My Favorite Food and Meals

Before being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2014, I had different favorite foods and meals. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy my old meals but not as often and in moderation. Now I have learned to enjoy some healthier options with my cold vegetables, and I must say, I love them. Growing up I felt like I was kind of forced to eat vegetables because we grew our own down south. As I got older I told myself when I start making my own decisions, vegetables would not be one of the options. So, as I grew older vegetables slowly crept from my daily consumption. If I ate them, it was not fresh and drowned in something yummy.

My favorite meal living with type 2 diabetes

I make what I call my TACCO Salad and this lasts me a few days. I dice a tomato, avocado, and a quarter red onion, and add it to a bowl. I cut a cucumber into small pieces and add them to the bowl. I add chopped cilantro (fresh or dried) I myself prefer the fresh but I keep dried in the cabinet for backup. I then add a few tablespoons of lemon juice and olive oil. This is something that I can add to all my meals. I usually pair this with salmon, grilled chicken breast, shrimp, or even steak. It usually can stay in the fridge in a tight food container for about 4 days but mine never makes it that long. When I make this, I know that I will be eating it for lunch and dinner for the next 2 or 3 days.

A favorite side dish

Another thing that I love to eat is sliced cucumbers, with or without tomatoes. Sometimes if I make this with tomatoes, I thinly slice some red onion for more options, add some seasoning to taste, and it's oh so delicious. I enjoy sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, vinegar, and about a spoon of mayo. You can also add this to your favorite meat, and you have a meal.

Giving vegetables a chance paid off

I don't need a starch with all my meals and when I am home during the day, I don't have a starch, therefore, it's my meat and my side of cold vegetables and I am complete. When I know that I need to eat something but I'm not hungry, I grab a bowl and eat just my TACCO Salad and that will satisfy my appetite. It took me some time to get used to eating fresh vegetables again but once I got back in the swing of things, now it’s like automatic.

A favorite night time snack

At night when I am really having a craving and do not want to eat, but need something like finger food, I have celery that I have cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces in a zip-lock in my veggie drawer, ready to grab. This is not always the easiest to do when there are so many other options in the fridge, but I do my best.

Out of all my healthy ideas, I will say that the TACCO salad and shrimp or steak is my favorite meal. It is hard for me to decide between those two.

Do you have a favorite food or meal? I would love to hear about it.