My diabetic go-to snacks and meals

I've mentioned a few times that one of my big frustrations after meeting with the nutritionist during my first round of gdm was that I didn't feel like I left that meeting with a lot of practical food options that didn't include foods with artificial sweeteners (which aggravate my migraines and headaches). I thought I'd make a list of some foods that I've found work for me while on a diabetic diet (remember: this is NOT prescriptive or exhaustive, and I am NOT an expert. This is just some stuff that works for me.). If you find yourself needing some ideas for a diabetic diet, maybe this could give you a place to start?

A normal eating schedule for me (and my allotment of carbs-per-meal/snack) looks like this:
1. Breakfast: 2 carbs
2. Snack: 1 carb
3. Lunch: 3 carbs
4. Snack: 1 carb
5. Supper: 4 carbs
6. Snack: 1 carb*
7. Pre-bedtime snack: 1 carb
*This snack isn't officially on the usual recommendation for diabetics, necessarily, but I find that I usually need it. 

Breakfast ideas:
1. Homemade freezer breakfast burrito ("recipe" at bottom of post- I literally eat this every single morning because I know exactly how my sugar reacts to it)
2. "Egg McMuffin": Thomas whole wheat English muffin + egg + cheese + sausage or bacon
3. Yoplait yogurt (I think the 6 oz is around 1 carb serving- but you have to check labels), bacon, one slice of whole grain toast with butter (real butter- it's a good fat)

4. Greek yogurt + cup of berries + sliced almonds on top (I like the Chobani Greek yogurt that has fruit on the bottom. It's got a good carb-protein ratio.)

5. Peanut butter or avocado toast (one slice whole wheat bread) + sausage or bacon or egg + fruit that equals one serving of carbohydrate (half banana, half apple, cup of berries, 10-12 grapes, or a clementine)

Lunch (I usually rotate through the same options for lunch because it's convenient)
1. Crispy chicken salad wrap (recipe at bottom of post) + large side salad
2. Pimento cheese sandwich + salad/green veggie
3. Large cobb/chef salad with plenty of chicken and veggies
4. Tuna or salmon salad sandwich or wrap + low sugar cole slaw
5. Large taco salad (ground beef, cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado on lettuce, careful serving of tortilla chips- usually 8-10 chips)

You can do a lot with sandwiches/wraps. It's best to use whole wheat bread/pitas/tortillas (again, read the nutrition label, remembering that one serving of carbs is around 15g). If you want to eat deli meat (even though it's not generally recommended for pregnant women), put it under your broiler for a few minutes to heat it up/melt cheese over it, and that will help kill off any listeria bacteria. You can do a lot of sandwich (or wrap) variations which are pretty easy and can keep you from getting too bored (you still might get bored...fair warning).

Supper
1 Cup-cup and a half of homemade chili + half of a grilled cheese sandwich + large side salad
2. Pot roast + veggies (roasted brussels sprouts, 3/4 cup roasted sweet potato, spinach salad) + 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
3. Meatloaf + broccoli + sweet potato
4. One slice of pizza (preferably with meat) + roasted veggies (go light on carrots- they have a higher sugar count. Try broccoli, brussels sprouts, squash/zucchini instead.)
5. Mexican restaurant: fajitas (only one tortilla but you can eat basically as much meat/veggies as you want) + one serving of chips and salsa (about 8-10 chips) + plenty of guac
6. Chick-Fil-A 4-count chicken strips + superfood side (I was so excited to realize I could still eat CFA!)
7. This grilled chicken and balsamic tomatoes with grilled veggies or a salad side

There are lots of meals that can fit into a diabetic diet, as long as I am mindful of portion sizes. For example, my mother-in-law made a spaghetti pie for us last week. I measured out a little less than a cup of spaghetti and filled the rest of my plate up with vegetables (and 2 deviled eggs). I've learned not to stress about not preparing my own meals, especially if it's at someone else's home or out at a restaurant; before I fill my plate or order, I put options into the My Fitness Pal app, and it calculates the carbs of what I'm thinking of eating. I then determine what/how much I can eat. Measuring out smaller-than-usual amounts of food can seem restrictive at first, but in reality, it untethers me from having to eat at home for every meal.

Snack ideas
Chobani Greek yogurt (with fruit on the bottom) + sliced almonds
Sargento Balanced Breaks packs (or make your own version of this if you're not struggling through pregnancy...)
Berries + nuts

Babybel cheese rounds/Cheese stick + serving of fruit
Cheese toast
Avocado toast
Hummus + veggies or pita chips
Caveman bars

Graham crackers + peanut butter

Good protein options to pair with a carb
Nuts
Whisps (I buy these little cheese "crackers" at Costco. They are not cheap, but they are HIGH in protein.)
Hard boiled egg
Deviled eggs
Peanut butter
Babybel cheese rounds/Cheese stick

For "desserts," Breyers makes a carb control ice cream line that is quite good. I can eat a half cup, based on the serving portions, and that usually works for me. I also eat a reasonable amount of dark chocolate (not only is it allowed, there is some research that dark chocolate actually HELPS diabetics with their sugar control!). I crave sweet stuff while pregnant, so if everyone else is eating real dessert and I just really want a taste of what they're eating, I'll let myself have one bite. That usually won't ruin anything for me, but it does take self-control. So, if you can stop yourself from eating more than 1 or 2 bites, that's an option, too. I don't usually do too much with sugar-free dessert options from the store, but that's personal preference. 

For beverages, I mostly drink water, but I do like to drink unsweetened tea + Chick-Fil-A diet lemonade mixed together if I need caffeine. While I miss sweet tea terribly, this is a really good stand-in, guys. I will also have Brad make me some of his cold brew coffee sometimes, using a little sugar-free syrup (I like the Torani English Toffee).

These are some of the things that I eat on a regular basis and have good results with. Sometimes they can become repetitive and boring; I try new things periodically, but it's also just nice to have a bunch of fall-back things that I can trust. As a rule of thumb, ALWAYS read labels and check serving sizes until you have a good repertoire of food that you know works for you and your sugar (your glucometer will let you know, for anyone sticking their fingers multiple times a day). Use My Fitness Pal liberally to check on carbs when you're out and about. This awareness of portion sizes and carb counts is key to sticking to a successful diabetic diet. Knowledge really is power. 

Is this a helpful kind of post? Would anyone out there be interested in my keeping a food diary for a while and recording it for ideas? Let me know in the comments! (or email or text if you have my contact info!)

I'll do an update soon on my current diabetic status. Hint: it currently involves daily injections. :/ But, I'm still learning a lot, so there's something in that.

A few recipes (/methods) I use:
1. Chicken salad wraps
2. Salmon salad
3. My freezer burrito method:

24-ish eggs
1lb cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage
2-ish cups shredded cheese (I use sharp cheddar)
15-ish tortillas (depending on how full you fill your burrito
plastic wrap + gallon freezer bag (or 2) OR snack size ziplock bags

In a LARGE, greased pan, add all eggs (beaten), sausage, and cheese. Scramble until eggs are fully cooked. Allow egg mixture to cool. Spoon several spoonfuls of egg mixture into the middle of a tortilla, fold two sides of the burrito in toward the middle (sort of envelop-style) before rolling the tortilla up into a burrito. Ensure that the tortilla is fully encasing the egg mixture so that nothing slips out. Wrap burritos individually in plastic wrap (or zip up in snack-size bags) and store in gallon-size freezer bag in the freezer. When you're ready to eat one, unwrap the burrito, re-wrap in a paper towel, and heat in the microwave for 1.5-2 minutes. I eat one every single day.

Salad ideas to help fill up your plate:

1. cup (or more) of lettuce (or spinach) + 4 or 5 sliced strawberries (or  blueberries) + sprinkle of feta + sprinkle of sliced almonds + raspberry vinaigrette

2. cup of lettuce (or spinach) + shredded cheddar + bacon bits + tomatoes + balsamic vinaigrette

You can also trade in a few chopped carrots, red bell pepper (this is a good veggie for diabetics), avocado on these salads. Or you can turn them into entree salads by making it bigger and adding chicken/turkey/salmon. When you are carefully portioning your carbs, it can often seem (to our traditional American diets) that our plates are kind of bare. A salad that takes over half of your plate will help. :)