Back in 2011 my then Dietician, Elbha, Identified I had Impaired Glucose Tolerance and suggested I bought a couple of Low GI recipe books and make the food in them, which I did.
"What is GI?"
" Well Mr G , it stands for Glycaemic Index"
"Tell me a story about the Glycaemic Index Mr P"
Well in the old days we did not have fast food, refrigerators, food processing and so we ate beans, vegetables, fruits and berries. These took time to process in our bodies and slowly released sugars into the body leaving us feeling full and satisfied for longer"
"So that's why when I grab Le Grand Mac ( Phil works in France) and chips I feel hungry again and snack on chocolate ?"
Yes, Phil, good example. Le Grand Mac, and all fast foods , Chinese meals, and "snack products" fill us up quickly and then leave us feeling hungry.
So what should we do?
Avoid McDonalds ( sorry Edzel- my friend works at Mc D in El Nido) and Jolibee. Select food with a low GI. A bad GI is over 70 and good is below 55.
Give me an example , Mr P, of a High and a low GI food item.
" Wow , that's good, where did you get that from Old Bean?"
" Its in the recipe book that Elbha recommended ( see the top of the blog) - see old beans are good for you, and soya beans, red kidney beans and Chick peas- as they are all LOW GI. You need to avoid Le Grand Mac and le Baguette though?"
Why?
Well its proven that HI GI foods lead to :
- Food cravings and lethargy
- Weight gain
- Lack of concentrations and mood swings
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
But doesn't it take more time to make these healthy Low GI foods?
No, Phil. Back in Bahrain I made a couple of bowls of Low GI salad at the weekend and would then take it to work each day . They have some really delicious and easy to make breakfasts with fruits and oats and you can even make breakfast bars to eat on Eurostar on the way to Paris.
What about if you are entertaining?
That will be in next weeks blog when I will give you some Low GI recipes from my second LOW GI recipe book - " Low GI, Food for friends"
"That's great , Mr P, thanks for the dietary tips- now lets get cooking!"
"OK, Phil, remember its a way of life not a diet!"
" Elbha would be proud of you boy!"
Neil and Elbha back in 2010 at GBBF 1
So, without further ado, here are some of the Low GI recipes:
1. Kickstart Kebabs
This was a relatively easy breakfast- it takes about 20 mins to prepare and cook but makes 4 portions so it will last most of the week- being all fruit its very healthy . I love the way they give options so I used pear instead of prunes and cinnamon instead of mixed spice. I even used Pomello instead of pineapple and thought it might make it sour but it contrasted nicely with the sweet orange, honey and banana. This is what my version looked like:
This is an old favourite of mine and back in Bahrain I would have this one day and Chicken chilli chick pea salad the next. It's easy to make and I make enough for the week at the weekend and keep it in the fridge. It features in my new 2023 Online recipe book in March and when it does you will be able to download the recipe for free. The Recipes for each month appear on 15th of the month so click on the Blogspot logo below and then 2023 Recipe book at the top of the blog, or click this link:
Here is the recipe:
It's in several parts to make it easier to read
This is what mine looked like and I will be having it in on Monday, weds and Friday for lunch, and I had one portion last week when I made it!
It was delicious, as usual
3. Beef and Tomato Gratin- with a difference!
The introduction - I had not made this dish before
I gave Jhoanna the list of ingredients with the other dishes for this week and when they arrived started to make it.
I followed the method in the recipe book but something was missing!
The Beef!
I messaged Jhoanna:
"Did you get the beef?"
"No"
So that's why it's Beef and Tomato Gratin with a difference- there is no beef! But actually it tastes really nice without. Here is the method ( or Procedure as they say here in the Philippines):
and here is my finished dish:
My Beef and Tomato Gratin with a difference!
Ironically I had put the next Low GI dish on my menu to go with the beef!
4. Roasted Vegetables
My roasted vegetables- one roasting tray, in the oven , easy!
The last time I had this dish was in 2015 in Bahrain
I also decided to have three salads this week as we approach March and the temperatures rise here in Palawan. I already gave you the Tuscan salad recipe. Being an Island here we have lots of prawns ( Hippon) and Mangoes are grown everywhere ( there is a tree opposite me as I write this) so I selected this salad next:
5. Prawn and Mango Salad
The picture from the recipe book
Here is a little background to this dish:
Here are the ingredients for the marinade:
I left my prawns to marinade in the fridge as I did not have any Mango ,Bok Choy or beansprouts. I thought I might be pushing it a bit far to make it without three ingredients! They sell Mangoes at the top of my road as they bring them in by the lorry load from the farm for sorting here. The Bok Choy and beansprouts were a lot harder to find so I made it without. Here is my version:
My Prawn and Mango salad with Sesame seeds
The third salad for this Low GI week was another favourite of mine from my days in Bahrain. Chick peas are in bountiful supply in the Middle East and appear in many dishes like this salad and in Hummus.
6. Chicken Chilli Chick pea salad
I last ate this in 2016. Its made in 3 parts- first the dressing, then you add the chick peas and kidney beans and leave it in the fridge for the flavours to infuse. When you are ready to eat you grill and add the chicken with the cherry tomatoes and cucumber. Here are the ingredients:
Finally here is the method:
It is very colourful once you add the chick peas and red kidney beans to the dressing:
My special thanks, as usual, to the team at Puerto Deli, for providing all the ingredients, which they import from Italy. I am a big fan of their Olive Oil and Balsamic dressing and they are the only shop in Puerto to sell Chick peas and Red Kidney beans. I also get my Dijon Mustard from there. If you have not visited them yet you are missing out! They are on Manalo road ( near my house) and also sell fresh bread ( Baguette, Sour Dough , croissants, Pan au Chocolat) and cheeses and cold meats. Their Facebook page is below. The staff are very helpful and follow The British Kabayan on line- the other day they asked the name of my Restaurant! I told them I just cook for my friends!
Puerto Deli is on Manalo road in Puerto Princesa and also serves coffee and freshly made french bread with your choice of fillings ( Turkey, Ham, Cheese etc)
All the ingredients above came from Puerto Deli!
Here is my finished Chicken Chilli Chick Pea salad:
The good news is all the recipes in the Low GI recipe book serve 4 people, so living alone, each lasts for 4 meals. The Joe Wickes recipes are each for one person so I had to make 21 dishes for my week. Using the Low GI book I only have to make 8! Less cooking, less washing up!
7. Bacon and Tomato Toasty
This is my second Low GI breakfast of the week and as they say in the recipe book "Everyone loves a toasted bacon sandwich!". As I had been on a reduced carb diet last week I had no bread in the house so Chester and I had to go for a little shopping trip to the Sari Sari store up the road.
A great way to start the day- and very tasty. It's simple to make too needing just bacon, tomato and bread. You can add Basil as well. Here is the recipe:
Those of you who have been following this series of blogs about healthy eating will know that I allow myself one treat a week. This week it was on Wednesday when I cooked Lamb ( Tupa) chops for Noel ,Frythy Jovan and I with mint jelly and fresh Rosemary. I also made Camote ( sweet potato) carrots, and two dishes from next weeks recipe book "Low GI for friends ( Courgette Rondelles and Ginger Broccoli) . I will just put the recipe for the chops here which appears in my online recipe book in September.
Our plate full of healthy food- Carrots, Camote, Ginger Broccoli, Courgette Rondelles and Tupa chops with Rosemary and Mint Jelly
Enough food for three growing lads and me and Chester!
Excuse all Joven's mess ( fixing the blinds up!)
The boys loved it and Chester waited patiently for the bones and even jumped up to the table to steal the leftover carrots - he is SO Makulit ( naughty!)
The great news is that my blood sugar was its lowest at 73 since the beginning of February. Finally the abstinence from sugary drinks ( Sprite, Coca Cola and Royal) is paying off.
My weight, at the end of the Low GI food week was 118 Kg ( down 1 kg)
This week I did 25,968 steps (3709 a day average)
My blood sugar was
I need to walk more next week so have arranged a trip to Port Barton on Friday for Dam Dam's reopening ( Blog and Vlogs to follow) and we will be walking on the beach there. It's Kevin's first trip to Port Barton and he is very excited so I will be showing him around the small town.
We will be back next week with another Recipe book- "Low GI food for friends"
Until then- Ingat Palagi ( take care always) and Kita kits ( see you soon)
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
No comments:
Post a Comment