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.

02/12/202102/12/2021

Valentine’s Day Game Puzzle

This Valentine’s Day shower yourself with some self-love. Throw out every doubt in yourself, every negative thought and learn to love yourself.

Did you know that living with type 2 diabetes puts you at higher risk for heart disease and stroke? Talk to your doctor about your risk.

What To Ask Your Doctor

What can I do to lower my risk for heart disease and stroke?
Do any of my medications help me manage my risks for heart disease or other complications?
Are there programs that can help me manage my condition? Can you give me a referral?
How can I meet others going through my same experience?

Making Connections Game Puzzle

Can you find the five words above that are connected to Valentine’s Day? Each word starts with one of the choices from the left side column. It then continues with something from the middle column and then finishes with something from the right side column. Created by: Dani Raymond

Matters Of The Heart

We’re talking about matters of the heart related to diabetes with music from Celine Dion on this Divabetic Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Heart disease is common in people with diabetes. The National Heart Association reports 65% of people with diabetes will die from some sort of heart disease or stroke. In general, the risk of heart disease death and stroke are more than twice as high in people with diabetes. However, by managing your risk factors, you may avoid or delay the development of heart and blood vessel disease.

Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Janis Roszler, PhD, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND, Mila Clarke Buckley aka The Hangry Woman, and Know Diabetes By Heart Ambassador Belle Kruegger.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Celine Dion’s Falling Into You album courtesy of SONY Music.

Love New Recipes?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free Virtual Cooking Party with special guest, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND on Zoom on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 7-8 PM, EST. Jill shares her favorite quinoa recipes with us!

REGISTER NOW – FREE REGISTRATION

Puzzle answer: Romance, Sweetheart, February, Chocolate, and Bouquet

10/31/2020

Sugar-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe by The Diabetic Pastry Chef

Type 2 diabetes doesn’t stop ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’, Stacey Harris from indulging her sweet tooth. She taught herself how to make pound cake, pecan rolls, pies, muffins, cupcakes, and other baked goods with about half the carbs you’d get from traditional bakery items. From her tasty treats to her outlook on life, this pastry chef keeps things as sweet as can be as well as … sugar free!

The Diabetic Pastry Chef‘s Sugar-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

l large egg

1 cup dry sugar substitute of your choice

1 1/2 tsp molasses

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

1 medium zucchini, grated

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped; optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×5″ bread loaf pan. It is advisable but not necessary to cut a piece of parchment to line the bottom of the pan for easy unmolding.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, except for the sugar substitute. Add nuts if using; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine and whisk the vegetable oil, egg, sugar substitute, molasses, and vanilla. Add the grated zucchini.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of the dry ingredients and stir just until combined being careful not to over mix. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 45 or 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of bread comes out fairly clean.

Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef shares her recipes in a fabulous book so that people with type 2 diabetes and others looking for sugar-free treats can make their own lower-carb versions of baked goods at home. She also started her own online bakery that ships homemade treats all across the country. The most common thing she hears from customers is, “I don’t even miss the extra sugar!”

Are you interested in learning how to bake with sugar substitutes? Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.

FREE REGISTER

09/04/202009/04/2020

Creamy Zucchini Soup Recipe by Jill Weisenberger

Soup can be a tasty, inexpensive way to eat well and keep your blood sugars on track. Most soups keep well, and making extra can give you days of quick meals that will help keep your blood glucose levels under control.

Our friend, Jill Weisenberger shares her Creamy Zucchini Soup Recipe with the Divabetic community.

“My creamy zucchini soup recipe was inspired by the award-winning chef José Andrés. My favorite Washington, DC restaurant is his Zaytinya. I eat there every opportunity I can create for myself,” says Jill Weisenberger. “Last year, chef José Andrés published a hefty and beautiful cookbook called Vegetables Unleashed in which he offers a version of his wife’s zucchini soup. From his remake, I created my own remake, which is a bit more health-focused. And still incredibly delicious. It’s a great way to start a meal – very filling, so it’s easier to be satisfied with less.”

**Creamy Zucchini Soup Recipe by Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND**

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼-½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon coarse black pepper
2.5 pounds zucchini, unpeeled, cut lengthwise and then sliced
2 cups vegetable broth
½ cup fresh basil leaves
2 ½ ounces soft goat cheese, broken into several pieces
Additional herbs or flavored oil for garnish

Nutrition: Serving: 1cup | Calories: 86, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 390mg, Fiber: 2g

GET FULL RECIPE

Special Guest Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND will prepare a hearty Fall Harvest Soup recipe and share expert tips on flavorful ways to reduce salt in recipes and meal prepping during the holidays on Divabetic’s free Zoom Cooking Party on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 7-8 PM.

REGISTER NOW

Jill Weisenberger is the author of Diabetes Weight Loss Week by Week is a bestseller and can help you manage your weight and blood sugar at the same time, The Overworked Person’s Guide to Better Nutrition offers solutions to your everyday food and nutrition problems – no matter how busy you are, 21 Things You Need to Know about Diabetes and Your Heart gives you specific actions to take to improve your health right away, and her newest book Prediabetes: A Complete Guide featuring dozens of concrete steps to lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other chronic health problems.

05/14/202005/20/2020

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Recipe by Jill Weisenberger

What’s better than a delicious and healthy breakfast to please you and your family?

Diabetes Late Nite podcast guest, Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND shares her simple but delicious Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Recipe!

Healthy Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

1 large egg, beaten
12 fluid ounces orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
6 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

FULL RECIPE

Are you thinking of adding oatmeal to your diet? We asked registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, Jill Weisenberg for her advice about oatmeal

Q: Why is oatmeal a good food choice for people with diabetes?

Jill Weisenberger (JW): Oats have the viscous fiber called beta-glucan, which helps to sweep away cholesterol and lower blood sugar levels.

Q: Why or why not should someone with diabetes eat breakfast?

JW: In general, people who eat breakfast have greater insulin sensitivity, and it sometimes actually lowers high morning blood sugars in people with type 2 diabetes. That being said, if someone is in good control throughout the day and meeting health goals, and they don’t like eating breakfast, I certainly wouldn’t push it on them.

The latest numbers from the CDC suggest that nearly 1 in 3 adults have either prediabetes or diabetes. These are alarming numbers, and finding out that you are the one out of three can be even more alarming. Shock, denial, and confusion are not uncommon reactions. But there is a flipside to learning you have prediabetes. It can be scary, but it’s also an opportunity—an opportunity to “reset,” to improve your health, and to get yourself in better shape than ever. Let Prediabetes: A Complete Guide show you how!

This comprehensive guide 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, Prediabetes: A Complete Guide will allow you to choose your own path to wellness and help you gain a greater sense of wellbeing, boost confidence in your abilities to maintain a healthful lifestyle, and potentially even help you reverse prediabetes, avoid type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses, and have you feeling better than you have in years!

Diabetes Late Nite Podcast Inspired by Patti Austin

We’re celebrating Divabetic’s 8 Year Anniversary of Diabetes podcasting with musical inspiration from Patti Austin.

“I had type 2 diabetes,” says the former 285- pound singing sensation. “I had obesity-driven diabetes,” continued the now 140-pound Austin. To reach her new weight, Patti Austin had gastric bypass surgery and the result has been remarkable.

Podcast guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND, Chris Pickering co-founder of ‘The Betes Bros, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Mama Rose Marie.

01/03/202001/03/2020

The Happy Diabetic’s Roasted Fennel Recipe

Chef Robert aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’ takes part in Divabetic’s sixth annual Diabetes Mystery podcast: Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes available for free on demand. LISTEN ON DEMAND.

The mystery revolves around a fictitious Gingerbread Man Cookie competition in New York City.

Not only can ginger help lower your blood sugar levels, fennel can too!

Fennel seeds have alleviated diabetic properties which helps in fighting against diabetes. Due to its high source of nutrients like vitamin C and Potassium, fennel seeds have been known to help lower the blood sugar levels and increase insulin reactivity.

To get you in the spirit of Divabetic’s upcoming Diabetes Mystery podcast, The Fennel Curtain, we asked the Happy Diabetic to share his favorite fennel recipe.

Roasted Fennel of Love Recipe by Chef Robert Lewis

Ingredients: What’s in it?

1 lb. fennel, quartered lengthwise

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh lemon juice

Parmesan cheese

Directions: Let’s Put it Together

Position a oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 475° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim the base and core of the fennel quarters, leaving just enough of the core intact to hold the layers together. Cut into 3/4- to 1-inch wedges. In a medium bowl, toss the fennel with enough of the olive oil to coat generously but don’t over do it, the salt, and generous grinds of pepper.

Spread the fennel out onto the baking sheet and arrange the pieces so that they are evenly spaced and lying on a cut side. If the pieces cover the baking sheet sparsely, arrange them toward the edges of the baking sheet for the best browning. Roast until the fennel begins to brown on the edges, 15 minutes. Flip the fennel and continue to roast until tender and nicely browned, 10 minutes.

Return the fennel to the bowl in which you tossed them with the oil, or put them in a clean serving bowl. If the fennel seems a bit dry, drizzle it with a little oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, A nice dusting of cheese and granulated garlic will be predict.

Chef Robert Lewis was diagnosed in 1998 with type 2 diabetes. “Much of what I heard in those early day was about the foods that were prohibited,” says Chef Robert Lewis. “I suspected that my days of good eating were over, yet as I worked through my ups and downs, I came to realize that the selection of foods I could and should eat was vast and included many of my favorites. This motivated me to attempt to create delicious, diabetic-friendly dishes that were also easy to prepare.”

When the final curtain falls on opening night, the show might be over but it’s just the beginning of another one of Mr. Divabetic’s misadventures. Unfortunately, the happy healthcare host finds himself cast as the prime suspect when the leading lady is found dead backstage. Affairs and jealousy, not to mention old resentments, are all good motives for murder. But just which one brought the curtain down on the curvy community playhouse star? Now Mr. Divabetic and his team of amateur sleuths with their sometimes questionable way of handling things, must search for the murderer.

Don’t miss Mr. Divabetic’s newest Diabetes Mystery podcast, The Fennel Curtain coming in 2021!

12/10/201812/10/2018

Divabetic’s ‘Wrapped In Red’ Holiday Gift Guide with Chef Jonathan Bardzik

Kelly Clarkson‘s fabulous holiday album, Wrapped In Red, is the inspiration behind this year’s annual Divabetic Gift Guide. We asked our contributors to share their favorite ‘red’ gift suggestions for people living with diabetes on the Divabetic blog and Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Our friend, Storyteller, Cook and Author Jonathan Bardzik surely knows a thing or two about the importance of cooking with fresh ingredients! He’s one of the hottest chefs in the Washington D.C. area, as his ‘farm to table’ cuisine has lit up farmers markets, including Mosaic Central Farm Markets, and even on the shelves at local bookstore.

Jonathan shares his favorite kitchen appliance and cold weather recipe that’s sure to warm the heart of that special someone on your list who is living with diabetes and enjoys cooking!

https://www.zwilling.com/us/staub-cast-iron-5.5-qt-round-cocotte-grenadine/1102687.html?cgid=our-brands_staub_cast-iron_coccottes-dutch-ovens#prefn1=color&prefn2=size&prefv1=Red&prefv2=5+to+6-qt&start=1

“My favorite kitchen appliance that makes a great holiday gift is a cast iron Staub Cocotte Dutch oven. I couldn’t get through the winter without it,” says Jonathan. “Whether you’re braising a whole chicken, making a pot roast or stock for a soup it’s versatile and goes easily from stove top, to oven to the table. Grenadine – a dark red – is my favorite color. Diabetic friendly pot roast tip – I use lots of mushrooms and turnips. Turnips are like potatoes with more flavor and the richness of the beef balances any bitterness.”

“Chili powder is a “go to” in my kitchen for flavor.,” says Jonathan. “There are so many to choose from spicy cayenne to raisiny Ancho, sweet Guajillo, the sun dried flavor of Aleppo or the smoky flavor of Urfa pepper. So often when changing our diets we miss flavor and replace rich or sugary ingredients with salt. Before you reach for extra salt, try a chile powder to beef up the flavor of your dish.” (Note: chili powder is a blend of chiles, cumin, garlic powder and often salt. You’re just looking for dried, ground chiles here.)

Panang Curry Coconut Cream Of Tomato Soup

“This soup recipe is a little sweet, a little spicy and ready in 15-20 minutes, and serves 4-6 guests,” says Jonathan. “What more could you want for a quick, delicious, cold weather soup?”

Ingredients:

1 tbs peanut or vegetable oil

2 tbs Panang or red Thai curry paste*

1/2 can coconut milk (about 7oz)

2 28 oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes

4 whole sprigs plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Rice wine vinegar

*You can find Panang curry paste at Asian markets or order it online. Red curry paste is usually part of the Asian food section in the international aisle at your grocery store.

Directions:

Warm oil in 3-4 qt saucepan over med heat. Add curry paste and cook about 1 min until fragrant. Add coconut milk and cook 2-3 min. Add tomatoes and cilantro sprigs. Simmer and reduce to desired consistency.

Purée soup in a food mill or with a blender or immersion blender. Season soup to taste with a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper.

Serve with chopped cilantro.

Jonathan Bardzik is the author of three incredible cookbooks: ‘Simple Summer’, ‘Seasons to Taste’, and ‘Fresh and Magical Vinaigrettes‘, all of which are chock full of delicious recipes that you can make for your own friends, family or that special someone all year round.

Enjoy December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast featuring holiday music from Kelly Clarkson’s iconic ‘Wrapped In Red’ album courtesy of SONY Music. Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Kathy Gold RN, MSN, CDE, FAADE, Glucose Delivery Necklace Co-Creator Kris Maynard, Dr. Sara (Mandy) Reece, PharmD, CDE, BC=ADM, BCACP, FAADE, Maria Sakowitz, MS, RDN, LDN, CLT, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach. LISTEN NOW