I hesitate to share this time-honored recipe with you...it's not for everyone and I'd go so far as to say it's an acquired taste...I've been drinking this mocktail, on and off, for about 8 years now. I'll go through spurts where I drink it faithfully for months and months and then I'll reach my limit, and put it out of my mind for months and months. Which is where it's been lately...out of mind. Now, however, with the holidays in full-swing and calorie-laden goodies at every turn, I find myself reaching for my old stand-by to give me a low-calorie, high-protein start to my day.
Diabetes is a numbers game, and since I'm diabetic I play this game every day...high protein + low carbs = low glucose = longer life...I've never been good at math but those numbers make me sit up and take notice. So I need something in the morning to provide me with protein and it has to be low in carbs. Since I don't eat eggs, my choices are limited - either meat or meat. And there's just something very unappealing about gnawing on a chunk of meat at the break of dawn. High protein powder was the answer...2 scoops of this chocolate-flavored powder provides 27 grams of protein...I mix it with a diet soda - usually Diet Coke but today I opted for Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper - no carbs, no cals. (I suppose you could mix it with milk but then you're adding a lot of carbs...also, milk gives this drink a texture that sets my gag reflux on edge!) I add a piece of banana - about 1/3 of a large one - to help camouflage the taste...bananas are high in sugar so I never eat a whole one. I throw in a little ice and that's it...my secret recipe is now out...try it...you may not like it - but it's what has helped me lose weight and keep it off...and for about 250 calories and only 15 carbs, I'm kept full until lunch - which is why I keep drinking/gagging this down every morning! (If I really want to splurge, I'll add some strawberry yogurt to the mix, it boosts the calorie content but it also boosts the flavor and gives me more protein!) "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." - Maya Angelou
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One year ago today: Wild Rice Soup
