What's for dinner?

Maine, any possibility of getting the family to pitch in when it comes to meal time? There was us 8 kids. Yet, mom would kick us out of the house or to the bedroom so that she can cook. So, all 8 of us kids did not learn to cook at all. ALL of my 4 sisters learnt to cook from their spouses. I'm not married. So, I'm winging it on my own. I know several of my friends who recruited their kids (even the boys) to help with the cooking. I tell you, these young kids make some very delicious food!! By teaching them to help out the kitchen, you're not only helping them to learn how to survive when they move out - but also help you to cook less since they did it already.

Veronica, I have no problem buying used books. The 3 books I already ordered - if brand new at the bookstore would have cost me $72.00 since it's hardcovers. By buying it used, I paid a total of $24.00! That's a steal! The other 2 books - well - I'm not willing to pay $27 per book. I will google until I find a much decent price than that. Thanks for the tips! I'm going to brainstorm for next week's meal - and figure out what meat to buy. And how to cook it.

I have two teenage boys and they do know how to cook and usually do make something for themselves if I'm not home. They are used to me doing most of the cooking however. They can do easy things for themselves but rarely will cook for everyone. I just feel like I should be the one to do it since I was raised with a stay at home mother who did it all. My responsibilities are much more since I work part time, do all the shopping, cleaning, bill paying, etc...and am now caring for her who has dementia and lives in an AL nearby. I am only 48 and feel at least 10 years older. I get stressed and overwhelmed easily wonder why I can't keep up with everything. I have friends that work full time with several kids that are more organized and full of energy. My kids are also very much into sports and I try to go to all of their games. My oldest son just graduated and will be going to college in the fall. Maybe things will ease up a bit maybe not. I feel like I'm ready to retire, however that is not going to happen for a long time. Sorry this is so depressing.

Omg, those are 3 words I would love to say, " What's for dinner"

maine Mom i think a visit to your Dr is in order and some blood tests. maybe you are simply anaemic.

i need to start eating better . i feel like fatigue mixed with muscle burn , mixed with impending death but i know whats wrong . 8 hours of replacing those intake gaskets the other day simply beat me up . any time you use muscles you wouldnt ordinarily , those sh*ts are going to hurt for a while .
like cherry picking a couple weeks ago . burnt those shoulder muscles up ..
im taking another couple days off from the woodcutting . i usually dont bother customers on their holiday weekends .
gonna see alice july 5 anyway . the friend isnt going , flatline doesnt wanna go ..
ill go alone - wont be the first time . youd love the audience , its long hairs approaching 70 yrs old . lol

My diet is so horrible these days...when Mama was still eating, I always cooked balanced meals three times a day, now I am too tired and since I don't HAVE to do it, I don't...I find myself grabbing a piece of cheese and a cracker...or just drink a glass of milk. Not having the 4th of July thing this year. Did go ahead and make potato salad this morning so it will have time to be really good tomorrow. things don't change fast, potato salad may be all I have...

Book - didn't read everyone's posts so maybe repetitive here...do you have a library you could see if they have basic cookbooks you can borrow? I would hate to see you spend money on books you will only use a few times. Once you learn how to... you will not need those books.

dam,
done installed the one piece rear windshield in the gmc this am . im picking this little truck to death . its a 91 4 wd , quickly approaching the status of new ..
i dont like slider back glass . too many frame bars , too much obstruction of rear vision . besides it was tinted all to hell . 0 vision in the dark ..

Jeanne-nevermind...I looked it up online. I think I understand better now so I can be a little more understanding when sis talks about it. Hubs has never had it happen to him. Thanks for being patient.

Cap and Hope!!! seriously try my smoothie in previous post! full of antioxidants gives you a real buzz!! im taking it everyday now for breakfast and i feel better also keeps the hunger at bay all morning!!
Captain going to see my "healer friend tonight" at 9pm my time dont know what time your time? BUT she will be doing a long distance healing for you! IF? you happen to notice a tingling feeling around that time let me now may aswell try anything?

No dinner tonight!!!!! mum really pissed me off today with her bad moods so ive no appetite! Borrowed money from a friend and am going to get some wine and get very drunk been a stressful week!
then her doc tomorrow if she dosnt go im going to "crack". its still the 3rd of july here!!! So happy 4th to all of you!!!!!!!

Shoved a pie in the oven for mum eat it dont eat it! im off out to get drunk!

Sharynmarie, this is a lay person’s simplified understanding of a very complex process.

When you eat a tomato (for example) the body immediately starts converting it into glucose. (There are no little chunks of tomato flowing in our bloodstreams – only blood glucose.) At the same time the pancreas starts releasing insulin into the blood. We need some glucose in our blood stream at all times, but most of it is delivered to cells. Cells have to be careful to take in the correct blood component, and it is insulin’s job to signal the cells that this is glucose and they should take it in.

In Type 2 diabetes one of two things (or both) could be going wrong in this automatic process: 1) the cells are having trouble recognizing the insulin/glucose combination and they resist taking in the glucose and/or 2) the pancreas does not produce/release enough insulin to get the right amount of glucose into the cells. Either of these problems result in too much glucose in the blood. If the process removes too much blood glucose too fast, the blood glucose count gets too low, resulting in potentially dangerous symptoms.

Treatment to keep the glucose count in a good range includes not bombarding the system with too much carbohydrate at one time, and not going too long without eating carbohydrates. But the amount eaten and when aren't the only factors to be managed. Exercise changes how this process works, and so does flight-or-fight kinds of stress.

Treatment also can include drugs to stimulate more insulin production or drugs to reduce cells’ resistance to taking glucose in, or injecting glucose into the body directly.

Theoretically if people with diabetes could mimic what the healthy body does automatically there would never be excessive highs or lows of glucose in the blood stream. This means knowing the exact carb content of each food eaten, regulating perfectly the timing between intakes of carbs, balancing in exercise levels, considering stress, illness, and other body conditions, and taking drugs or insulin to balance all this. It is amazing to me that most of us diabetics can do this reasonably well most of the time. Doing it perfectly all the time? Get real!

When I went on insulin a couple of years ago it took months of trial and error to get the dose right, but once I had that right things were pretty stable. Then there was a huge change in my stress levels and amount of sleep and also I lost a few pounds. These are all positive things, and they made changes to my metabolic processes. All good – except now the insulin doses have to be adjusted. I’m working with a doctor on that. Meanwhile, although I hadn’t had problems with hypoglycemia for more than a year, now I am having episodes again. Grrr …

Why did I have an episode yesterday? Well, maybe because I'd had less sleep the night before and/or I overestimated the amount of carbs in the NH lunch and therefore either ate too little or injected too much insulin and/or the 33 mile drive to the NH stresses me and/or I was getting more than the usual amount of activity running around the big store and/or any or all of these things meant I should have moved my afternoon snack time up. So I guess someone could say it was my fault for not managing my disease better -- but I'm sure glad no one said that in my hearing!

Jeanne~Thank you, I would never say to someone they aren't managing it well because I don't know enough but I did think that with my sister because she is not a big eater. However, I think I understand more for her situation because of low blood pressure, she is not very active as it causes it to drop even more. For her, going to the grocery store after work, is activity that her body is not used to so I can see (after what you posted) why she would suddenly have that drop. Thank you for not getting angry with my ignorance of the disease.

Sis is now back in the hospital as all her labs are low, potassium, iron, sodium, etc. They are infusing her with IV fluids to replace the minerals. She has many health issues, so hard on her.

JB have you read of a low carb diet to cure diabetes? i know its hard but it could be cured by cutting out all bad carbs? thats if its not insulin dependant of course yeh its too late for mum but i know some people have been cured by this diet?

Kaz, as I understand it, a very low carb diet is one approach to tightly controlling blood sugar levels and their fluctuations. In other words, it is a management tool -- not a cure. To be a real cure the person's metabolic system would have to be restored to working normally and automatically responding appropriately to whatever you ate. You friends who have been "cured" would probably relapse if they strayed too far from the diet.

Dr. Richard K Bernstein is a fascinating guy who struggled with Type 1 diabetes at a time when that was pretty much a sentence to an early death. Through his wife's medical journals he order a blood glucose meter (long before the simple hand-held devices easily available to patients) and began experimenting on himself. He learned how he could manage (not cure) his own blood sugar fluctuations through a very careful and stringent diet. In the process he went back to school and became a medical doctor. I read one of his books for people with diabetes and studied his diet. I have the utmost respect for him. And if that was the only way to manage the disease, it is *maybe) better than an early death or complications. But I would not chose to follow that severely restricted diet unless it were the absolute only option open to me.

Good for Dr. Bernstein! Larger through his efforts the importance of patients being able to monitor their own blood sugar levels became widely accepted. He has made great contributions to our knowledge about how and why blood sugar levels fluctuate. But I'll pass on his diet, thanks.

I know JB its a very tough diet but as im wheat and dairy intolerant i have no choice but to eat low carbs but its not easy. Last year after her siezure i put mum on a low carb diet the docs were astonished as to how her bloods were perfect BUT she was weak and recovering from the siezure so once she got her strenght back she started eating crap again. She was alot more alert and lost 2stone oh thats 28lbs. With vascular dementia her diet is everything but she wont listen!

kaz - Happy 4th to you too! I thought you were going to say something like made a pie to slap in someone's face. Where is my mind these days.

LOL, Shilo8. I don't think Great Britain celebrates America's Independence Day. But maybe I'm wrong. Do Brits all share a collective sigh of relief that this obstreperous colony is no longer their responsibility?

You are right Jeannie. We do celebrate the 4th of July but for the reasons you mentioned. I don't know what Kazz does as her part of Ireland is an independent country.

I'm from the U.S. But ever since visiting Paris in 2006 and becoming a Francofile, I like celebrating Bastille Day (July 14th). French food, French wine! Vive le France!

JB - I bet they do with the state America is in right now. I just thought Kaz would be taking a sip of that drink saying happy 4th and I didn't want her to think she was drinking alone.

My sister (USA) lived in the UK and was always asked "Oh, are you from the colonies?" which amused her endlessly.

Pam~that is funny!! When we went to Ireland...the Republic and Ulster, we were referred to as Yankees!! I thought that was funny. In Northern Ireland, they celebrate the 12th of July, and I know that St. Patrick's Day is a National Holiday that was celebrated by both...today, I do not know...Kazza can answer that one. She said she is Catholic and I am Protestant but born in USA so I have no issues with that topic, LOL!!

never did let up on the old truck today . oil pressure reading dropped to nothing after the engine warmed up . a new oil pressure sending unit resolved that . temp gauge didnt read . a new temp sending unit resolved that . washed all my windows -- love the factory rear glass ..
gettin this thing ready for the concert on july 5 . any hoosier girls wanna go -- i have two tickets ..
alice cooper and motley crue ( noise pollution ) lol ..

Cap you are funny! i think you need another guy on here as all this talk about trucks and engines is WAY over my head!! Do you talk trucks to the ladies?

Im Irish so no not any part of UK i live in Republic ulster in the north is UK? i know dont ask!!
The supermarkets here do a 4th of july lately you know "american food" anything to get you buying!!!

I being educated?? would never call an american a yank i went to a private catholic school for young ladies?? and we studied american history so i would not insult anyone by calling them yankees! I call americans americans!!

But lets face it americans are mainly irish!! thats where you all get your sense of humour right??

Definetly Captain he is as mad as any "paddy". im sure he has irish decent!! and y'all know Obama has Irish blood??? i know we are still confused about that one!!

Its very quiet here tonight and im a bit drunk!! we had a glass or two for you guys!! Happy 4th and hope you have a great day!!