cooking for family

I have gottten some of my cook books from the 99 cent stores and when I go to the pharmacy they usually have a magazine for people with daibeties, which contains some recipece.

I like to look at those too… lots of diabetes friendly recipes out there now… I have felt like finding treasure in some of the books I find at the used books stores… I even got one nifty one for free in a free box at a yard sale… on the look out for treasures is fun…I pass them along after I copy the recipes I like… Once someone offered me a book they had enjoyed that I still had my name scratched out inside the cover… I had passed it on at least a half dozen years earlier… and you know what… I found something in it that I had missed… I just love the pass around game… your comment makes me remember some good times… thanks… wishing you a fun day… Jocelyn

when my kids were growing up, there was lots of joy around meal times. We looked forward to meeting at the table… that was were we bonded, sharing our expereinces and listening to each other. Food was something we prepared together… even the youngest was always given something to be responsible, like placing napkins and utential on the table. someone would be doing a salad, while someone else was involved in other parts of our meal… the kitchen was a laughing, joyful place… and our meals would often be over long before we left the table… then clean up was a matter of each person picking up their place setting and rincing plates and utential and placing it into the dishwasher… there were times we didn't have a dishwasher too, so each person washed his/her own, and the elected turn for pots and pans etc. was shared by two, on a rotating bases… as they grew up, they loved cooking, and sometimes when we had holiday's going on, competition for kitchen time had to be charted on the calender… there was always music and singing and sharing stories about the day… later, when they were old enough to have political opinions, that provided even more oportunities for enlarging their world view… and they learned to share strongely held beliefs in respectful ways… I live alone now, and those times are some of my BEST memories… and it thirlls me to see that my children do this with their children… and at pot lucks the laughter and playfulness around sharing food still resonates joyfulness… I have always believed it isn't what you eat, but how you eat it that matters… my youngest, a son, was severely affected by eating sugar… he was a gestational diabetes baby… there were times he cried bitterly because he wasn't like the ' other children' and couldn't tolerate the candy and pop and goodies they could. I told him that what he chose to eat would always be his final decision. and that he should monitor how he felt when he ate something he knew wasn't good for him… then decide what was more important to him… feeling great, and having energy to play, or being sick because he ate candy, etc. when he was eight, I gave him the right to choose his food… he agreed to keep a calendar making notes about what he ate, and how he felt after. In just one month's time… he made the choice for himself…to eat the foods that didn't make his body sick… today he is a dentist, with two sons of his own… he still has to watch the sugar content of his diet… he so far, isn't dealing with diabetes… but he knows that horor is lerking in his DNA, and he watches what his son eat and even though they did not come in as gestatinal babies, he is teaching them to be aware of what they eat… what I am saying, is that family closeness and having conversations with our meals is a buffer to any disappointment we may otherwise feel in connection with our food. My eldest is 44, and back then, there was not a lot of information avaibable about the affect of sugar consumption… and there was a lot of ridicule and scolfing about how silly it was to believe that a little sugar could hurt you… Education is vital to deal with our health and the health of our children… Making food an event that isn't just about what's for dinner, is vital… I miss it very much because the hubbub is of a busy kitchen is behind me… but I wouldn't have missed for anything… One of the things I like the most now is when a bunch of people get together to share making a meal together… that's what I call a party… lol now, I teach my neighbor's children to cook… and when My grand daughter comes to play… we often cook our lunches together… she has her own children's cook book now and she sets the table at home or when she visits and takes great pride in knowing which side of the plate the fork is placed…
have fun, hugs, Jocelyn

I would love to come and spend some time with you! You have such an outlook on life and family that is refreshing. My family too grew up with similar gatherings. Even now, in times when it seems more families don't share meals, we do every evening. Except when we share cooking, the cook doesn't have to clean the table. LOL. But it is true, that is a good time, and when I was single…I hated cooking for just one. It used to make me kind of sad to not have someone to share my meal with. And the dogs don't count. LOL!

and the dogs don't count is right… you want someone who will have a constructive argument with ya… right? and dogs are so compliant, they'll never disagree and all you have to do to make them happy is drop a bite of something they can nab… ha ha yep, table talk is the best talk… like the gathering at the water hole… lol

I'd love to spend time with you too… we'd have fun and kick it up a notch in the neighborhood… rofl

Due to everyones schedule here Michael being sick and on meds..My daughter in college working full time and living at home(she doesnt drive yet) well I cook 3 meals at a time and refrigerate them. We all eat at different times so it is confusing. I always have salad ready in the frig. then just grab a plate and nuke it! It does get easier to cook for a bunch, once you know more about the carbs, fats and all the rest. It will get easier! There are a lot of great recipes here Just type in a food you like you will find some rcipes! Good Luck!

Patti you are amazing… how do you do it… here I am a loner… totally self-indulged compared to your busy schedule… if I lived close to you, I'd volunteer to peel veggies for ya…we'd kick the radio up a notch, and sing our heads off while cooking up a storm… lol

hats off to ya girl… hugs, Jocelyn

I always have the radio going!! Come on over!!

There are both recipe and book informtion links listed on this site. I'm sure you can find something there. I must say, if I had to do all that cooking, I would be pulling my hair out!! lol I guess I have just cooked for one for too long.

I get great recipes from the following website:

http://genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html

good luck.

i also have a few good 1s on this site

I cook for a family of 4 adults, two diabetic, two not, so it does get interesting. Like tonight, I made crab meat subs for the two and for the diabetics I made crab meat fritatta with egg substitute. Everyone got crab, but it came in different forms. I don't usually do it that drastic, but I do make a veggie that my hubbie will eat…he is not into his leafy greens. But I offer choices and I know I just have to make the right ones at the table.

If you go to the book club section of the site you will find a lot of books that people recommend. I have used it to pick up a book or two.
One of my favorites is "New Dieters" Cookbook. I can create entire meals out of it and it has a lot of flavors. The other one I like a lot is "Flavorful Seasons" by the ADA. That has a LOT of yummy stuff.
As you learn what you can substitute and modify to make them better for your needs, you will find you can use almost any cookbook.
I also use the recipes here sometimes. You may have to modify some of them, but I will plan a week of meals from here every few months to try the new ones, then I keep the ones I like in my book. I know John is working on making it easier to use.

varity is such an important part of eating… that, and having calm, relaxed meals, hopefully with others as often as posible… which is hard to do when you live alone… so how fortunate you, with lots of people in your family are… food just taste better when you eat with others… anyway… I too make a menu up for every two weeks because I grocery shop every two weeks… it really helps in cutting cost because it is a plan… and it insures that you have variety because it is a plan… and all plans are flexible.. but you just keep on track easier when you know what you have to fix…

good luck..

hope you can find some books or rescipies on here good luck.

The whole family will benefit from the changes you will be making in the diet, most of it probably won't even register for them that they are eating healthier meals.

You will have to do a lot of experimenting to figure out what works best for you but there are a lot of little things that make a difference.

having more fruit, veggies, nuts, in the house and less potato chips donuts, etc. switching from white bread and pastas to whole grain, regular pop to diet,

My wife and I both cook about the same number of meals in a week, when she makes something I don't think I should have I'll do fish and a salad but when

I'm cooking these days its usually a new dish I'm experimenting with thats low carb and while I'll make a dish for my wife and son that might not be something I can have much of in addition to the main meal it's usually a case of its on the table if you don't like it go to taco bell.

my wife has been using splenda in some recipes, the cheesecake was very good the other night and my son could not tell the difference.

Some of the stuff we are buying at the store is more expensive but it seems to balance out as we are not buying chips, pop, candy, and other such things. If my son wants regular pop, candy and junk food he has to buy his own. oh well, its amazing what he'll eat rather then spend his own money.

Hiya there! I dunno if you have had the chance to look at our recipe section here, or the book review section…they may help…good luck!! I am NOT a cook and family of six, ohhhhh boy you have your work cut out. lol. *HugS* Sheila