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| Image courtesy of pba.edu |
BY: SARA WARNER, CONTRIBUTOR
In my mind, I’ve always been a ‘healthy’ person. I’ve exercised and eaten right as long as I
can remember.
I've run 5k races, lifted
weights and tried to eat a balanced diet. I mean of course there were a few
little pounds that I always wanted to get rid of, but overall I was doing
really well. So you can imagine my surprise when almost two years ago my doctor told me I was becoming pre-diabetic. Truth be told, I was shocked! Let’s rewind a minute so I can tell you why I was at the doctor to begin with. I’m currently 29 years old, but at the time, I was only 27 and was just feeling off... 'slow' might be a better word. I
was hungry all the time, I never had enough energy, I was slightly overweight (about 5
-10 pounds), and I was often getting dizzy between meals. For a 27 year old it just didn’t feel normal, and I knew something was wrong. None of
my friends were having these problems and honestly, I didn’t even want to go to
the doctor in the first place but did after pressure from my husband and
parents. I just figured I would go
in and find out I needed to eat more often, lose a few pounds and maybe drink
more water. I was already exercising
regularly (5-6 days a week) and watching my diet, so really what else could this
be? I definitely wasn’t expecting her diagnosis, but I have to say, I wasn’t completely surprised because my family has a history of diabetes.
My doctor gave me two options for treatment: “You can try
this medicine and possibly be on it for the rest of your life,” she told me “or
you can completely change your diet and see how you feel". At 27 years old, I didn’t even want to entertain the thought of taking
medicine for the rest of my life so I opted for the harder of the two choices
(or so I thought). I thought I ate well
before, but I was completely wrong! My doctor advised me to cut out all white starches and sugars, which turned out to be
harder than I thought but worth every moment of emotional struggle.
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| Image courtesy of decisivemagazine.com |
Now my diet is 100% whole wheat/whole grain and low/no
sugar. This means I don’t eat white
starches like rice, white potatoes, white flour and no white sugar. That’s really all it is. Instead of these ingredients, I cook with things like whole wheat
flour, quinoa, brown rice flour, sweet potatoes, raw honey and agave nectar.
The first few weeks were really difficult because I had to
change my perspective on food and eating.
Before my diet change, food was celebratory and social, meant for enjoyment. Now I had to focus on food being fuel for my
body. Believe me, I spent many a moment in front of
the pantry and fridge yelling at my husband “there is nothing I can eat!”. Looking back I’m sure I sounded pretty silly
then.
The truth is, it wasn’t that terrible to change my eating behaviors, and I can’t
imagine my life any differently. Now I’m spending my free time trying to
convince others to join me in this diet, which is why I started writing a
food blog. I feel great and I have my
diet changes to thank for it all. I truly believe that a similar healthy lifestyle change can make the difference for others too!
I started by writing
Simply Whole Kitchen for my friends and family who were
supportive but didn’t know what to make for me when I was around. Once I became more comfortable with my diet, I
wanted to switch to a blog title that was better representative of me and
didn’t focus on my diet alone, which is why I started
Pidge’s Pantry,
my current food blog and digital recipe box.
I want to show others that ‘better-for-you’ eating isn’t
difficult and can still be the social thing that it's always been - only better
because you don’t have to follow your meal with a serving of guilt!
I’m not a medical professional or nutritionist. I’m just
sharing what has worked for me and hoping my readers find that better-for-you
eating can be enjoyable too. So, come
join me in my kitchen, grab a fork and stay for a while. You are always welcome!
Pumpkin Chai Latte Cupcakes with Maple
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
3/4 c plus 2 tbsp of whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp all-spice
2 eggs
1 c pumpkin puree
2 tbsp honey
6 tbsp vegetable oil
Maple Cinnamon Cream
Cheese Frosting
1 8oz package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 c heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the
flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and
all-spice. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin, honey and
vegetable oil. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir until
combined. Do not over mix. Divide the batter between the cupcake liners and
bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
While the cupcakes cool, add the
softened cream cheese to a bowl. Mix the cream cheese for 1 minute. Add the
maple syrup, honey and vanilla and mix for another minute to combine. Slowly
pour in the cream (1/4 c at a time) while mixing. Mix until the frosting doubles
in size and thickens. Slow the mixer down to the lowest speed. Add the cinnamon
and mix until combined. Top the cupcakes with the frosting and refrigerate to
stiffen the frosting.
Beet Chips with
Avocado and Goat Cheese Dip
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife,
slice the beets into thin slices. Toss
with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and lay into one layer on a
baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes
until crisp. Cool on a wire rack until
completely cool.
Avocado and Goat Cheese Dip
2 tbsp fat free sour cream
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until well
combined.
Mini Quinoa Bites
with Goat Cheese Pesto
1 c Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 c whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
Prepare your quinoa to package directions and let it
cool. In a bowl combine the quinoa with
the chives, carrots, zucchini and parmesan cheese. In a small bowl, whisk your
eggs with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley and dijon
mustard. Pour the egg mixture into the
quinoa mixture and mix well. Add the
breadcrumbs 1/4 c at a time (you want the mixture to be slightly wet).
Preheat a large skillet on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of your olive oil. Using a tbsp measuring spoon, scoop the quinoa
mixture. Then use damp fingers to
flatten into a small cake. Cook the mini
cakes in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned. Once cooked, drain on a paper towel.
Combine all ingredients into a food processor and pulse
until nuts and basil are chopped and all ingredients are combined. Either spoon onto the top of the quinoa bites
or put into a piping bag and squeeze onto the bites.
Sweet Potato Chili
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet potato,
diced
1 15 oz can fire
roasted tomatoes
1 15 oz can black
beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can red
kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can white
kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp salt (or more
to taste)
In a large, deep, pan preheat the olive oil on medium
heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 2
minutes until slightly translucent. Add
the ground turkey (or beef, bison, lamb, pork, chicken, soy) and cook for 2-4
minutes, stirring frequently until almost cooked through. Add the diced sweet potato and cook for 3-5
minutes to brown the potatoes. Stir
occasionally. Add the crushed garlic, garlic
powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the tomato
sauce, diced tomatoes, and the rinsed and drained beans and stir to
combine. Turn up the heat and bring the
chili to a simmer. Reduce the heat and
add the chili powder (more if you like it spicy) and the cajun seasoning. Cook on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes (a
low simmer). Taste and adjust seasonings
as needed (add more salt, chili powder, etc) and serve with mashed avocado,
diced chives and sour cream.
By day, Sara Warner is the Marketing Director for the Campus
Recreation Center at Georgia Tech, but by night, she’s the voice behind the
blog
Pidge’s Pantry, a resource for those trying to eat healthier by implementing
a 100% whole wheat and low/no sugar diet. A graduate of the University of
Georgia with a double major in Broadcast News and Art History, Sara confesses
that she dreams of going back to school to get her Masters and PhD so that she
can become an Art History professor! In addition to her love for art, Sara
finds pleasure in weekend trips to the farmer’s market and cooking for her
family in the kitchen. She confesses that her favorite foods are chocolate and
peanut butter, so you can be sure she features both on her blog! If Sara could
give one piece of advice to her younger self (or you!), she suggests not being
so serious all the time.
“(In the past) I
focused too much on the future and how I was going to get there instead of
focusing on the now and enjoying my life in the moment. I would tell myself to
not be so hard on myself. I think that is also a part of enjoying life a little
more… letting go of the silly stuff.”
