Food and Nutrition – Page 5

07/02/2022

Sugar-Free Banana Pudding Recipe by The Diabetic Pastry Chef

This past Wednesday night, we presented another diva-style diabetes wellness program with our friend, Stacey Harris, who is known as The Diabetic Pastry Chef.

I love the way Stacey experiments and encourages others to experiment with different flours and sugar substitutes in recipes. For example, Stacey will substitute one cup of sugar for a half cup of Splenda and a half cup of Whey Low D or replace white flour with a mixture of almond, soy, or bean flour in her recipes. Her approach corresponds to leading experts’ belief that a ‘one size fits all’ diet doesn’t exist for people living with diabetes. They recommend that we should develop our own personal nutrition plans for diabetes wellness. Read MORE.

Sugar-Free Banana Pudding Recipe by The Diabetic Pastry Chef

Ingredients

1 pkg. Sugar-free Vanilla Wafers

1- 1-oz. box Sugar-free Instant Vanilla Pudding

2 cups Whole Milk, Almond milk, or a combination of the two

1-2 ripe Bananas

1 cup of Sugar-free Whipped Cream or Sugar-free Whipped Topping

Directions

Prepare pudding per package directions using the 2 cups milk, almond milk, or a combination of the two; set aside. Line a small casserole dish, parfait dish, or trifle bowl with a layer of vanilla wafers. Top with a layer of prepared vanilla pudding. Add a layer of sliced bananas, and spread the top with a full layer or dollop of whipped cream. Garnish as desired (toasted coconut, raspberries, lemon twists, or cherries.

Do You Know?

Cup for cup, whole fat milk contains fewer carbohydrates than low-fat or skim because more of its volume is made up of fat, which does not contain lactose. It also has slightly less protein.

Stacey Harris has a blog full of great recipes. Click HERE.

Personally, I feel the kitchen is a great place to stretch, your creativity. It’s been widely reported that baking has the benefit of enhancing creative expression – which has been found to have a strong connection with overall wellbeing. Lately, I have been having fun creating fruit platters to glamorize good health!

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic talks to divas living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes about their favorite forms of exercise at NYC Summer Streets.

06/18/202206/18/2022

Sugar-Free Summertime Strawberry Pie by The Diabetic Pastry Chef

Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef was training to become a pastry chef at the Bidwell Culinary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Rather than abandon her pursuits, she began experimenting with dessert recipes to make them healthier and diabetes-friendly.

Sugar-Free Summertime Strawberry Pie by The Diabetic Pastry Chef

Pie Filling Ingredients

12-oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup Swerve Confectioner’s sugar substitute

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions: In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Turn the mixer to low and add the Swerve and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add the cream at low speed and once combined, turn the speed to high and continue beating until the mixture is thick but fluffy; set aside.

Strawberry Topping Ingredients

6 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

3 Tbsp. sugar-free strawberry jam

2 Tbsp. boiling water

Directions: Add the cream cheese filling to a 9 -10-inch sugar-free graham cracker pie crust and smooth. Arrange strawberries overlapping on top of cream cheese filling. Combine jam and boiling water and brush the top of the strawberries. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

06/02/2022

New Beauty Trend: Oat Milk Blondes

According to Allure magazine the latest hair color trend that will be everywhere this summer is… “oat milk blonde.”

What is Oat Milk Blonde?

Well, it isn’t super bright or not borderline brown. The color lands in between those two shades. Still confused?

It’s more of a lived-in blonde that has soft shades of brown mixed in. Some of our favorite oat milk blonde celebrities are Uma Thurman, and Elizabeth Olsen.

For those who would be more likely to drink oat milk rather than get it for hair color, oat milk is generally low in protein and high in carbohydrates. Oat milk contains only about 1.5 grams of fat and 2 grams of protein. With a creamy texture, oat milk generally has a mild flavor that goes well in coffee. Calories per cup of oat milk are comparable to skim cow’s milk at 90 per serving. Don’t forget even plain oat milk has about 4 grams of added sugar! It also contains more fiber than either cow’s milk or nut-based milk, but hold off on swapping a bowl of steel-cut oats for glass.

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘ADDED SUGAR’ on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with musical inspiration from Sade.

Divabetic’s podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller, Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

05/29/2022

Patriotic Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe by Splenda

Our friends at Splenda have been graciously donating Baking Kits for our free Baking Parties with the Diabetic Pastry Chef on Zoom.

Patriotic Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from Splenda

Ingredients

3/4 cup vegetable oil spread, room temperature

2 small eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup Splenda® Monk Fruit Granulated Sweetener

1 cup almond flour

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup stevia-sweetened semisweet chocolate chips

Red food coloring

Blue food coloring

Star sprinkles (optional)

Click HERE for the Full Recipe

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

05/05/202205/05/2022

Double Crust Peach Cobbler Recipe by Splenda

Splenda Baking Kits are just one of the many wonderful prizes you can win when you join us for Divabetic’s free Baking Parties with the Diabetic Pastry Chef on Zoom.

Our recent winner, Anita W. from Buffalo, NY found some inspiration along with a rolling pin, apron, measuring cups, and various Splenda products in her Splenda Baking Kit! She wrote back to us, “I received the prize and I loved all of it. I made some peanut butter cookies with the Splenda and the cookie cutter.”

Double Crust Peach Cobbler Recipe by Splenda

Ingredients

1 box of refrigerated pie crusts, softened

10 cups sliced fresh peaches

1 3/4 cups Splenda Granulated Sweetener

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup pineapple juice

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly spray an 11” x 7” baking dish with cooking spray.
Unroll one piecrust; roll out and trim to an 11” x 7” rectangle. Place in prepared baking dish. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Click HERE for the full recipe

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

05/03/202205/06/2022

Baked Stuffed Peppers Recipe from Walden Farms

Linda B. from Pennsylvania won our Walden Farms Prize package at last week’s Divabetic Baking Party with the Diabetic Pastry Chef.

Linda received several flavors of Walden Farms Calorie-free Salad Dressing, USA Today Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes cozy mystery, and Peak 10 Save My Soles Foot Rescue Cream. Made with culinary-inspired blends of herbs and spices, the finest kinds of vinegar, and a wide variety of natural flavors, Walden Farms Salad Dressings add the perfect flavor to your salad faves – without adding calories, carbs and fat. Try some today!

Enjoy this lighter twist to a tasty classic recipe:

Baked Stuffed Peppers Recipe from Walden Farms

Ingredients

2 medium yellow bell peppers

2 tsp olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 1/2 cups priced cauliflower

6 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and chopped

1/4 cup Walden Farms Raspberry Vinaigrette

2 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp mint, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top off each pepper and scoop out the seeds and the white membrane.

Heat a small skillet, add oil, and shallot, and cook for a few minutes. Add cauliflower, raisins, salt, and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and add bacon, mint, and vinaigrette. Toss to combine and stuff the peppers. Transfer stuffed peppers, uncovered, along with the tops, into a small, sprayed baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When done, cover peppers with the tops and serve.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2

Walden Farms kitchens develop the world’s only comprehensive assortment of calorie-free products with zero calories, fat, net carbs, gluten, or sugars of any kind! Since 1972, Walden Farms has created delicious tasting zero calorie and zero fat Salad Dressings for healthy eaters. Today, their offerings also include syrups, coffee creamers, condiments, spreads, dips, sauces, and a full line of specialty condiments and food enhancers.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

04/28/2022

Divabetic Baking Party Hightlights

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk?

Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosted a free, fun Mother’s Day-themed Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris, known professionally as The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, on Zoom.

The Diabetic Pastry Chef prepared her Sugar-Free Yellow Sunflower Cake recipe, shared her favorite kitchen tool, and answered our baking questions about substituting sugar substitutes and alternative flours in recipes.

Several participants won gifts courtesy of Arthel Neville Design, Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Nail Care, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes‘, and Peak 10 Skin’s Save My Sole Foot Rescue Cream and Splenda.

The Holidays are full of surprises— especially after Mr. Divabetic gets a new job as the pastry chef at the St. Nicholas Nursing Home nestled in a cozy Christmas Village. But adjusting to life in a Christmas Village is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous resident, a real-life Ebenezer Scrooge, named Mr. Pincher almost dies——shortly after eating one of Max’s peanut butter swirl brownies. Despite all of the ingredients for danger, Mr. Divabetic along with our team of amateur sleuths and his overly protective mother — set out to find the real culprit in the hopes that his name isn’t on a lethal naughty list.

Our story was inspired by Kevin Houdeshell’s tragic true-life story. Thanks to the Houdeshell family for their advocacy efforts on behalf of the Emergency Insulin Act of 2019 and the emergency prescription refill legislation. Known as Kevin’s or Howdy’s Law, it allows pharmacists to dispense an emergency supply of a chronic maintenance medication if the doctor cannot be reached – a common-sense act that could save a life.

Starring Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie Gentle, Terri Seidman, MaryAnn Nicolay, Trisha Artman, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, and Wendy Radford. Special thanks to the Houdeshell family, and Pharmacist Mandy Reece. Original music by Ivan Hampden Jr., Celine Dion’s vocals courtesy of SONY Music. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir.

In the spirit of Scrooge’s awakening at the end of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we encourage you to honor Christmas in your heart by living in the Past, The Present, and the Future. Try to embrace the Spirits of all Three and the lessons that they teach.

04/13/202204/14/2022

Eating Tip #3 for People With Diabetes: Prep, Portion and Freeze!

Figuring out what to eat with diabetes can be daunting – so our friend and colleague, Hope Warshaw, RD, CDCES has written a series on healthy eating tips featuring leading dietitians, who work with people with diabetes, to share proven strategies to help improve your diabetes wellness.

“A tried-and-true strategy for healthy, appropriately portioned meals is batch cooking,” says Janice MacLeod, MA, RDN, CDCES, FADCES, the head of Clinical Advocacy in Global Professional Affairs & Clinical Education for Medtronic’s Diabetes Group. “This creates meals to have on hand when you don’t have time to cook. When it comes to a ratio for portions of each food group, think of the plate as a pie chart to achieve the “ideal plate ratio;” half of it should be vegetables, cooked or raw, one-quarter should be protein (about three to four ounces of protein). The other quarter can be healthy grains or more vegetables.”

Read more of Hope Warshaw’s interviews with Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDN, CDCES, FADCES, and Janice MacLeod MA, RDN, CDCES, FADCES for advice on increasing your fiber intake, food prep, and how best to use the services of certified diabetes care and education specialist in her article, Healthy Eating Tips for People with Diabetes: Part 2 for diatribe.

Join us for Divabetic’s upcoming free Baking Party with The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom and you’ll be automatically entered into our random drawing for Divabetic’s prize giveaway.

Elizabeth is one of our past prize winners. Sh

Over 150 people registered for our last Divabetic Baking Party on Zoom, so don’t miss out! Register now for Divabetic’s Baking Party on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW – FREE REGISTRATION

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic raises awareness for living a full, fabulous diabetes life at the Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City, NY. Special guests Carla Cravens, Catherine Schuller, Amy Goldin, and Jean & Valerie from Life Dressing: The Idiosyncratic Fashionistas. The New York City Easter Parade has been an annual tradition since Civil War days and features marchers in elaborate Easter finery, including some of the fanciest Easter bonnets imaginable.

04/12/2022

Sugar-Free Yellow Sunflower Cake Recipe by the Diabetic Pastry Chef

If you’re an avid Divabetic baker like we are, you’re always on the lookout for tips to help improve your skills. Recently, we learned that parchment paper is an essential baking tool because it creates a nonstick surface. So if you want brownies to lift out of the pan or cookies to slide off the sheet, parchment paper is a must. It can be a little pricey, but it’s 100% worth it— when your cake slides right out of the pan.

Sugar-Free Yellow Sunflower Cake Recipe by the Diabetic Pastry Chef

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups dry sugar substitute of your choice

4 large eggs, room temp

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temp

1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles, reserved for topping

Directions

Grease and flour your pan; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, cream the butter, oil, and sugar substitute until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk; mix well. Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until combined, being careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven onto a baking rack and unmold after about 10 minutes. Cool and fill the center with mini chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles.

Note: My sugar substitute was erythritol. I used a Nordic Ware Sunflower Cake Pan to make this cake.

Traditionally, Sunflower cakes are made in a Nordic Ware Sunflower pan. However, this Sunflower Cake can also be made in a round bundt pan. Fill in the center hole with mini chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles and use a sugar-free, thick, yellow glaze ladled around the top of the cake to look like cascading petals.

Elizabeth is one of our past prize winners. Sh

Over 150 people registered for our last Divabetic Baking Party on Zoom, so don’t miss out! Register now for Divabetic’s Baking Party on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW – FREE REGISTRATION

03/15/202203/15/2022

Easy To Make Celebrity-Inspired Charcuterie Plates!

Entertaining with diabetes doesn’t have to be bland. Learn to entertain like a Divabetic and turn your everyday meals into occasions.

Make your next gathering more memorable by focusing on ‘fun’ rather than the ‘food’ aspect of entertaining.

One way to host a fun night is by serving celebrity-inspired Charcuterie Boards.

The word “charcuterie” is a French term for a line of cooking devoted to prepared meat products. But today, charcuterie has become synonymous with wooden boards filled with meats, cheese, produce, crackers, artisan bread, and dips.

The key to making a healthy charcuterie board is to use all kinds of fresh produce for your bite-sized goodies. Choose meats that are preferably free of nitrates and minimally processed. Celery and carrots are always a great stand-by option. So are cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, roasted peppers, hot peppers, cucumber slices, cauliflower, and broccoli. Try to use a variety of textures, colors, and flavors that everyone will enjoy.

Recently, I made five different Celebrity-inspired Charcuterie Plates. My guests had to correctly identify my celebrity inspirations by the items on my Charcuterie Plates. When they needed extra help, I also allowed them to ask me ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions about each celebrity inspiration.

Here’s how I created my Sophia Loren-inspired Charcuterie Plate.

I purchased five mini-brownie tin pans at a nearby Dollar Store. Each tin was $1.99. Then, I lined each tin with waxed paper before placing various food items on them.

My Sophia Loren-inspired Charcuterie plate featured black olives, Parmesan cheese, prosciutto-wrapped sundried tomatoes, and Italian bread. Seconds after putting the Charcuterie Plate down in front of them, my friends correctly guessed Sophia Loren!

We had a lot of fun talking about Sophia Loren’s career, other Italian celebrities, and additional food items.

My celebrity inspiration, Sophia Loren, was born on September 20, 1934, in Rome, Italy. She rose above her poverty-stricken origins in postwar Naples to become one of Italy’s most famous movie stars. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Cesira in the film Two Women (1961), directed by Vittorio De Sica.

Sophia Loren was the first actor to win an Oscar for a non-English-language performance.

Later she earned an Academy Honorary Award in 1991.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Mother’s Day-themed Baking Party with special guests, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef and Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

Win gifts courtesy of Arthel Neville Design FABULOUS East/West Tote, Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Nail Care gift set, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes‘s Camper Cozy Mystery, Walden Farms Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs Salad Dressings, and Peak 10 Skin’s Save My Sole Foot Rescue Cream during Mr. Divabetic’s random drawings. You must be present at our Baking Party to enter our gift drawings to win.

Over 150 people registered for our last Divabetic Baking Party on Zoom, so don’t miss out!