Welcome Julie. I'm fairly new to this myself (Diagnosed in June w/ an A1C of 10.2. Yikes!)

You'll find lots of helpful people on here.

I'm not sure about "how much" protein with a carb, but I think the main purpose of combining them is that it slows down the conversion of the carb into glucose in our blood stream. I think fats also have this effect but since high cholesterol is also a problem for many diabetics, a lean protein can be a better choice.

As far as grab and go items, some of mine are a hard boiled egg and piece of fruit, a Nutri-grain toaster waffle spread with some natural peanut butter (that's what I had this morning!), a waffle or piece of whole grain toast with a scrambled egg on top, a protein shake made with low-fat milk with some fruit blended in, fruit and cheese, a waffle folded around some turkey sausage, etc. If you watch the amounts of protein, carbs, and fats on your diary when you log your meals, you'll start to learn where you need to make adjustments. Mine are far from perfect, but I'm learning more every day.

Some protein shakes ARE for people who are trying to gain but a lot of them are not. The ones for people who want to gain usually have words like "Gainer" and "Bulk" in the names. Just read the labels carefully and pick ones that have under 100 calories and a high amount of protein and a low amount of carbs. I don't really like the pre-made drinks because a) they are expensive, b) they tend to be higher in carbs and c) I'm freaked about whatever other chemicals are mixed in there to make them shelf-stable for months so I use powders and mix my own. There are tons of recipes on MFP for them. Just go to the forums and use the "Search" button to find lots of ideas.

Quick breakfasts I eat toast and cheese or toast and pb. I try to always eat whole grain breads. The higher the fiber the better. Less quick breakfast I eat eggs. Veggie and cheese omelet is a good one. But hardboiling eggs the day before then grabbing those for breakfast is good too.

Fat, protein and fiber help slow down carb absorption. You will need to experiment until you figure out what your body needs. Lots of testing will let you figure out what your body wants. When I am experimenting I often test fasting, 1, 2 and 3 hrs after eating, and some before eating and before bed. For most people most foods will peak at 2 hrs post prandial but not always. Some foods are slower to spike (common with pasta) and others are faster. You will also figure out what your body does on average. As you learn you can test your pp levels at an appropriate time for you.

Eating a snack with protein, fat and/or carbs can help reduce your fastings. What you will need takes some experimentation. Before I was taking more drugs I needed protein/fat but no carbs. Now I do ok if I add carbs to the mix.

Nothing will always stay the same. Diabetes can change. As you improve your eating and exercise habits your BG may go down. Or despite what you do it may go up. Don't become complacent and think that just because you are doing well now you don't need to test. When I reach a point that things seem well controlled I still take a fasting most mornings because that is my bad time and randomly I will do a 2 hr pp. Some days I will do a lot of testing just to make sure I stay well controlled throughout the day.

Welcome.

High protein breakfast choices:

Eggs
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
bacon (in moderation)

So Robert if i'm planning to have an apple for my ten o'clock snack should I have cheese with it. Cheese is protein or a fat. Can't remember. Going to go track it and see what it gives me.

Thank you
Linda