Brussel Sprouts...revamped!

OK...I'm probably in the minority because I LOVE baby brussel sprouts, but here's a recipe I just tried that made even my husband like them.

In a large frying pan, cook 5-6 slices of bacon until crispy. Remove cooked bacon and drain on paper toweling. Slice one small onion into super thin rings and toss it into the bacon grease leftover in the pan. Cook and stir until it's soft, then dump in well-drained, cooked baby brussel sprouts.
In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of water, 1 TBLS. dijon mustard, and 2 TBLS. apple cider vinegar...pour it over the brussel sprouts, stir...toss in bacon. Let sautee a bit until most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve. YUM!

New Breakfast Option

I know that a lot of us with type 2 diabetes don't do well with cereals, and as good as eggs, egg beaters, bacon, cheese, etc. are, you can definately get tired of them. So when you're in a rush and don't even have time for a smoothie, I found a product that is tastey and actually has good numbers...AND it's portable.
Russell Stover SUGAR FREE Breakfast Bars.
They come in 4 flavors: Chewy Granola, Cinnamon Bun, Apple Cinnamon, and Blueberry. So far, I have only tried the Apple Cinnamon. It's like a chewy granola-type bar with a chocolate drizzle over the top for added yumminess. This is a soy-based product, but seems to me to have less of that undesirable soy texture that many soy products have. Now, for the numbers:

A 31 gram bar has:

Calories..........100
Fat....................6g
Carbs..............13g
Fiber................7g
Sugars............0g
Sug Alcohol....5g
Protein.............7g

Not bad, huh?

Tofu French Fries w/ Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

These are suprisingly tastey little treats, or great even served as an entree or appetizer. Loaded with healthy protein, low in carbs & sugar, and it's quick & easy to make them. Even the little ones will like these crispy "fries" and their yummy peanutty dipping sauce. Just make sure you don't go overboard on the cayenne if making them for small children.
People who "hate tofu" will like these and not even realize they're eating tofu.


Ingredients :

2 lb firm tofu
3 tbl vegetable oil
kosher salt to taste
5 tbl smooth peanut butter (natural)
3 tbl Brown Sugar Twin
4 tbl tamari soy sauce (if this is not available, use Kikkoman)
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbl water, to 2 tbsp


* Cut the tofu into pieces the size and shape of french fries. Brush the pieces lightly with the oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Spread in 1 layer on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler. Broil both sides for about 10 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
* Mix together the peanut butter, brown sugar twin, tamari, cayenne, and garlic. Add enough of the water to give the sauce a creamy consistency. Use as a sauce or dip.
* Serves 8 as an entree.

Zucchini & Tomato Gratin (Yummy even as a main course!)

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini
4 small tomatoes (like Roma tomatoes)
1 TBSL basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup grated mozzerella

Slice zucchini and tomatoes into 1/4" thick slices. Lightly coat a 9 x 13" pan (or a 2 quart casserole dish) with cooking spray.
Overlap diagonal rows of zucchini and tomato slices alternately in prepared dish. Sprinkle with basil, salt, & pepper. Combine cheeses and sprinkle on top.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven, then...
Broil 6" from heat for 5 - 6 min or until hot and cheese is lightly browned.

Serve this with a small green salad...delicious!

Congo Cookies (no sugar added)

These yummy little cookies make up quick and easy, and keep well in the fridge. You can be imaginative with these, too. Add something different you life, take away something you don't...just try to keep the wet to dry ingredients the same as the original recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Splenda
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. skim milk
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 c. peanut butter (natural, no sugar added)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place butter, milk and cocoa together in a 2 quart saucepan. Heat until the liquid boils, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, Splenda and oats. Stir in vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cool in freezer. Fill up your cookie jar with these easy to fix chocolate treats. Yield 50 cookies.

Shhh...this is my secret weapon!

But I'm going to share it with you, and only YOU! It's my berry power smoothie recipe! I drink a smoothie almost every morning and it starts my day off right. It's healthy, nutritious, and DELICIOUS...and it keeps you satisfied for hours, doesn't cause BG spikes (at least not for me) and gives me that boost of energy to get moving.

Michele's Berry Power Smoothie
6-8 ice cubes
1 cup frozen blueberries (I sometimes use strawberries, blackberries, or a mixture)
1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax seed
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
2/3 cup of water
2 tablespoons of heavy cream

*you can play with the ice cube/water ratio for thicker/thinner smoothie consistency...but these measurements are what I have found are "perfect" for my particular tastes.

Toss all the ingredients into the blender, and "whir" away until it's a thick, SMOOTH consistency...ENJOY!!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies - You can eat these!! WooHoo!

Preheat oven to 375°F.

INGREDIENTS:

4 Endangered Species Extreme Dark Chocolate Bars, chopped into small chunks
1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened
1.5 Cups Splenda
1.5 tsp Blackstrap or Dark Molasses
2 eggs
1 Cup almond flour (aprox 2/3 C raw almonds ground fine in food processor or coffee grinder yields about 1 Cup almond flour)
1 Cup vanilla whey protein powder (I buy mine at GNC when it's on sale, Wal-Mart when it's not)
1/4 Cup Oat bran
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, Splenda, and molasses until creamy and well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. In a separate bowl, stir together ground almonds, vanilla whey protein powder, oat bran, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, to butter/Splenda mixture, beating well after each addition, until it is all beaten in. Stir in nuts and chopped chocolate bars. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets sprayed with non stick spray.
*These will not spread and flatten as much as standard chocolate chip cookies, so if you want them flat, you'll have to flatten them a bit.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden.

Painless Pricks...is there such a thing?

An Aussie acquaintance of mine has a wonderful blog about testing your glucose levels as painlessly as possible. It's worth reading, especially for those who are newly diagnosed and/or squeamish about the process of getting a blood sample from 2 to 6+ times a day.
CLICK HERE to read it, enjoy:
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/painless-pricks.html

LowCarb/SugarFree CHEESECAKE!

Who doesn't like a good hunk of cheesecake every now & then? So far, this is my favorite recipe for a cheesecake I don't have to feel guilty about indulging in.

INGREDIENTS:
* 3 packages (1 and 1/2 lbs) cream cheese (room temperature)
* 4 eggs (preferably room temperature)
* 1 and 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 Tablespoon) vanilla
* 1 and 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 Tablespoon) lemon juice
* 1 and 1/3 cups worth of artificial sweetener
* 1/4 cup sour cream
~ Crust:
* 1 cup almond meal
* 2 T melted butter
* 2T worth artificial sweetener

PREPARATION: Heat oven to 375 F. Tip: If you have bricks or a pizza stone or unglazed ceramic tile, put them on the lower rack of the oven. This will hold the heat in the oven. This is good for cheesecakes not baked in a water bath. 1. Combine ingredients for crust, and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until fragrant and beginning to brown. Raise oven heat to 400 F., or lower to 350 F if you're using a water bath (see below). 2. Put cream cheese in mixing bowl, and beat until fluffy. Add other ingredients, scraping the bowl and beaters each time (this is very important), fully incorporating each ingredient. When all ingredients are combined, scrape one more time, beat one more minute, and pour mixture into pan over crust. Instructions for water bath: Wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan in foil, put it in a baking pan and pour boiling water around the sides. Bake at 350 for 60-90 minutes, checking often. When the cake is firm to touch but slightly soft in the center, or the center reaches 155 degress F., remove from oven. Instructions for non-water bath: For this method, you start the cake at a high temperature, and it slowly drops. If you have stoneware, bricks, etc, this allows it to happen at a slower rate, and you can get better results in less time. Put the cheesecake on a sheet pan in case of drippage. After putting the cheesecake in the oven at 400 degrees, turn the oven down to 200. Bake for 60-90 minutes, checking often after an hour. When the cake is firm to touch but slightly soft in the center, or the center reaches 155 degrees F., remove from oven.
Chill completely.
Top with fruit, if desired.
Makes 16 servings.
Nutritional Information: Each serving has 2 grams effective carbohydrate plus 1 gram fiber, 6 grams protein, and 221 calories.

Stevia vs. Splenda

Stevia Plant

When I was first diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, I researched alternative sweeteners and decided that Stevia was the one for me. It seemed to have all of what I was looking for and none of what I wasn't.Then I tried it and had an allergic reaction. I'm a person who has been plagued by serious allergic reactions since I was a child.

First it was bee-stings, and even mosquito bites would swell up to golf ball proportions, then ant bites, then milk, poppy seeds, grass, hay, ragweed, and a HUGE allergy to dust mites, then shellfish, then all fish...you get the picture, right? So when I had my first taste of stevia and within 10 minutes had a raspiness in my throat and began itching, I knew it was a no-go, and I was bummed. Turns out that if you have hayfever, or a hay allergy, you are more likely to be allergic to stevia...guess I didn't research quite enough before trying it. So...I reached for what I often saw my Mom using, and still see my Grandma use regularly...Splenda (sucrolose.) There is much debate about it's safety, which I'm not going to rehash here...it's available in copious amounts all over the net with one simple click on google. I read the all the bad stuff, and still decided that, in my case, it was better to use it than sugar, and obviously better to use, in my case, than stevia. Sooo...I just want to point out to the readers that come here; I am aware of the controversy over Splenda, but it's the lesser of two evils in this point of my life. If you like a recipe I have on here, but hate Splenda, just adjust it to use whichever sweetener you choose. Thanks for reading! Be Well!

Give me Chocolate, or give me Death!

Listen...I'm serious about chocolate. So when I found out I had diabetes, I was fit to be tied over the whole chocolate situation. Then I found a way to enjoy some of the best chocolate I've ever had, and at the same time, help save endangered species! Wow! Is this a dream? Nope.
Endangered Species Chocolate is ABSOLUTELY AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS chocolate. My favorite, and what I would recommend to other diabetics, is "The Leopard and the Jaguar" Extreme Dark Chocolate with 88% cocoa content. This is not for the faint of heart or casual chocolate lover. This bar is to chocolate like a double-shot of Segafredo Zanetti Extra-Strong Espresso is to coffee.
The bar is divided into 15 bite sized squares. I usually eat one little square of this chocolate to curb a craving, and am satisfied! Now for the numbers: One serving size (according to the package) is half of a bar, which would equal seven and a half little squares. In this half a bar are only 8 net carbs. That number by itself is great...and when you just nibble on a square here and there, the numbers are fantastic. The reason the carb/sugar content is so low is because the actual cocoa content is so high.
Another perk is that the company making this chocolate promises 100% ethical trading, ensuring cocoa farmers humane working conditions and a fair price for their cocoa. Plus 10% of the net profits from each bar is donated to help support endangered species, habitat and humanity.
A 3 ounce bar cost about $3, and is well worth it. They are even carrying them in the more modern Food Lions, in the gourmet/organic food section.
Now, I do have to say that some people, whom I will refer to as "chocolate wimps" cannot handle the 88% bar. For them, I recommend the 72% cocoa bar, the Chimpanzee bar. Just remember that the lower the cocoa content, the higher the sugar/carb content.
Find out more about this yummy chocolate at:
http://www.chocolatebar.com/shop/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=2

Here are 15 quick, easy snack ideas that are low in sugar and under 20 grams of carbs, with most having under 10 carbs:

1. 1/4 mixed nuts
2. 1 slice Wasa Rye Crispbread w/ 1 TBLS. cream cheese, sprinkle on a little dill, top with about 1/3 of a cucumber sliced thinly
3. 2 stalks celery w/ 2 TBLS. natural peanut butter
4. 2 hard-boiled eggs (or 4 deviled egg halves)
5. Jell-o Sugar Free gelatin snack pack...this one is my lifesavers, only 10 calories, 0 fat, 0 carbs! YAY!
6. Celery or bell pepper strips dipped in hummus (check label on specific brands of hummus)
7. String cheese with half an apple
8. 1/4 cup berries w/ 1/3 cup cottage cheese
9. Lettuce roll-ups (large leaf of lettuce, topped with lunch meat and a slice of cheese, roll it up and eat)
10. Mt. Olive splenda-sweetened bread & butter pickle slices w/ cheddar cheese cubes
11. Raw veggies with 1/2 cup cottage cheese (whir cheese in blender with salt & pepper, dill, etc...to make dip)
12. A handful of olives
13. Ricotta cheese, mix in a little Splenda and Almond extract...it's like a custard
14. Jerky (check individual brands for lowest sugar content)
15. A flat-out pizza (see recipe in previous blog)

Yes...I'm not kidding, low-carb, no-spike pizza!!

Lots of folks who have type 2 diabetes avoid pizza because of it's wild and unpredictable effect on blood glucose levels. But now, you can enjoy an easy, homemade pizza without the worry, and it's so good, your family will want to eat it right along with you. My 15 year old son is now an expert pizza maker using this recipe.
The "secret" to keeping your pizza diabetic friendly is in the "dough" and in the sauce. Those are the main 2 things which can wreak havoc on your BG levels. I've tried using the lowcarb tortilla's from La Tortilla Factory, and while the tortillas are great for some things, pizza is not one of them. Then I found out about the Carbdown Flat-Out Flatbread Wraps. These are great and have only 8 net carbs per large wrap. One wrap is the perfect size to make a generous personal pizza, and you can choose between original flavor or Italian herb. You can find these wraps in the deli section of most grocery stores. For the sauce, forget about those pre-made pizza, marinara, or spaghetti sauces in jars or cans...they are loaded with sugar and/or corn syrup. Instead, go simple. I use Hunt's Tomatoes Sauce in Roasted Garlic. The normal 1/4 cup serving has less than 3 net carbs and only 2 grams of sugar. Just look for a basic can of tomato sauce in the section with canned tomatoes, diced, paste, etc...and find the lowest carb/sugar content per 1/4 cup serving. If you wonder why I keep mentioning carbs, it's because carbs are processed in your body just like sugar, so for diabetics, that means a rise in blood glucose levels. A healthy diabetic diet is low in carbohydrates, just as it is low in sugar.

Flat-Out Pizza (for one)

1 Carbdown Flat-Out Flatbread Wrap
Extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 tablespoon)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
part-skim mozzerella cheese
topping of your choice (mushrooms, peppers, onions, olives, pepperoni, etc...)

Preheat over to 400 degrees and brush wrap with olive oil. Place it onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet, that you've sprayed lightly with non-stick spray, or brushed with a touch of olive oil.
Bake the wrap for 3-5 minutes...watch it close...just until it starts to go a little golden.
Remove wrap from oven, and smooth on the tomato sauce, top with part-skim mozzerella (how much is up to you.)
Then have fun topping the pizza with your choice of toppings.
Bake the pizza @ 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until cheese it bubbly.

Enjoy!

Heaven-Sent Product for carb/sugar watchers!! YAY!

If you're missing those Sunday morning breakfast with eggs, bacon and PANCAKES, then you will LOVE this product. I personally have tried it and like it so much I now have a 5 POUND BAG of it in my pantry! It's like Bisquick, but without all the carbs and sugar, and almost even more importantly, without the gritty, oily aftertaste of so many soy-based pancake and baking mixes. Believe it or not, this product is wheat-based, but has been formulated to have a very minimal impact on glucose levels...so this is a Godsend for those of us with type 2 diabetes who experience spikes after consuming simple carbs. It's a little "scientific" so I will just quote a little from the actual website about how they make this product:

Carbquik™ Baking Mix is made with enzyme-enriched wheat. What is "enzyme-enriched wheat" you ask?
Enzyme-enriched wheat is one of the innovations that make Carbalose™ and Carbquik™ so unique. Through a proprietary process, we combine wheat products with enzymes to create a flour-like product with minimal carbohydrates. This creates a product with the taste and properties of wheat flour without the carbs.

Carbquik™ Baking Mix is a revolutionary baking mix for everyone counting carbs. It's made from wheat so it tastes like flour, try it and you'll see that it tastes as good or better than the leading brand, with 90% less carbs!

What can I make with Carbquik™?

Carbquik will work in almost any recipe calling for traditional bake mix. It can be used in pancakes, biscuits, waffles, pizzas, and just about any other baked product. You can even fry with it (don't try that with other low-carb bake mixes).

What makes Carbquik™ better than other bake mixes?

Most low-carb bake mixes are made from soy, giving them gritty textures and soy aftertastes. Since Carbquik™ is made from wheat, products made with it taste just like products made using flour or other bake mixes. It's even lower in sodium and calories than the leading full-carb mix! Not only that, but most Carbquik™ recipes have 3 net carbs or less per serving!

So far with this mix, I have made drop biscuits that were light and tastey, and even tasted great leftover for breakfast the next morning, with a little sugar-free jam.

I've made sausage-cheese balls at the request of my husband. They came out FABULOUS!

And of course, I have made what I missed most...PANCAKES!! Wow...what a treat it was. I used Log Cabin sugar-free pancake syrup on top (go light as it is pretty heavy on the sugar alcohols...more about that in another blog.) -- But the end result was that I felt like I was really being indulged, yet my blood glucose stayed well within my acceptable range, and I set my "acceptable range" lower than any ranges the docs usually give.

CLICK HERE for 112 recipes using CARBQUICK:
http://www.tovaindustries.com/carbalose/recipe.php

CLICK HERE to find out even more:
http://www.tovaindustries.com/carbalose/page1.html

*I in no way am a representative for Tova Industries, Carbquik, or Carbalose...I just like their product a lot and think it's something that can add some occasional variety to the diabetic dieter or low-carbers.

What?!? No more white rice or potatoes?! RELAX...you'll get by! Read this...

Lots of us with type 2 diabetes have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that we must seriously limit our white rice and white potato intake. For many, these foods cause a sharp spike in glucose levels, which over the long term, wreaks havoc on our cells. But don't despair...there is a fabulous susbstitute that comes pretty darn close to both rice and potato...and it's cauliflower! Don't laugh! Just read on and see how the magic happens...

"Mashed Faux-tatoes"

1 large head of cauliflower, washed, drained and trimmed into florets
a little cream, margarine, and salt & pepper (the same things you add to your mashed potatoes)
optional - a little roasted garlic, shredded cheese, etc...

Boil, nuke, or steam the cauliflower until it's tender. Then place it all into the blender, breaking it up a bit as you put it in. Add the margarine, a little cream, S&P, and any other ingredients you wish to incorporate, and start blending on whip or frappe until it's basically smooth and the thickness you want. You can add more cream for thinner faux-tatoes, less for thicker. I like to leave little chunks of cauliflower here and there so they taste lumpy just like Grandma used to make.
I'm telling you...this is DELICIOUS and will not send your BG levels into the danger zone.

Now...for the "rice" --

Nicer "Rice"

I haven't actually tried this technique in anything other than stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage yet, but for those two things, it's awesome! (Just be forewarned about eating cabbage and cauliflower simultaneously...no blind dates that night, ok?)

Using any stuffed pepper or stuffed cabbage recipe, simply replace the rice with lightly steamed, very finely chopped cauliflower (just go at it with a chef's knife on the cutting board until it looks like...well...rice. Then add it in when you would the rice, and bake the peppers or cabbage rolls according to your recipe.
*Try to make your own tomato sauce for these recipes as many of the storebought ones contain TONS of sugar and/or corn syrup.

So there you have it...CAULIFLOWER, the magical cruciferous veggie, low in carbs, high in fiber, and much nicer to your body that white rice and potatoes!! Yay cauliflower!!

Berries & Nuts ~ Surviving in the wild world of diabetes

One of the first thing lots of folks think when they are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is that they will no longer be able to enjoy fruit because of the high natural sugar content. But wait...in most cases, fruit is our friend...especially wonderfully delicious berries! Most berries have a minimal impact on blood glucose levels, and we already know how good for us they are!
Now...unless you're trying to lose weight, nuts are a great food to incorporate into the type 2 diabetics way of eating. The closer to it's natural state, the better. I've curbed many weak moments with celery sticks and some natural peanut butter. My mom was choosey, so she raised us on JIF...so I like a slightly sweet peanut butter. If you are the same way, just stir about 1/4 tsp. of Splenda into 2 TBSP. of natural peanut butter and slather it onto celery, or rye crisps, or an apple...whatever makes you happy! Sure nuts have a high amount of fat in them, but it's not like bacon grease...LOL...it's heart healthy fat.

Here's a recipe for one of my favorite "grab it quick" snacks. Keep these on hand to squash the munchies!

"Sugar" Coated Pecans

• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 pound pecan halves
  
• 1 cup Splenda
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Grease one baking sheet.
2. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together Splenda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the Splenda mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

My husband eats these so fast, I have to stash some away for myself! =)

Cheers!