Sent home with a monitor, a script, and no idea how to feed them.

Our story

When our child was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, we were completely shocked. She was the first person in both sides of our family to receive a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis, so we had no family experience to draw on and very little idea of what everyday life with Type 1 Diabetes would actually look like.

The amount of information we were given was overwhelming, but it was when we arrived home from hospital that the reality really hit us.

We were discharged late one afternoon and, within an hour of getting home, we were expected to work out dinner, calculate the carbohydrates and somehow put everything we had just learned into practice.

Suddenly, something as simple as preparing dinner felt like a huge task.

We were learning on the go, trying to understand carbohydrates, portions, meals, snacks, routines and all the little decisions that come with managing Type 1 Diabetes, while also trying to support our child emotionally.

We did our best. We learned as we went, made mistakes, asked questions and slowly found our way through the overwhelming early days.

But along the way, we realised something important. A guide that could be picked up whenever we needed it, something practical, simple and easy to understand, would have made those everyday moments so much easier.

This was not just something we needed as parents, our teenage daughter needed something that could help her understand food, carbohydrates and meal preparation in a way that felt achievable and empowering, rather than overwhelming.

That is where the idea for The Everyday T1D and ADHD Cookbook began.

This cookbook was created from the perspective of a family living the everyday reality of Type 1 Diabetes and ADHD. It is designed to make food feel less complicated, meal planning less stressful and cooking something the whole family can be involved in.

Because sometimes, you don't need another complicated guide, you just need someone to say, "here's an easy place to start".

Why we created this book

We created The Everyday T1D and ADHD Cookbook because we know how overwhelming food can become when you are learning to live with Type 1 Diabetes and ADHD.

Food is something we deal with every single day, yet after a diagnosis, something as simple as deciding what to have for dinner can suddenly feel complicated.

• How many carbohydrates are in it?
• Will my teenager actually eat it?
• How do I make something quick when everyone is tired?
• What can I pack for school?
• What can we grab when we're running late?
• And how do we make meals feel normal again?

We wanted to create the guide we wished we had when we first came home from hospital.

A cookbook that doesn't expect perfection. A cookbook filled with practical, family-friendly recipes that are easy to follow, realistic for busy Australian families and suitable for teenagers who may find planning, organisation and decision-making challenging.

Most importantly, we wanted to create something that could help teenagers become more confident and independent with food, while giving parents a little less to think about.

This isn't about creating perfect meals or getting everything right every time. It's about making everyday food easier. It's about having recipes you can come back to when you're tired, overwhelmed or simply don't know what to cook.

It's about taking some of the guesswork out of meals and making room for what really matters - family, confidence, connection and enjoying food together.

We hope this book becomes more than just a collection of recipes. We hope it becomes a little helping hand in your kitchen, a place to find ideas when you're stuck, and a reminder that you don't have to figure it all out alone.