Sure, it can be difficult at times to enjoy the holidays when you’re living with diabetes especially if you feel like you can’t enjoy the foods your actually preparing for your family and friends! Why not take the opportunity this Father’s Day to change your mindset as well as your family’s about what healthy tastes like?

Did you know the idea to celebrate Father’s Day originated in the USA and has been officially celebrated there on the third Sunday in June since 1966?

Many people credit Grace Golden Clayton, from Fairmont, West Virginia for the concept of Father’s Day, after she suggested a day celebrating fatherhood in 1908.

She put forward the idea following a mine explosion in a nearby town which killed more than 360 men – arguing that children in the town needed a time to remember their fathers.

Mrs Clayton may have been inspired by Anna Jarvis’ work to establish Mother’s Day; two months prior.

Now, the day exists simply to remind everyone that dads are great.

Our Divabetic Father’s Day Celebration takes on a Spaghetti Western theme to encourage you to embrace your ‘inner cowboy’ to stay on track with your diabetes health and keep on riding!

Cowboys, like today’s miners and farmers, symbolize courage, optimism, and plain hard work. They also remind you that success isn’t only measured with materials, but by where you find satisfaction.

One of our favorite experts, Best-Selling Cookbook Author Holly Clegg shares this Southwestern menu for a Divabetic Father’s Day Celebration.  Holly’s menu includes Southwestern Roasted Vegetables, Asparagus with Zucchini Rings, Vodka Pasta, Beer Bread , Butternut Squash, Black Bean and Feta Enchiladas with Salsa Verde,  Southwestern Pasta (We will be posting one recipe each day throughout the upcoming week).

Southwestern Roasted Vegetables by Holly Clegg

“A fantastic satisfying vegetable entrée as the spicy taco seasoning perfectly contrasts the naturally sweet yams,” says Holly. “Throw on a steak if someone desires a more substantial meal to serve with the vegetables.  Goes great with pork tenderloin.”

Ingredients:

4 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes (yams), cut in 1-inch cubes 

1 1/2 cups zucchini, cut into small chunks

1 small red onion, cut into small chunks

1 (6-ounce) package portabella mushroom slices, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix (about half of a 1.25-oz packet)

Salt to taste 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line with foil.

2. In large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, zucchini, onion, and mushrooms. Toss with olive oil to coat vegetables. Sprinkle with taco seasoning, toss and spread vegetables on baking sheet.

3. Bake 40 minutes, shaking pan every 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and roasted.

Makes 8 servings/ serving size: 1/2 cup

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 110, Protein (g) 2, Carbohydrate (g) 17, Fat (g) 4, Calories from Fat (%)31, Saturated Fat (g) 1, Dietary Fiber (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 0, Sodium (mg) 209 Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 0.5 fat

Holly Clegg’s Terrific Tidbit: Pop any leftovers into a soup pot with some chicken broth for a terrific Southwestern vegetable soup.  Lining the pan with foil makes quick clean up!

With over 1 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy healthy everyday recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim&TERRIFIC® 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.

Spaghetti Western, also known as Italian Western or Macaroni Western (primarily in Japan), is a broad subgenre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone‘s film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by American critics and other countries because most of these Westerns were produced and directed by Italians.

The film, A Fistful of Dollars was at first intended by Leone to reinvent the western genre in Italy. In his opinion, the American westerns of the mid- to late-1950s had become stagnant, overly preachy and not believable.

Clint Eastwood was not the first actor approached to play the main character. Originally, Sergio Leone intended Henry Fonda to play the “Man with No Name.” However, the production company could not afford to employ a major Hollywood star. Next, Leone offered Charles Bronson the part. He, too, declined, arguing that the script was bad. Both Fonda and Bronson would later star in Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

The Code of the West 

Cowboy Ethics – What it Takes to Win at Life is worth the quick read. James P. Owen’s Code of the West rings true for cowboys, farmers, miners, and folks behind the scenes in our industry.

Owen sees his four elements of character and ‘The Code of the West’ as a tool for self-discovery and personal success, “Whenever someone chooses to do the right thing, to tackle the tough job, or to stand up for what he or she truly believes in, that person quietly becomes a force of good.”

The Code of the West by James P. Owen 

1. Live each day with courage.
2. Take pride in your work.
3. Always finish what you start.
4. Do what has to be done.
5. Be tough, but fair.
6. When you make a promise, keep it.
7. Ride for the brand.
8. Talk less and say more.
9. Remember that some things aren’t for sale.
10. Know where to draw the line.

Divabetic Father’s Day: Celebrity Dads & Diabetes 

It’s been a few years since Tom Hanks shared that he was living  with type 2 diabetes during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Tom revealed that he blames himself for not having followed a healthier diet when he was younger, explaining that it has led to his health struggles today.

“I’m part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now finds ourselves with a malady,” the Saving Private Ryan star told the Radio Times. “I was heavy. You’ve seen me in movies, you know what I looked like. I was a total idiot.”

Tom Hanks admitted that he had been struggling with high blood sugar for years during his sit down interview with Dave.

“I went to the doctor and he said, ‘You know those high blood sugar numbers you’ve been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you’ve graduated! You’ve got Type 2 diabetes young man,'” Tom Hanks told David, before adding that “it’s controllable.”

Tom’s wife, actress and producer Rita Wilson opened up about how the diagnosis has forced them to make some lifestyle changes

“We’ve really cut back a lot on sugar, and we find time in every day to exercise,” Wilson told People at the movie premiere of Fed Up, a documentary that explores the country’s current obesity epidemic. “We actually walk and hike together. We’re not going to be doing duo, tantric yoga, or whatever.”

In addition to revamping the couple’s diet and exercise routine, the health scare also gave Wilson a fresh mindset. “When [you] were younger, you used to watch what you eat and exercise because you wanted to look really awesome,” explained the actress. “And now it’s because you want to feel really awesome.”

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Spotlight podcast featuring Holly Clegg. The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on author and chef, Holly Clegg, in this half-hour special edition of Diva Talk Radio. This fun-filled food frenzy will feature expert advice on quick, flavorful and healthy eating from Holly’s latest book, ‘Too Hot in the Kitchen:  Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age’