“This delicious make-ahead savory bread pudding makes a light breakfast-style recipe.  Pop in a cold oven if using a glass dish when baking,” says Best-Selling Cookbook Author Holly Clegg.

Ingredients

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cups packed baby spinach

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Half loaf French or Italian bread, cut into slices, divided

1 cup shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese, divided

2 eggs

3 egg whites

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1.  Preheat oven 350°F.  Coat 9x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2.  In large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté mushrooms, onion, and garlic until tender. Add spinach, stirring until wilted, and add flour, stirring to mix well. Season to taste; set aside.  Place half bread slices in prepared dish. 

3. Spread spinach mixture over bread and sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Top with remaining bread and remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

3. In bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, and mustard. Pour egg mixture evenly over casserole, refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

4. Bake at 350°F 40 – 50 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Terrific Tip: You can substitute 1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry for fresh spinach, if desired.  Adjust mushrooms and onions to your taste buds but they add great nutrition.

Nutritional Nugget:  This is a great dish to try several days before your next cycle of treatment. Good source of vitamins and minerals.

Makes about 7 (3/4-cup) servings

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 210, Calories from Fat 22%, Fat 5g, Saturated Fat 2g,Cholesterol 62 mg, Sodium 352 mg, Carbohydrates 26g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Total Sugars 6g, Protein 16g

With over 1.5 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy healthy everyday recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim &TERRIFIC®, Kitchen 101 and Eating Well cookbook series, including Eating Well Through Cancer, (English, Spanish and Chinese editions), Eating Well to Fight Arthritis and Diabetic Cooking with the American Diabetes Association. Holly Clegg attended the Cordon Bleu Cooking School, London. For more information, visit About Holly or The Healthy Cooking Blog for more recipes and tips.

Several women from the Divabetic community have reached out to us with concerns about eating eggs. We contacted one of our favorite certified diabetes educators and registered dietitians, Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND for her expert advice. 

“I am very comfortable recommending eggs as part of a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and other wholesome foods for most of my patients with diabetes. There is much to learn about individual differences, however, so it’s prudent to monitor cholesterol levels and adjust as necessary,” says Jill Weisenberger. 

Why You Should Consider Including Eggs In Your Diet:

Eggs are affordable and easy to prepare.

They contain lutein, a cousin to beta-carotene. Lutein makes its way into the macula of the eye where it helps protect vision.

Eggs are nutrient-dense, a source of high-quality protein, and are low in saturated fat. I encourage moderate amounts of protein at each of the three main meals to help my weight loss clients minimize muscle loss while they drop pounds.

What’s Up with Eggs?

The egg is one of those nutrient-dense foods that generates a lot of debate about its healthfulness. Because eggs are high in cholesterol, which has historically been linked to heart disease, the public has long been warned about eating too many eggs, especially the cholesterol-rich yolk. People with diabetes may have even greater concerns because their risk of developing heart disease is quite high.

Here Are a Few Things About Eggs:

Recently the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee stated that the evidence is not strong enough to conclude that cholesterol in foods raises blood cholesterol.

Some population studies have found that eating seven or more eggs weekly increases the risk of heart disease among people with diabetes. Not all studies find an association, however. I see a problem with population studies like these. The researchers cannot account for all of the variables in people’s diets. For example, on some plates, eggs keep company with wholesome fruit and whole-grain toast or oats. On other plates, eggs sit atop buttery biscuits and sausage gravy. Does the company eggs keep influence health? I would have to think so.

Jill Weisenberger’s comprehensive guide, ‘Prediabetes: A Complete Guide: Your Lifestyle Reset to Stop Prediabetes and Other Chronic Illnesses’ will lead you through dozens of concrete steps you can take to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Taking an individualized approach to your lifestyle “reset,” this book will allow you to choose your own path to wellness, help you gain a greater sense of wellbeing, boost your confidence in your abilities to maintain a healthful lifestyle, and potentially even help you reverse prediabetes and avoid type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses. You’ll be feeling better than you have in years! Inside, you will learn to:

Identify your risks for developing type 2 diabetes

Set personalized and meaningful behavioral goals

Identify and build on your motivation for a lifestyle reset

Create positive new habits

Change eating habits for weight loss and greater insulin sensitivity

Choose wholesome foods in the supermarket and when away from home

Tweak your favorite recipes

Reduce sedentary time

Start or improve upon an exercise plan

Reduce emotional eating

Organize and track your progress with tools included in the book

Much more

Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND is a great resource for all things nutrition, food and diabetes. Whether she’s speaking, writing, chatting on social media, appearing on TV or working with individuals, her candid and energetic approach appeals to busy people, and her sound nutrition and fitness advice gets results. In fact, her appreciation for science and ability to translate science into actionable information earned her a place in US News & World Report’s 10 Dietitian’s You Need to Follow on Social Media.