This is my variation on a snacking biscuit.   Great with coffee, it's lightly sweet on its own too.  Feel free to try out this recipe and tell me what you think.

COCONUT BISCUIT COOKIES

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar (can substitute equavalent amount of diet sugar, for CandyS it's about 12 drops)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/8 cup (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted

OPTIONAL:
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl combine both flours, sugar, baking powder and salt (optional brown sugar and/or cinnamon as well).  In smaller bowl combine shortening and butter then cut into dry mixture until crumbly.  Combine milk, coconut milk and vanilla extract (if using liquid sweetener, add as well).  Add wet ingredients to dry until just moist then fold in toasted coconut.

(*Note:  You might want to crush the toasted flakes a bit before adding if you don't like the idea of biting into a whole toasted coconut flake when eating.)

You can either drop into a greased baking sheet two inches apart in 1/8 cup (2 tbsp) portions or fill the wells in a mini muffin, muffin top, tartlet or any mini baking pan (flattening out in a filled donut pan is my personal preferred method).  With this recipe, flattening out the dough will make something more like a cookie while keeping it plumped up will make a biscuit.  Bake at 425 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  For thicker biscuits up to 12 minutes might be needed.

Maybe I should fully explain where I started so you truly understand where I stand now....

As I mentioned before, my family on my father's side are almost all diabetic, mostly type 2 but we've got a few type 1's as well.  I was diagnosed with diabetes on June 2nd, 2010 when I went in to the emergency room knowing what was wrong (I was expecting it so I checked my blood sugar on my mother's meter).  At the time, my A1C was at 11.9% and my blood sugar was pretty much "stuck" in the 275 range even after 2 IV bags were emptied into my veins and I was given a Metformin.  It took an overnight stay to get my blood sugar under control.  When I left the hospital, I was put on insulin and I accepted it despite much yelling from my hospital roommate that it was a bad idea because "once you're on insulin you never get off it."  I needed to get healthy and I was determined to prove her wrong.

To begin with, I was given 30 units of Novalog (10 units before each meal) and 30 units of Lantus before bedtime.  Later the Novalog was increased to 12 units before breakfast (because I was more resistant at that time), bringing me up to 32 units daily.  I was seriously aiming to get rid of the needles as I'm terrified of them and so I set about changing my eating habits completely, making sure to carefully consider how many carbs I could consume during each meal and during a full day.  Also, I cut out an immense amount of sugar from my diet, opting for sugar free alternatives whenever possible.

By July 8 I was taken off the Novalog, switching to Glipizide XL 5mg in the mornings and 1000mg Metformin before lunch and dinner.  My second A1C test on August 24 I was down to 7.1%, which is a huge improvement for slightly less than 3 months.  My doctor was ecstatic as was I.  On my September 13th appointment I told my doctor that I didn't think I needed the Lantus anymore and she trusted my judgment.  I was right. ^__^

Now, I'm (damn) proud to say that my recent A1C test done on January 3, 2011 shows that my A1C is now at 5.3%!!!  (The reason for my previous post.)  I've been taken off the Glipizide and I'll now be starting my day with a Januvis 100mg instead.  Of course, I immediately celebrated by eating more cookies than I should, but it's okay to do that every once in a while, lol.  Mostly, I'm pretty proud and happy that my doctor said I could be the "poster child for well-controlled diabetes."  The challenge now is to keep going and not to ever let myself go back to where I once was.  The current battle has been won but I've got a life-long war to fight ahead of me.

Celebration!

So, I got back a couple hours ago from a visit to my endocrinologist to get the results from my last A1C test and we were both incredibly pleased.  Doctors typically recommend you stay within 4.7% and 6.4% for non-diabetics and 6.5% to 7% (or less) for diabetics.  When I was diagnosed with diabetes on June 2nd, 2010 my A1C was at 11.9%.  I'm (damn) proud to say that my test done on January 3, 2011 shows that my A1C is now at 5.3%!!!

Needless to say, my doctor is incredibly pleased with me and wishes all her patients were just like me.  She says that she's never seen such a huge improvement in a 7 month time frame.  In fact, she said I could be the "poster child for well-controlled diabetes".  She even asked if she could call on me to discuss my progress should she do a support group for diabetics.  Of course, I agreed, but I did say it was simply a matter of educating myself and being extremely self disciplined with my food portions.  That's not something most diabetics want to hear, unfortunately, lol.

Of course, this news called for yet another change in my medicine (I already managed the "impossible" and got off insulin even though I was originally taking 3 shots of Novalog and 1 shot of Lantus daily) because now she's scared I'm going to have trouble with my blood sugars dropping too low.

All in all, I have more than enough cause for celebration, don't you think?  I've treated myself to about 3.5oz sunflower seeds and 3 coconut cookies on top of my sandwich and apple (non-wheat bread for once!), plus I'm planning on getting tacos for dinner and maybe an extra few cookies then.  Hey, I think I should be allowed to pig out a bit today, right?  ;)

SaveySpender.com does it again!

Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Giveaway

Now, this is a product I really want to try from Tropical Traditions and there's a giveaway!  How cool is that?  If you're a fan of coconut, you can't pass this up.  As the review says:

" I love making things creamy..."

If ever there are words I like to say out loud, those are them.  ;)

SaveySpender.com

Tropical Traditions Rolled Oats Review and Giveaway

I've been considering making a big purchase at Tropical Traditions in the spirit of healthy cooking (okay, and because I love coconut, lol).  Have to save up just a bit more money before I can do that (Hey, we get food stamps.  I'm from a very low-income household).  However I found a nice giveaway that's going on.  Go ahead and check it out, you never know, right?  ^_^

Introduction

So, I'm attempting to blog again.  Yeah, I still have a LJ account that I haven't used in ages.  We'll see how long this whole blogging thing lasts this time, lol.  Why am I blogging again?  Well, this is where I plan to keep track of my constant quest to control my eating habits. 

Landing in the hospital overnight, it kinda gave me the motivation I needed to take a good, hard look my habits and I didn't like what I saw.  It's no surprise that I ended up as a type 2 diabetic.  To tell the truth, it's actually genetic on my father's side.  Almost everyone on that side of my family is diabetic (both type 1 and type 2) so it didn't really come as a huge shock.  However, looking back, I'm convinced I would have ended up diabetic even without genetic help simply based on what I was eating.

Meal plans for me generally included 2-4 servings of bread with cheese in the mornings with a 12oz mug of milky espresso, huge sandwiches for lunch with a double or triple serving of sugary juice or soda (and maybe the occasional apple, banana or carrot on the side), and then there came dinner.  Well, that consisted of the typical half plate of rice (always started white no matter what color the rice ended up) and huge chunk of meat that you'll see most Hispanics eating in the evening.  Rarely did you find a veggie other than carrots or corn anywhere near me.  Then there were the times when I stuffed myself with pizza or a hamburger (or two) with french fries.  Let's not forget dessert.  Maybe 10 Chewy Chips Ahoy?  How about a huge slice of cake?  Three donuts?  And the rare granola bar for a tiny concession to health.  Really, it was altogether disgraceful.

So now I'm suffering from type 2 diabetes and severe acid reflux disease.  They're not the only illnesses I'm suffering from (I wish) but they are the two I have to be most conscious of daily.  Both have forced me to take a very close look at how I eat.  What I eat, when I eat and how much I eat have become almost an obsession since I was diagnosed with diabetes on June 3.  A few months later came the news that I was misdiagnosed as a child and I don't really have asthma.  What I do have is a seemingly life-long case of acid reflux, now severe because it's gone so long without treatment.  With that came another adjustment in my meal plans.  Seven months and ten pounds less later, I'm still struggling with healthy eating.  Maybe I always will.  However, I'm trying my best and that's all we can really do, right?

Right now I'm on a quest to collect healthy recipes that won't trigger my blood sugar or my acid reflux yet still taste good, won't break the bank and are simple to make.  It's not an easy quest.  Perhaps it would be if I weren't a picky eater and not a good cook on top of it all, lol.  Live to learn is what I say.  I hope I'll find help along the way.