Tag: carbs

Posted on

Diabetic Pastry Chef’s Sugar-Free Apricot Brandy Pound Cake Recipe

Living with Type 2 diabetes doesn’t compromise the Diabetic Pastry Chef, Stacey Harris’s creativity in the kitchen. After attending culinary school, Stacey taught herself how to make pound cake, pecan rolls, pies, muffins, cupcakes, and other baked goods with about half the carbohydrates in traditional bakery items. 

If you’re feeling deprived of your favorite holiday treats because you’re living with diabetes, then check out this new recipe from our friend, Stacey. 

From her tasty treats to her outlook on life, this pastry chef keeps things as sweet as can be as well as … sugar-free!

Diabetic Pastry Chef’s Holiday Recipe

Diabetic Pastry Chef‘s Sugar-Free Apricot Brandy Pound Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups butter, softened

3 cups sugar-substitute of your choice

6 eggs

1 tsp orange extract

1 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp almond extract

1/4 cup apricot brandy

3 cups cake flour, sifted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube cake or bundt pan. Cream butter and gradually add sugar substitute. Continue creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Blend in extracts and brandy. Gradually add the flour and beat until smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the tube pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean and the edges of the cake have come away from the sides of the pan. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan before unmolding. Cool completely. Add glaze and arrange apricots and mint on top.

Glaze Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar-free apricot preserves

1Tbsp. apricot brandy or leftover apricot nectar from the can

1 8-ounce can of apricot halves, drained

fresh mint for garnishing

Directions

Heat the apricot preserves until melted. Remove from heat and stir in brandy or nectar. Spread the warm glaze over the cake and sides. Garnish with the apricot halves, which can also be glazed, and garnish with the mint. Enjoy

Stacey Notes for the Best Results:

This recipe is revised from an old Ebony magazine recipe. It is a showstopper! It works well for holidays. I have made it as is. I have also made it using canola butter in place of whole butter. I have successfully made the cake by cutting the butter to 1 cup and adding 1/2 cup sour cream. I suppose yogurt would also work in place of the sour cream. You can read more about Stacey’s experience making her Sugar-Free Apricot Brandy Pound Cake recipe on her blog.

I generally mix my sugar substitutes to get the best flavor, baking properties, and health results. For this cake, I used 1 cup of Splenda, 1 cup of Stevia in the Raw, and 1 cup of Whey Low. Do not try to use Splenda alone unless you’re using Splenda for Baking.

If you’re interested in making over one of your holiday specialties with sugar substitutes, Stacey recommends using a blend of sugar substitutes in your recipe rather than just one for the best results. 

Posted on

Divabetic Mysteries Podcast: Kill Me Madam

Divabetic’s Mysteries podcast, Kill Me Madam, is packed with loads of diabetes information and self-care tips wrapped up in a cozy mystery radio drama.

There’s a good indication that murder might be part of the recipe when Nantucket’s ten-time reigning Baking Champion’s last name is ‘Coffin.’

But resentment, greed, and Britannia’s bad dealings turn everyone into a suspect when she’s found dead in the parking lot just before the Annual Decadents on Deck! Bake Off competition is about to kick off.

Delusional baker and amateur sleuth Mr. Divabetic is even shocked to find himself being treated as a suspect in the case by the local police after meeting her just once!

As if his life wasn’t crazy enough before, escaping a murderous mishap in New York and attempting a fresh start in Nantucket has become a complete and utter baking disaster.

Max, along with his friends and nosy mother, have to add tracking down a murderer to his To-Do list, too.

Can our team hunt down the real murderer before they strike again? Will he become the next victim? Can Max ever manage to bake an edible cake?

Stevia, acesulfame K, and sucralose are low-calorie sweeteners that can be 200–600 times sweeter than sugar. Our friend, Stacey Harris known as the The Diabetic Pastry Chef recommends using multiple sugar substance rather than just one substitute in your best recipes for the best results.

Almond or coconut flour are lower in carbohydrates and higher in fiber, which can help slow down the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream.

For more baking tips and a captivating murder mystery, tune in to Divabetic’s Mysteries podcast: Kill Me Madam on YouTube, Blog Talk Radio, iTunes and Spotify.

FEATURING
Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, MaryAnn Horst-Nicolay MEd, NDRT, Lorraine Brooks, Catherine Schuller, Wendy Radford, CoachThe Cure‘s Trisha Artman, Mama Rose Marie, and Seveda Williams.

Carb Kitty make carbohydrate counting fun! Carbohydrate counting, or “carb counting,” can help you manage your blood glucose levels. Foods that contain carbohydrates raise your blood glucose values. By monitoring the amount of carbohydrates you eat can help to better understand your blood glucose levels.

Carbohydrates (“carbs”) can be counted 2 ways: by grams or by carb choices. Remember: 1 carb choice = 15 grams of carbohydrate. Mr. Divabetic’s new educational game, Carb Kitty, makes counting carbs fun.

Posted on

Sugar-Free Butter- Rum Cakelets Recipe By The Diabetic Pastry Chef

Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, participated in Divabetic’s first-ever World Menopause Day program on Zoom. During the program, Stacey demonstrated how to make her Sugar-Free Butter-Rum Cakelets and answered participants’ questions.

Stacey defined ‘sugar-free baking’ as baking without any sugar. But she added that her recipes contain carbohydrates.  After you eat carbohydrates (grains, flour, etc.) your body turns those carbohydrates into glucose (sugar). Glucose gives your cells energy. The glucose moves into the bloodstream and your blood sugar level rises.

Everyone has a different carbohydrate tolerance. One person may be able to eat a carb-heavy diet with no problem, and another may get blood sugar spikes and gain weight from eating very few carbohydrates. Both people can be healthy, as long as they are eating within their personal tolerance levels. Talk to your healthcare collaborator about what plan is best for you. 

Mini bundt cakes with icing sugar on rack

Sugar-Free Butter- Rum Cakelets

Stacey says, “This cake comes together a little differently than most cakes, but is very moist with rum and delicious!”

Ingredients 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups sugar substitute of your choice

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup evaporated milk

4 large eggs

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup rum of your choice.

Directions

Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, sugar substitute, butter, and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed for several minutes until the mixture is crumbly and sandy-looking.

Mix in the milk. Next, mix in the eggs one by one, mixing well after each, remembering to scrape the sides of the bowl well after each egg is added.

Add the rum and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

Pour the batter and spread it into the cavities of two cakelet pans with six cavities each.

Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for about 35 or 40 minutes, or until the cakes look golden brown and begin to loosen from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing.

Unmold the cakelets and, with a skewer, fork, or toothpick, prick holes into the cakelets straight down to the bottoms of each.

Butter-Rum Sauce

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar substitute of your choice

1/4 cup water

1/2 to 3/4 cup rum of your choice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Add butter, sugar substitute, and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for 7 or 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool completely. Add the rum and vanilla extract.

Slowly spoon the sauce over each cakelet. Cover cakelets with plastic wrap and allow to sit for several hours or overnight. The cakelets will not look glazed. They can be frozen or stored at room temperature for several days.  Yield: 12 cakelets.

 

Mr. Divabetic talks to Dr. Michael Grego, the “Keto Doc,” on this podcast with musical inspiration from legendary DJ John Loungo.

The keto diet reduces the number of carbohydrates you eat and teaches your body to burn fat for fuel instead. The keto diet is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates. The standard keto diet consists of 70% to 80% fats, 10% to 20% proteins, and 5% to 10% carbohydrates.

Dr. Grego is a Naturopathic Physician and the author of 3 books, The Nutritional Ketogenic Diet, Clean Keto vs. Dirty Keto, and The InsulThin Diet.

Dr. Grego’s unique approach emphasizing insulin resistance and sugar has been foundational in creating the revolutionary insulThin Diet. We will discuss how he created his step-by-step nutrition blueprint for the popular Ketogenic diet.

Throughout the podcast, we feature music from The Essential John Luongo album courtesy of SONY Music.

Posted on

25th Anniversary of Broadway Barks

I attended the 25th annual Broadway Barks pet adoption event in Shubert Alley on Broadway on Saturday, July 8, 2023. People could meet and greet adoptable cats and dogs with celebrity presentations hosted by  Broadway Barks co-founder and Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters and Randy Rainbow and appearances by  Josh Groban from ‘Sweeney Todd’ and Jason Alexander from ‘Seinfeld.’

The free event was open to the public, and proceeds benefited the participating rescue and shelter groups, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Several celebrities showed up. Marsha Mason, and Carol Kane, introduced dogs with multiple health issues up for adoption. Tony winner Victoria Clark from “Kimberly Akimbo” introduced a beautiful dog.

Perhaps the strangest moment of the rag-tag show featuring ongoing sound system issues was Donna Murphy’s heartfelt but uninteresting tribute to her dog.  The long-winded, dull-as-dishwater story of her dog’s adoption, with tidbits like her dog, hails from South Carolina, after a delayed start, left audience members wanting to give her the hook. “Learn how to read the room, lady,” one disgruntled audience member barked at the stage. Her story had nothing to do with the actual dogs up for adoption.

Tony winner Victoria Clark from “Kimberly Akimbo” introduced a beautiful dog. Victoria Clark has performed in numerous Broadway musicals and other theatre, film, and television works. Her soprano voice can also be heard on various cast albums and animated films.

Ageless Bernadette Peters was often abrupt with her cohost and seemed distracted during most of the show. However, she and Divabetic inspiration Mary Tyler Moore co-founded Broadway Barks.

Mary Tyler Moore was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 33 years; she was on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Her public statements about type 1 diabetes humanized the condition and gave voice to the thoughts, struggles, and experiences of many others living with the disease.

She changed the world for people living with diabetes, researchers seeking its cure, and health care providers for those with the disease.

“Mary will go down in the annals of comedy history as a genius comedy actor,” Bernadette Peters told ABC News’ “20/20.” “She was an original… She came from a true place inside herself, which we all can relate to. She made us look at it in a different way, in a funny way.”

Over 1,700 dogs and cats have found permanent homes due to Broadway Barks. Originally conceived as a program to promote the adoption of shelter animals, Broadway Barks has fostered a community spirit among many animal shelters and rescue groups. 

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS produces Broadway Barks each year, providing the talent and expertise that has helped make Broadway Barks successful and memorable year after year.

Mr. Divabetic chats with ‘New York Times bestselling author Mark Dagostino about his latest book Ellie & Coach: Diabetes, the Fight for My Daughter’s Life, and the Dog Who Changed Everything on this episode of Divabetic’s popular podcast.

Elle & Coach is the true story of a Type-A mom struggling to care for a daughter who has Type 1 diabetes and of an incredible service dog who changes their lives for the better.

Stefany Shaheen tries everything to manage her daughter Elle’s deadly and unpredictable disease. Overcoming the skepticism that a dog can provide answers that medical science is still seeking, the family finds a resounding sense of peace and reassurance through Coach’s near miraculous abilities as a medic-alert dog, specially trained to detect dangerous changes in blood sugar levels.

Plus, Professional Animal Trainer Debby Kay, who specializes in scent detection work with dogs, shares how diabetes-alert dogs help people with type 1 diabetes. Debby Kay’s Super Sniffer® Medical Alert Dog Seminar for Trainers provides everything you need to start.

 

Posted on

Carb Kitty Videos Make Counting Carbs Fun For Everyone

Divabetic’s Carb Kitty Games make carbohydrate counting fun! Carbohydrate counting or “carb counting” can help you manage your blood glucose levels.

Most adults with diabetes aim for 45-60 grams of carbs per meal and 15-20 grams per snack. That number may go up or down, depending on how active you are and the medicines you take, so check with your healthcare collaborator.

Foods that contain carbohydrates raise your blood glucose values. By monitoring the number of carbohydrates, you eat can help to better understand your blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates (“carbs”) can be counted in 2 ways: by grams or by carb choices.

Remember, 1 carb choice or one serving of carbohydrates = 15 grams of carbohydrate. For example, one slice of bread, a small piece of fruit, or an ear of corn each have around 15 grams of carbs. Each of these equals one carb serving.

Most food items have nutrition labels on their packaging, showing the total carbohydrate count per serving. Be sure to look at the serving size, too. Certain packaged foods may contain more servings than you think. If you are eating out, call the restaurant, check out their website, or ask for their menu nutrition facts when you arrive.

Put together a food journal for many foods and meals you normally eat and their carb count per your typical serving. This can be something you keep on your smartphone or tablet. Start by writing down the foods and beverages you eat at each meal.  If you don’t know the portion size you usually eat, measure the food and take note of the portion size. Next, combine the individual foods into meals, and add the total carbohydrate count for each meal.

Over time, you’ll know how many carbs are in certain foods you eat and how they affect your blood glucose levels.

Posted on

Divabetic’s Carb Kitty Game Videos

Divabetic‘s Carb Kitty game videos make carbohydrate counting fun!

Carbohydrate counting, or “carb counting,” can help you manage your blood glucose levels.

Foods that contain carbohydrates raise your blood glucose values. By monitoring the amount of carbohydrates you eat can help to better understand your blood glucose levels.

Carbohydrates (“carbs”) can be counted 2 ways: by grams or by carb choices.

Remember: 1 carb choice = 15 grams of carbohydrate.

The golden rule of treating hypoglycemia know as ‘15–15 rule’—have 15 grams of carbohydrate to raise your blood sugar and check it after 15 minutes. If it’s still below 70 mg/dL, have another serving. Repeat these steps until your blood sugar is at least 70 mg/dL. Once your blood sugar is back to normal, eat a meal or snack to make sure it doesn’t lower again.

We’re talking about a ‘New Year, New You‘ attitude about living with diabetes with musical inspiration from Aaliyah on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Although Aaliyah died at the age of 22 and had a short music career due to her early passing, the singer’s music helped to redefine R&B, pop, and even hip-hop. And her legacy continues to live on. Her hard work ethic, creativity, and her sweet demeanor have inspired fans over the past two decades.

Diabetes Late Nite podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Pendulum Therapeutics CEO and Co-Founder Colleen Cutcliffe, Ph. D., (the maker of Pendulum Glucose Control), Virginia Valentine, APRN, BC-ADM, CDE, FAADE, Dr. Darren Wayne from MealBetix and Yoga For Diabetes Author Rachel Zinman.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Aaliyah’s Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number album courtesy of SONY Music.

Posted on

Divabetic Smart Snacks #4

Choosing healthy snacks can be difficult when you have diabetes.

The key is to choose snacks that are high in fiber, protein and healthy fats. These nutrients will help keep your blood sugar levels under control.

It’s also important to snack on nutrient-dense foods that promote overall health.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans have close to 15 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber in a 1-cup (164-gram) serving of chickpeas, making them an excellent snack for people with diabetes.

Oasis Mediterranean Cuisine’s Hommus Crisps

One of our new favorite snacks, Oasis Mediterranean Cuisine’s Hommus Crisps‘ contain: chickpeas, green lentils, corn, sesame seeds, vegetable oil, sea salt.

FIND OUT MORE

Carb Kitty Video Games
Posted on

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe from Collar Greens Health & Wellness Day

Enoy this popular, low carb Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe from Collar Greens Health & Wellness Day presented at Central Farm Markets in Fairfax, VA. This recipe is adapted from the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Forecast Magazine.

A low-carb diet can help people with diabetes better manage their blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates or carbs raise blood sugar levels more than other foods.

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

6 large lettuce leaves, Boston or Bibb lettuce works well

4 oz. skinless chicken breast, grilled or poached, and finely chopped

2 tbsp Asian peanut sauce (recipe below)

1 carrot, julienned or grated

1 red pepper, diced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Toss the chicken with the peanut sauce

Laying a piece of the lettuce on a plate. Top the lettuces with the chicken, peanut sauce, carrots, peppers, and scallions. Roll up the lettuce leaf and enjoy.

Makes: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 wrap 

Asian Peanut Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup  creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups reduced -sodium, low-fat chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

3 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar blend

2 tbsp  light (lower-sodium) soy sauce

2 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes

Directions

Heat the peanut butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken broth, and mix until combined. 

Add in the remaining ingredients, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Use as sauce over cooked shrimp, scallops, chicken, turkey, or beef.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days for the freezer for 3 months 

*this recipe contains gluten because of the soy sauce 

Watch Divabetic’s Thai Chicken Lettuce Cooking Demonstration at Collar Greens Health & Wellness Day on Facebook Live Video

Have Fun Counting Carbs!
Posted on

Few Type 1s Meet A1C Goals Despite Treatment Innovations

“There is no indication that A1C levels in the registry as a whole have improved despite an increase in the use of insulin pumps and CGM’s (continuous glucose monitors),” said the authors of the T1D Exchange Clinic Network’s “State of Type 1 Diabetes Management and Outcomes from the T1D Exchange in 2016-2018″.  


The majority of both youth and adults surveyed aren’t meeting A1C goals defined by the American Diabetes Association.

The A1C test result reflects your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Specifically, the A1C test measures what percentage of your hemoglobin — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen — is coated with sugar (glycated). The higher your A1C level, the poorer your blood sugar control and the higher your risk of diabetes complications.

While much of the report can be seen as disheartening, there are some great takeaways – CGM and insulin pump users tend to have lower A1Cs and less hypoglycemia, suggesting the need for improved access to these devices in the type 1 community.

READ MORE

Diabetes Late Nite podcast with music from Ricky Martin

We’re talking about ‘Diabetes & Pride’ on June’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with musical inspiration from Ricky Martin.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Stonewall Uprising (June 29, 1969). It is widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement.

Since Ricky Martin came out in 2010, he’s been a prominent voice for LGBT rights both in the U.S. and in his native Puerto Rico. Ricky Martin said, “I just wanna be free,” upon receiving GLAAD’s Vito Russo Award, which honors gay entertainers who promote equal rights. Martin opened up his life to Vanity Fair in its April 2012 issue and spoke candidly about his twins, Matteo and Valentino, and his longtime partner, Carlos Gonzalez.

As an openly gay man, Mr. Divabetic is honored to shine the spotlight on members from the LGBTQ+ community living with diabetes. Guests include Stephen Bernstein, Greg Rubin, Maria Salazar, Maya James and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach.

Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a  lot.”

LISTEN NOW

Carb Kitty Video
Posted on

Are You Afraid to Eat Carbs? on July’s Diabetes Late Nite

Have you completely sworn off carbs since being diagnosed with diabetes?

This angst is easy to understand when every day we are bombarded with health messages to limit, restrict, avoid, and feel guilty for eating carbohydrates. However, these negative food and eating messages are harmful and do not align with my nonjudgment view of food.

Megrette Fletcher M.Ed., R.D., CDE is a registered dietitian, diabetes educator, and Mindful Eating expert  joins us on our 7th Anniversary Diabetes Late Nite podcast on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 to discuss this ‘hot topic’ suggested by one of our loyal listeners.

Over the past few decades carbohydrates have become demonized. But the truth of the matter is that ‘Carbs are friends, not foes’!

“Motivating (my) clients with fear is not only ineffective, but can lead to misinformation, misunderstanding, and toxic emotions such as blame, shame, and depression,” says Megrette.

Carbohydrates (carbs) are a macronutrient found in foods like grains, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, potatoes, squashes, corn, fruit, vegetables, dairy, legumes/beans, and foods like bread, pasta, sweets, and more. While vegetables DO have carbohydrates, some nutritionists don’t consider them a carb source because they feel the energy you use to digest them counters any carbs you would get from them.

Carbs often come packaged with fiber and sometimes protein, like in legumes, dairy, or starchy vegetables. In the body, carbohydrates break down to sugars like glucose, fructose, or galactose (the simplest sugars). Don’t be scared of the “S” word (sugar) – this is simply the way the body digests and processes carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates give us the energy we need to live our diabetes lives. If chosen carefully, carbohydrates can deliver a number of health benefits and also help people maintain their weight.

One of the reasons for why carbs get such a bad rap is because the extra sugar available from the glucose formation gets stored in muscles, the liver, or other parts of your body, later getting converted into fat if the body doesn’t need it for energy. However, that’s on you, not the carbs. If you keep moving and require your body to use up that energy, the sugar from carbohydrates won’t get stored as fat.

TUNE IN:  Join us for our Seventh Anniversary Diabetes Late Nite podcast with musical inspiration from Cyndi Lauper on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 6 PM, EST. Special guests included Susan Weiner RD, MS, CDE, CDN , Megrette Fletcher MEd, RD, CDE, Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach and Mama Rose Marie. Throughout this podcast we will be playing selected songs from the Essential Collection of Cyndi Lauper courtesy of SONY Music.

https://youtu.be/ww2kTYaZIMk

 

Proudly powered by WordPress