Since you have kids I would strongly advise you to learn how to cook now!  I
am actually rather surprised that anyone could make it to adulthood without
learning to cook.  I started teaching my daughter when she was a toddler.

That being said, there are plenty of things you can buy pre-cooked that you
can eat.  Of course what is available to you depends on where you live and
what stores you have there.  You can get deli meat of all kinds, strips of
chicken and steak, ground beef (at least I could get that in CA) and all
sorts of canned vegetables that can be heated or eaten as is.

You can get bagged salads, cut up raw vegetables, perhaps a salad bar at
some stores, olives, some soups (check the labels some are high in carbs),
chili (again check the labels), nuts and seeds.

Wow, Cindy.  Now *that's* a lot of stress!

When it comes to simple, chicken is your friend. :)  I don't know what
your budget is like, I like skinless, boneless breastmeat; but make do
with the cuts you can afford; you can put spices (I love lemon pepper)
or not -- if not you'll want to flavor it up after you cook it.  Put
it in a baking dish and bake until the center is done - if you want,
use a thermometer to check for doneness -- you do not want it "rare"
at all.  If you do up a lot of these at a time you can use them as you
go through the week in stirfries with veggies, add to salads, chop up
and mix into a chicken salad.  Chicken is easy on the tummy.

While many will argue that fresh is best for veggies, you can do fine
with canned and frozen as long as you keep an eye out on the sodium
content (I think you said something in there about high blood
pressure).  A bag of mixed veggies and baked chicken can do just fine
for a meal.  You'll be fine.  I'm sure and then you might want to
learn to make hardboiled eggs for quick and easy to grab food :)

You might actually want to check out johnnymccoys websight -- aside
from being a fun place to visit, there is good advice in there for
folks who are culinarily challenged.

Good luck to you.  I hope things ease up for you soon.  You deserve a
break...and no that doesn't mean a trip to McDonalds.  :)

Hi Cindy,

I'm concerned about those high liver enzymes.  The results bear
further investigation--really tough when you have no health
insurance.  That sucks!  What the high liver enzymes mean is that your
liver is suffering a higher rate of cell turnover--which mean cells
are dying faster than usual.  That can be due to a nondescript virus,
hepatitis--also a virus-- (Hepatitis A--a type of food poisoning comes
to mind), too much tyelenol or other medications that are hard on the
liver, to name some of the most common causes.  I have never heard of
high liver enzymes being caused by an ulcer.  Although perhaps the
doctor meant that he thought your pain could be caused by an ulcer and
was not necessarily related to the liver tests?

I'm sorry I'm no help with foods you can just buy and eat.  There are
not many already prepared foods that I can eat that do not spike my
BG.  Hence I cook.

Best regards,
Michelle C., T2
diet & exercise

www.musicbydalelynch.com

Cindy, I sympathize with you, and understand your frustration and
apprehension when contemplating the preparation of a meal. Any time
you face doing things you haven't done before, it's a scary time.

That being said, there really isn't a lot to cooking, if you just
stick to the basics, using a few simple ingredients. Worry about the
spices later. Worry about getting fancy later. If you prepare a few
meals, successfully, you'll find your confidence increasing, and
you'll be more willing to experiment with new foods or new ways of
preparing them.

While you are learning, it might pay to have backup plans for meals.
There's nothing worse than cooking up something that doesn't turn out,
with no alternative but to go out to eat. Bear in mind that I don't
know what sorts of things you can and can't eat, so use any of my
suggestions  that are appropriate, and use the idea, with different
foods, if you can't eat them.

By a backup plan, I mean you should have some frozen, canned, or
easily-made meals on hand.

For example, there are canned items, like pork & beans, chile, Irish
stew, soups, and so on, that are great backups. Frozen items, such as
full-meal dinners, frankfurters (great for adding to pork & beans),
sausages, etc. Have a look at the frozen food sections to find things
that suit.

Then start simple. If you have a "George Forman" style grill (sort of
like a waffle iron, but larger, they do an excellent and almost
foolproof job on boneless chicken breasts, boneless pork chops, and
steaks of various types.

Fresh vegetables are best, of course, but frozen ones are pretty good
too. Some vegetables do not freeze well, but peas, green, yellow,
romano, or lima beans, mixed vegetables, are all good, in frozen form.

So, for a very simple meal, start with frozen chicken breasts, thawed,
then toss them on the "Forman" grill, if you have one, following the
directions that came with the grill. That involves running the grill
empty for about 5 minutes to preheat it, then putting the meat in for
about 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness.

If you don't have a grill like that, you can put them under a broiler,
on a barbecue, or toss them into a frying pan.

Just keep your eye on the meat, and occasionally check for done-ness
by making cuts in the thickest part. If you're worried about it, you
might want to cut them thinner, or even cut the meat into strips or
chunks for cooking in a wok or frying pan.

For seasoning, keep it simple at first. Salt & Pepper are sufficient.
There are many other seasonings that are already blended. For example,
you can find herb & garlic, roasted red pepper flakes, steak
seasoning, Italian seasoning, and so on. Have a look in the spice
section of the supermarket. After a while, as you gain confidence, you
can start experimenting with other seasonings. Check the internet for
recipes, and don't be afraid to modify them. If your modification
fails miserably, use one of the backups I mentioned above.

Vegetables are easy. You can boil them, though I think they are better
steamed. Steaming can be done in a microwave oven. I have some glass
pots (Corning ware, I think) that I use in the microwave. Chuck in
enough peas for the meal, put in about 2 ounces of water, and try, for
a first attempt, and for enough peas to feed you and two kids, about 6
minutes. Pull them out of the microwave, and use a spoon to take a few
out from the center of the pot and try them. If they are not done
enough, stir them up a bit and put them back in for another few
minutes. Use the same method for just about any vegetable.

There are also salads. Lettuce and salad dressing is a good start. Get
creative later. Try different types of lettuce, different dressings,
add croutons, or tomatoes, or cucumbers, green onions, grated carrots
(careful.. those grater blades are sharp!), red or green peppers,
cheese chunks, or anything else you think you might like.

All the while, remember that you have the backup in case if doesn't
work out. Get your kids involved; it will make it easier to deal with
the occasional failed meal.

Above all, don't be afraid to try things.

Good Luck.

Yuk things do seem to pile on at once <hugs> but think of it as road trip to
health..you gotta stop for tune ups along the way to good health.
You and i are both new at this so its going to take a while to figure it all
out.

Most all the foods we talked about before...simple meat and veggies
diners...salads and soups etc wont upset your stomach and are healthy and
low spiking.
Try sanwhiches with low carb bread and since you love pizza so much make it
yourself with a somple non spicy sauce made from blending fresh tomatos and
using a low carb pita or tortilia...use chicken or turkey or even
hamburger..skip the peperoni or spicy sausage and all will be fine.

If you can learn to blog etc you can learn to cook..its very easy..just
takes learning a few easy basic rules and knowing how to read and a tiny bit
of concentration...you cant burn toast if your watchign it..everyone knows
how dark they like it etc...so same with cooking most foods you know what
looks good so if your roasting meat or chicken you can go by look or by a
thermometer and cook to a set temp with a alarm once it hits it.

Lots of options.... your just frustrated right now..but venting helps and
keep asking questions.

KROM

You might get some ideas from this:
http://www.digitalbirdcrap.com/menustart.html

John

There is a book that may help you decide of different foods you can eat. It
has a lot of information on over 40,000 foods.

The name of the book is: "Nutrition Facts".

It is listed on Amazon.com for about $18.00.

You can find much more about this book on the Amazon.com web site.

I have had one for a long time, and I just had one sent to my daughter,
whose husband was just diagnosed with Type II diabetes.

Don

I haven;t been keeping up - did you ever get a glucose meter?

Cindy have they put you on antibiotics for the ulcer.  I would eat bland
food while you hae the ulcer,  spices only exacerbate the pain.  I dont
know the carbs in baby food, but maybe that is something to look into.

sorry for all your troubles.

Loretta

Smarter for a type-2 diabetic to know how much rather that what to
eat:

http://HeartMDPhD.com/BeSmart