Bread Pudding Florentine Recipe by Holly Clegg

“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.

Divabetic Egg-Cellent Easter Brunch Ideas

We know many people in our Divabetic community don’t like to celebrate the holidays because they feel they may disrupt their diabetes care. But with a little pre-planning and guidance from your healthcare entourage you can still enjoy Easter related festivities without failing your diabetes.

From the annual Easter Egg Roll to eating iguana, turtle and the world’s largest rodent in Colombia, there are many different Easter traditions around the world to choose from!

Easter is the most important religious holiday in the Greek Orthodox calendar. Shops line their windows with brightly-coloured wrappings for Easter candles and chocolate eggs. Greek families sit down to a meal of whole roasted lamb or kid goat on Easter Sunday.

Germans like to decorate trees with hollowed-out, painted eggs for Easter. One elderly man has taken the art form to an extreme degree.

An old European tradition of tapping eggs together in a contest to see which is the strongest is enjoying a revival in Louisiana. The town of Marksville claims to host the oldest “egg-knocking” competition in the United States. Competitors pair up on the steps of the courthouse on Easter Sunday and knock the tips of two eggs together. If the egg cracks, its owner is out of the competition. The process continues until just one egg remains.

Instead of tucking into chocolate eggs, Colombians like to eat iguana, turtle and the world’s largest rodent for their traditional Easter dinner.

We say, whatever you and your loved ones may choose to do,  “Don’t let diabetes dim your dazzle!” 

We asked several experts, Cookbook Author, Holly Clegg, Wine & Spirits Expert Samantha Shaken Baker and diabetes advocate, author and model Doris Hobbs to share their favorite recipes, picks and fashions to encourage you to celebrate a Divabetic Easter in style without compromising your diabetes health.

With over 1 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy, healthy and practical recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim & TERRIFIC® and her more health focused Eating Well cookbook series, including newly released 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY edition of Eating Well Through Cancer, (English, Spanish and Chinese editions), Eating Well to Fight Arthritis and Diabetic Cooking with the American Diabetes Association.  Clegg who attended the Cordon Bleu Cooking School has appeared on Fox & Friends, NBC Weekend Today, QVC, The 700 Club, USA Today, Cooking Light Magazine, Web MD, and Huff Post.  She has consulted for Walmart, Teflon, The Coca-Cola Company, and hospitals throughout the country. Here’s Holly’s suggestion on to make a simple, impressive way to dress up eggs for Easter:

Open Face Breakfast English Muffins Recipe from ‘Eating Well To Fight Arthritis’ cookbook by Holly Clegg. 

“These colorful Western omelet ingredients are piled on an English muffin and make this the ideal grab and go satisfying breakfast” says Holly.  Egg beaters may be substituted for the egg and egg white combination.

Makes 6 muffins

1/2 cup chopped Canadian bacon

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/3 cup chopped tomatoes

2 eggs

5 egg whites

Salt and pepper to taste

3 whole-wheat English muffins, halved

1/4 cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese

1. In nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook Canadian bacon 2 minutes or until begins to brown.  Add onion and, green pepper sautéing until tender.  Add tomatoes, cook 1 minute.  Remove from pan, set aside.

2. In small bowl, whisk together eggs and egg whites.  In same nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, scramble eggs.  Season to taste.  When eggs are almost done, stir in bacon onion mixture.

3. Meanwhile, toast muffin halves.  Divide egg mixture to top muffin halves.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Note:  The prepared muffins may be refrigerated and reheated in the microwave or in oven preheated at 350°F. about 5 minutes or until well heated.

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories143 kcal, Calories from Fat 25%, Fat 4 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 71 mg, Sodium 391 mg, Carbohydrates 15 g, Dietary Fiber 3 g, Total Sugars 4 g, Protein 12 g, Dietary Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 ½ lean meat

“Glamour is the feeling of beauty, with an undertone of femininity, while looking like a lady, for all occasions,” Luxury Spokesmodel, Diabetes Advocate, Contributing Style Editor & Published Writer, Doris Hobbs explains. “Glamour is an illusion, a form of mystery revealing a fragile state that changes with time. Glamour, from my perspective, is defined as recreation from all facets of our lives. Perhaps the best way to describe it is with a ravishing red lipstick, a sensual hourglass silhouette, and style inspiration from such mavens as Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, and Jayne Mansfield.”

Vintage brooches are colorful,  eye-catching sparkle and for a small investment, you get a big return style wise!

Did you know back in the day women wore  “Scatter pins”,  a matching set of two or more pins that were grouped together on a blouse or sweater?

If you love vintage brooches,  there is no need to  curb your enthusiasm because you think you wouldn’t get a chance to wear all the ones you find.  There are plenty of ways to show them off!

DIVABETIC TIP: While alcohol can make blood sugar drop too low, certain beverages (such as beer or sugary mixers) can cause a blood sugar spike. What’s more, consuming more than one or two drinks can cloud your thinking and affect other food choices you make that day, which can also affect glucose levels.

What’s brunch without a little bubbly?

We asked Samantha Shanken Baker, who helps presents memorable food and wine events like the Annual Harlem Eat Up! to suggest a great tasting champagne for under $50. Samantha’s pick is G.H. Mumm Brut Champagne Cordon (retail $45) featuring a delightful notes of flavor—dried apricot, candied orange peel, nut and smoke. This very harmonious dry Champagne is still elegant and light-weight. The rich, toasty note lingers on the vibrant finish. Oh la-la!

DIVABETIC TIP: Heavy black pumps paired with lightweight white dresses can be an odd combination. If you wear a white dress in the spring , better options include natural toned or white sandals. If you choose to wear white in fall and winter, brown shoes still look better than black (and for sticklers to the rules, white shoes should be avoided after Labor Day). HOW TO WEAR WHITE

Why not enjoy a Coco Mimosa?

I love serving my guests mimosas at Brunch. The name of one of the characters. “Coco Mimosa”,  from our upcoming Diabetes Mystery titled “Gypsies, Tramps & Peas” inspired this new tropical twist to a mimosa. It’s as easy as pie! Just splash some coconut flavored light rum over fresh orange juice and champagne.

DIVABETIC TIP: The weather is warming up and the cherry blossoms are in bloom – looks like spring has finally sprung! It’s the perfect season to jump start a walking program. It’s easy, safe, and inexpensive. It’s also relaxing and at the same time invigorating, requires little athletic skill, and does not call for club membership or special equipment other than sturdy, comfortable shoes. And it is fun and natural — good for your mind and self-esteem. LEARN MORE

Let a new walking shoe get you in the groove!

We love these striped spring flat mesh casual walking shoes (pictured above)! They’re breathable slip ons and reasonably inexpensive.  BUY

According to the Who What Wear website florals are a big trend for Spring 2017. Sound familiar? Well, this time around, the scale, fabrication and mood is more exaggerated than ever! Designers are encouraging you to be in full bloom from head to toe—shoes included. From double doses of Rococo-style jacquard florals with ruffles and raw hems at Marques’Almeida to subdued, blousy ’70s bouquets at Chloé and neon carnations at Balenciaga, there is nothing standard about these arrangements. No ditsy prints here in this S/S 17 version of the fashion trend, thanks.

Mildly Mexican Breakfast Bake Recipe from ‘Eating Well To Fight Arthritis’ cookbook by Holly Clegg

“Eat with color and you know you are eating healthy! This overnight sensation with bright colors and flavors will wake up those morning taste-buds!” says Holly.

Makes 8 (1-cup) servings

8 ounces ground breakfast turkey sausage

1 onion, chopped

1 red, green, or yellow bell pepper, cored and chopped

2 cups baby spinach

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 (4-ounce) can green chilies

4 eggs

6 egg whites

2 cups fat-free half-and-half

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 cups reduced-fat shredded Mexican blend cheese

5 (8-inch) 98% fat-free flour tortillas, cut into quarters

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1. Coat 13x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In large nonstick skillet, cook and crumble sausage until starts to brown. Add onion and bell pepper, cooking until sausage is done and vegetables tender. Add spinach, garlic and green chilies; cooking until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.

3. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, half-and-half, chili powder, cumin and cheese.

4. Spoon one-third of sausage mixture in baking dish. Top with one-third tortilla quarters and one-third cheese and green onions. Repeat layers, ending with green onion. Pour egg mixture evenly over casserole and refrigerate, covered, at least 6 hours or overnight.

5. Preheat oven 350°F. If using glass baking dish, place in cold oven and bake 50-60 minutes or until bubbly, golden brown and knife inserted into custard comes out clean.

Nutrients

Calories  309, Calories from Fat 35%, Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 151mg, Sodium 751mg, Carbohydrates  29 g, Dietary Fiber 3 g, Total Sugars 7 g, Protein 23 g, Dietary Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat-free milk, 1 vegetable

DIVABETIC TIP: Want to get more for your money? Buying fruit and vegetables in season often helps! Prices usually come down when a fruit or vegetable is in season. In addition, the quality of the produce (taste, texture, freshness, etc.) is at its best. When you buy produce that is out of season (for example, buying berries in the winter), you are likely buying food that has been shipped hundreds or even thousands of miles. It is usually more expensive, less environmentally-friendly, and the quality not as good.

 LISTEN NOW: Cook Book Author Holly Clegg podcast interview. With over 1 million books sold, Holly reigns supreme when it comes to helping today’s busy person cook everyday meals that are fast and fit into an overall healthy lifestyle.  Known as the “Queen of Quick,” Holly’s recipes are time, user and pantry-friendly. LINK 

What’s trending in Diabetes Wellness for Spring? Here are three recent diabetes and health & wellness headlines that caught our eye!

Is there a link between climate change and diabetes? Researchers are looking at whether climate change might be linked to another public health concern: Type 2 diabetes.

An amazing app that helps you improve your A1C! One Drop | Mobile provides real-time and historical blood glucose data and analytics to subscribers and their healthcare providers, allowing both to see relationships between specific health behaviors and health outcomes.

Mama June’s Incredible Body Transformation After Weight Loss Surgery! On WE tv’s Mama June: From Not to Hot the reality star lost over 300 pounds and spent upwards of $75,000 to have gastric sleeve surgery, breast augmentation and skin removal surgery on her “turkey neck,” “bat wings” and stomach — where a combined total 9 lbs. of skin was removed.