. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

I'm also cooking a little broccoli for the side. Prepare the same way as the potatoes and wrap in foil with a little opening at the top.

Put the baking dish with the potatoes and chicken in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Turn chicken, put back in oven for another 30 minutes. Put the broccoli in the oven at this time, also.

At the end of the second 30 minutes, turn the chicken skin side up again. Increase heat to 475 and cook for another 15 minutes to crisp the skin.

It should look like the picture above when done.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

D-Day - Type II: Better Living Through Chemistry

Yeah, it's been awhile since I've done one of these posts and even longer since I updated the other blog that they appeared on (just don't have time to maintain multiple blogs right now, hopefully that will change in the near future but that's a topic for another time). So let's catch up...

Until last fall (in 2016), I'd been able to maintain a sub 150 blood glucose reading and a 7.0 A1C score fairly easy with diet and exercise alone. Then, I was hit with a double-whammy.

First, I neglected to get a Flu shot and came down with a bout of it late November.  That put my system out of whack and my liver tried to overcompensate and lost it's calibration for awhile.  My numbers shot up to over 200 and over 9 for the A1C.

Just when I was managing to get those numbers to inch down again, I came down with a nasty cold in January which had the same effect.

I couldn't get those numbers down fast enough for my regular check up in March so the doctor put me on metformin, pioglitazone, and a statin. Suddenly, I was the one with all the prescriptions at the pharmacy (I already picked up a monthy supply of test strips, needles, and lisinopril for my blood pressure) and another date with the doctor in two months to see how the new medicine routine effected me.

One thing that concerned my was the pioglitazone. First, most diabetics start off with just metformin, why the extra pill? Second, my doctor said the number one side effect was weight gain.  I'd fought pretty hard to lose 25 pounds and didn't look forward to adding a medication that promised to wipe that out.

So, I faithfully followed instructions and by June my daily readings dropped down to the 150-160 range and A1C to 8.4 plus I had gained 4 pounds.  My doctor advised that I start insulin injections and lose weight.  I told him I wanted to hold off as long as my numbers were trending downward and we made a date for September to check progress.

After that visit and the weight gain, I was a little beside myself, especially with the weight gain that I'm sure was a result of the pioglitazone. To test that theory, I stopped the pioglitazone for a week. At the end of the week, I was down four pounds.

That seemed like some progress.  That same week, I started seeing news about the promising effects of broccoli sprout extract on blood glucose readings in studies. It was easy and cheap to order some via Amazon so I thought "what the heck" and ordered a bottle to see what happened.

Taking the broccoli extract did wonders. Along with the metformin but without the pioglitazone, taking it brought my daily readings down to the 100-140 range. At the September checkup, my A1C was back to 7.1 and I'd lost another pound, bringing my post pioglitazone weight loss to five pounds.

While the formal studies are ongoing, my experience with it seems to support the general thesis that it does work very well in helping to reduce glucose levels. It has also allowed me to stop taking the pioglitazone for now, which only seems to make me gain weight.

Another thing I've noticed is that the metformin in particular, and with the broccoli adding to the effect, is that I cannot eat as much food as I used to. At first, I have the same appetite but if I eat a full portion like I used to, I will get physically ill.  After several episodes, I'm learning...and my body is learning...that smaller portions keep me feeling better.

I'm hoping this effect will also help me peel off a few more pounds. It also means I'm taking quite a bit more leftovers home from restaurants so it helps me save money as one meal turns into two.

While type II diabetes is a progressive disease, so far it seems like I'm able to keep it down with the current medication, diet, and exercise routine (I walk at least 10,000 steps a day and work out two days a week).

This year, I made sure I got my flu shot early and am working hard so that the next check up in January will show some more concrete results.  We'll check back after that to see.

(DISCLAIMER: This series about Type II diabetes is not meant to apply to everyone. This is what works for me, you need to consult with your own medical professionals to find out what will work for you.  My goal here is to simply give you hope that once you're diagnosed, life as you know it does not have to end...you can still enjoy life and the treats it offers.)

Darryl
Copyright 2017 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

SUPER SIDE: Broccoli Au Gratin

Eating healthy can be a bit daunting sometimes but here's a cheat even my son loves. A creamy, cheesy, broccoli side dish.

We're serving this on the side of some pork chops with a port wine, mushroom reduction sauce.

INGREDIENTS (3 servings)

1 large head of broccoli
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup low fat mile
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper.

In a small sauce pan, melt the cream cheese into the milk.

Break up the head of broccoli and put into a casserole dish. Salt and pepper the broccoli. Cover with the cream cheese and milk sauce. Sprinkle the cheddar on top.

Bake, covered,  for 20 minutes at 300 degrees.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved

Pasta Parma Verde

You know the dilemma...what'll we have for dinner? That one question causes so much stress for a family cook. What will I do for my family for dinner?

We all want to cook a great meal and not just serve the same thing, time after time...no matter how good it is.

That was my quandary this Sunday morning as I perused the freezer for something to thaw for dinner. At first, I pulled out a smoked ham hock but I just wasn't feeling it.

Before I resigned myself to ordering a pizza or going out for burgers, I went to Claros', our local Italian deli, to see if I could get some inspiration.

Claro's never lets me down, and today is no exception.  

With a package of some super premium Parma ham in my hand, I headed home to make the following dish for dinner.

INGREDIENTS

4 oz. egg noodles

4 oz. casarecce noodles

1/2 pound Parma ham, thinly sliced

half a bunch of spinach leaves

2 stalks of broccolini finely chopped

4 small,green onions finely chopped

1/4 cup quattro formagio or parmesan

1 ounce (quarter stick) butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup half and half

2 tablespoons soft goat cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Put water in a large pot (5 quarts or so) and start heating towards a boil.

Put a sheet of wax paper over a plate.  Hand-tear the Parma ham into small pieces and place on the was paper.

Spread the ham out evenly. Save this for later.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan on high heat.  When hot, add the spinach.

Put the pasta into the boiling water. Cook until al dente (about 9 minutes)

Add the green onions and broccolini. Cook until the broccolini softens.

Turn the heat down to low/medium and add the garlic and quattro formagio. Mix in thoroughly.

Add the goat cheese.  

When the goat cheese is melted, add the ham and mix in very thoroughly.  

Turn off the heat, wait two minutes. Add the cream and stir in.

When the pasta is done, drain and mix into the sauce.

Darryl
Copyright - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Intercontinental Egg Scramble

I had a late lunch with an old high school friend recently. A very good dish of chilaquiles and eggs overlooking a harbor a bit north of Los Angeles.

The next morning, the mix of the eggs and tortilla chips stayed with me and helped inspire this dish, which pulls a bit from Mexico, France, and the good 'ol USA.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs
1 merguez sausage
1/4 cup bacon bits (leftover from another breakfast)
6 leaves of spinach
1 teaspoon half and half.
1 stalk of broccolini or broccoli
2 tablespoons soft goat cheese
2 cloves fresh garlic
pinch of salt
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 corn tortillas

Cut the tortillas into small triangles.  Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan on high heat. When very hot, cook the tortilla triangles until crispy. Remove and set on a plate with paper towels to drain and save for later.

Chop up the merguez sausage into small bits. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. 

Cook the sausage and spinach together until the spinach is well wilted.

Chop the garlic finely. Do the same with the broccolini. 

Add to the pan and stir until the broccolini begins to soften.

Add the bacon and goat cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Put the eggs into a bowl. Add the half and half plus a pinch of salt and stir until well combined. 

Add the tortilla chops to the pan and pour the egg mixture over the top. Stir with a spatula until done.

Darryl
Copyright 2015 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved