Divabetic Pink Champagne Holiday Gift Guide 2021, #1

This year’s Divabetic Gift Guide theme: Pink Champagne, is inspired by song lyrics that I wrote after binge-watching a dozen Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel. I picked up a pen and wrote these lyrics:

Oh baby! pour me a glass 

of pink champagne

after a few sips, I’d love to explain

why I decided on Christmas Day

to give my gift for you away 

The rest of the song lyrics for Pink Champagne quickly followed and I liked my lyrics so much that I called my Luther Vandross musical family friends, producer Ivan Hampden Jr., and vocalist Paulette McWilliams. This dynamic duo agreed to record the song. I look forward to sharing the recorded song but until then please take a minute to enjoy this year’s Gift Guide inspired by a burst of creativity!

I’m sure more than a few readers are scratching your heads over the fact that our gift guide’s theme of an alcoholic cocktail, Pink Champagne. Sure, it’s a great song title but is it right for a healthy holiday gift guide designed to inspire you to live your best diabetes life?

Since we know many people with diabetes enjoy an alcoholic beverage during the holidays, we think it is!

A long time ago, I presented diabetes outreach at an Open Clinic in Sleepy Hollow. I met with the diabetes educator ahead of time to discuss our presentation. She did not want to address alcohol consumption during our presentation even though Cinco De Mayo was quickly approaching. Instead, she felt strongly that abstinence from alcohol was the best option for people with diabetes. Therefore, in her opinion, there was no need to address the topic during our presentation.

Let’s just say we didn’t see eye to eye on the matter.

I felt, and still believe that abstinence from alcohol works for some people with diabetes but not everyone. At one point during our presentation, I asked the crowd to raise their hands if they were planning to have a cocktail or two to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. Every hand flew up. When I asked if anyone knew how alcohol affects their blood sugar levels there was confusion.

Needless to say, we addressed the topic in-depth during the presentation. We held a highly interactive and meaningful discussion. Afterward, the educator expressed her gratitude to me for addressing the topic. There is no doubt that we will be featuring information about alcohol’s impact on blood sugar levels in our upcoming Pink Champagne Christmas Gift Guide-related posts.

Whether you’re focused on losing weight or want to add a little extra sparkle into your daily diabetes self-care, we’ve got you covered with this year’s Divabetic  Holiday Gift Guide 2021. We believe in thoughtful gifts that bring a little happiness and good health into your life.

This colorful portion control container system allows you to maintain better portion control for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, making it perfect when you’re trying to lose weight or better manage diet and exercise. Each pre-measured container is based on the amount of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, proteins, and carbs you need each day. Simply match your color to your food plan for ideal portion control sizes. Price: $16.95 on Amazon. 

BUY NOW

Kitchens of the Future #3

Are you having a hard time preparing healthy meals? Check out one of Divabetic’s favorite Kitchen Appliances to help make managing your diabetes life easier and tastier! 

The new KitchenAid® Smart Display with the Google Assistant can answer simple questions about measurements and stream videos,  all hands-free for when fingers are covered in dough!

You can also access recipe recommendations with step-by-step directions to expand upon your family’s culinary creativity.

KitchenAid® Smart Display with the Google Assistant

KitchenAid’s Smart Display has a 10-inch screen is built durably, with IPX5 water and dust resistance so it can handle spills and sprays in the kitchen. You can even clean it in the sink if you need to!

The KitchenAid Smart Display with the Google Assistant’s other amazing features include:

Access to Google Express to create a shopping list, make purchases, or set timers and reminders. You will also be able to browse recipes and get step-by-step instructions, and get answers powered by Google Search, all hands-free.

Access to music, podcasts and radio, or the latest shows and videos from popular services like YouTube, YouTube TV, Hulu and HBO Now.

Access to step-by-step guided video recipes  from well-known and influential chefs like Carla Hall, Richard Blais, Jet Tila and Daniel Holzman.

Smart Home Control – Smart home connectivity gives home cooks full control over their smart kitchen appliances and entire smart home ecosystem, making it easy to preheat the oven from across the room without missing a beat. KitchenAid Smart Display will be compatible with over 10,000 smart home devices that work with the Google Assistant.

“The KitchenAid Smart Display should hit shelves later this year for a “competitive” price around $200 or above, representatives say” writes Jeffrey Van Camp in WIRED. 

Need a Culinary Adventure? 

Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes

Divabetic presents their 6th Annual Diabetes Mystery Podcast, “Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes,” on Tuesday, September 12, 2019, 6 PM, EST.  

Mr. Divabetic’s culinary misadventures continue in this year’s escapade as he enters his headless cookies and pureed kale hot cocoa for the judges to sample in the fictitiously decadent world-renowned Gingerbread Men Cookie Baking Competition in New York’s Central Park Zoo. As if this dreadful combination wasn’t bad enough to land him at the bottom of the throwdown, his mother, Mama Rose Marie, is accused of poisoning one of the celebrity judges. Things go from bad to worse when the snake phobic Mr. Divabetic hears about the giant python’s escape.         

Now, the happy healthcare host must decide to face his fear of snakes and recipe rejection or throw in his apron and risk getting caught up in another murder investigation. Can Mr. Divabetic and his team of amateur sleuths hunt down the real killer and get Mama Rose Marie out of jail? Will he be the next murder victim? Can he ever create an edible recipe?

The cast of Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes features Mama Rose Marie, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach (Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and MaryAnn Nicolay BA, DTR), Asha Brown, Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, Catherine Schuller, Wendy Radford, Dave Jones and Lorraine Brooks.

Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from the original Broadway cast recording of ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ courtesy of SONY MUSIC.

TUNE IN