Old Hollywood – Divabetic

05/10/201705/11/2017

Divabetic Old Hollywood Mother’s Day Celebration, Pt. 4

For the past twelve years at our Divabetic live events, on our podcasts and inner blog we’ve been promoting a ‘New Attitude’ about living with diabetes to help you ‘Keep Your House A Home’ by learning to prevent a diabetes health-related complication from occurring. Now we’re sharing our decade’s worth of our ‘diva brand of diabetes outreach’ advice and suggestions with you so that you won’t have to avoid the holidays in order to take charge of our diabetes.

Our Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration embraces an Old Hollywood aesthetic to encourage you to shine the spotlight on you and your diabetes health!

We believe diabetes doesn’t have to dim your dazzle! You can still embody Old Hollywood glamour and the kind of woman who is accustomed to attention from throngs of paparazzi!

Sure, it can be challenging at times to enjoy the holidays when you’re living with diabetes especially if you feel like you can’t enjoy the foods your actually preparing for your family and friends! Why not take the opportunity this Mother’s Day to change your mindset as well as your family’s about what healthy tastes like?

One of our favorite experts,’The Decadent Diabetic’ aka Chef Ward Alper shares this Oscar worthy menu for a Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration. The Decadent Diabetic’s menu includes Cucumber Soup, Smoked Salmon & Brie Omelet, Roasted Asparagus and Tart A Citron. Below is Chef’s Ward Alper’s recipe for Tallulah Tart A Citron (See all of the Decadent Diabetic’s Old Hollywood inspired Mother’s Day recipes on Divabetic blog).

Tallulah Tart A Citron Recipe by The Decadent Diabetic

Crust Ingredients:

Pam Spray for the pan

(9-10 inch removable bottom fluted tart pan)

2/3. flour

½ cup toasted nuts (either Almonds, Walnuts, or Pecans)

¼ c. GRANULATED SUGAR SUBSTITUTE

1 pinch salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp. baking powder

4 tbsp. butter or margarine

1 large egg

Filling Ingredients:

1 pkg reduced fat (not fat free) cream cheese at room temperature

2/3 cup GRANULATED SUGAR SUBSTITUTE

juice AND zest of two lemons (about 7 tablespoons)

3 large eggs

How Chef Ward Alper Prepares the Recipe:

Roll out the crust on flowered surface to about a 14 in circle. Using your fingers fit into tart pan. This dough is fragile and will break. Not to worry just piece it together with your fingers. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes before filling.

Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor or electric mixer until smooth. Add GRANULATED SUGAR SUBSTITUTE and beat until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the lemon juice BUT NOT zest of the lemons. Beat until well mixed. BY HAND stir in the lemon zest.

Pour into the crust and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Serve garnished with a few lightly sweetened Blueberries or strawberries or raspberries.

Tallulah Bankhead was an American actress of the stage and screen, and a reputed libertine. Bankhead was known for her husky voice, outrageous personality, and devastating wit. Originating some of the 20th-century theater’s preeminent roles in comedy and melodrama, she gained acclaim as an actress on both sides of the Atlantic. Bankhead became an icon of the tempestuous, flamboyant actress, and her unique voice and mannerisms are often subject to imitation and parody.

“Tallulah Bankhead was a great character,” says the Decadent Diabetic. “I actually got to see her on stage in Midgie Purvis. It lasted maybe two performances. It opened with her coming down a staircase with two wolfhounds. As Lily Tomlin would say: “its a look”.”

‘Can I have a healthy baby if I’m living with type 1 diabetes?’ is one of the most common questions we’re asked at Divabetic diabetes outreach events. Our good friend, Diabetes Advocate and Author, Ginger Vieira recently co-authored a new book, ‘Pregnancy with Type 1 Diabetes’ (subtitled “Your Month-to-Month Guide to Blood Sugar Management) with Jennifer C. Smith RD, CDE.

“The book will likely be referred to as “the Type 1 pregnancy bible” before long,” reports Nancy Sayles Kaneshira for Diabetes Lifestyle’s website.

The books covers “Mama’s Mental Health,” nutrition, blood sugar management, what to expect at doctor’s visits, and Ginger’s personal pregnancy diary (pictured right). With countless tips, dietary recommendations and personal stories in addition to their own, the authors ably guide the reader through preparing for pregnancy all the way to baby’s birth, and throughout the challenges of postpartum diabetes control.

This book is so jam-packed with information it should come with a yellow highlighter. BUY NOW

Hollywood Fact: Regardless of what you or I may think of Joan Crawford’s mothering skills and/or allegations of physical abuse towards her children, many single mothers of adopted children owe her a great deal of gratitude. Joan adopted three children—Christina and twins Cathy and Cindy—as a single parent, which at the time was prohibited in California. She used her fame and finances to arrange the adoptions through an agency in Las Vegas.

Diabetes Advocate, Author and Spokesmodel, Doris Hobbs shows off one of the biggest fashion secrets in Hollywood; the nude colored shoe. Nude shoes are ultra- flattering shoe because they elongate your leg and virtually go with everything. Plus, they’re perfect for summer? Every Hollywood starlet’s wearing them now—Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Blake Lively, to name a few—and the result is legs for days, to put it mildly.

Pampering gifts like products from PEAK 10 SKIN® are always a great treat to any Mom…at any age! Whether it’s your daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, wife or your Mother, women love things that make them feel pampered and special. PEAK 10 SKIN® have a couple different gift sets that we put together with Mom’s in mind, but they will also custom design a gift for the Mom’s in your life. For custom gifts, simply call or email us. Beautiful gift wrap available , too! Remember, all of products are professional spa quality and are paraben FREE, gluten FREE, cruelty FREE!

PEAK 10 SKIN® is offering this Special 30% Discount Offer to our Divabetic community (use the Divabetic coupon code: divabetic (all lowercase))

Don’t forget to use your coupon code: B2B (40% off)

PEAK 10 SKIN® recently repackaged the new SOOTHE hand cream in a pot for ease of use. The product was too thick to come out of the tube with ease. It comes in 2 sizes; 2oz/$18 and 4oz/$28. These could be perfect gifts as well. These prices are BEFORE your discount is applied.

Making a Mani/Pedi kit of SAVE MY SOLE & SOOTHE hand cream would be fabulous! If you get the 2oz of each, that would be a $36 retail/$21.60 for you!

05/03/201705/03/2017

Divabetic’s Old Hollywood Mother’s Day Celebration, Pt. 3

“Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” from Auntie Mame.

Our Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration embraces an Old Hollywood aesthetic to encourage you to shine the spotlight on you and your diabetes health!

We believe diabetes doesn’t have to dim your dazzle! You can still embody Old Hollywood glamour and the kind of woman who is accustomed to attention from throngs of paparazzi!

One of our favorite experts,‘The Decadent Diabetic’ aka Chef Ward Alper shares this Oscar worthy menu for a Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration. The Decadent Diabetic’s menu includes Cucumber Soup, Smoked Salmon & Brie Omelet, Roasted Asparagus and Tart A Citron. Below is Chef’s Ward Alper’s recipe for Rosalind Roasted Asparagus (We will be posting one recipe each day throughout the upcoming week).

Rosalind Roasted Asparagus by The Decadent Diabetic

(Serving size 8-10 spears, net carbohydrates: 6 grams)

Chef’s Note: As with most vegetables, high temperature “roasting” intensifies the flavor. I roast a lot of veggies, but asparagus is my personal “star”

I like mid sized asparagus. The pencil thin ones just go limp, and the fat ones seem to taste “old” to me, even after peeling them. ONLY when it fresh in my garden, I use a little lemon thyme in this recipe.

Ingredients

8-10 – asparagus spears

1 – Tbsp. minced shallot

1 – clove of grated garlic

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

salt and pepper to taste

2 – Tbsp. fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar (optional)

HOW TO PREPARE THE RECIPE:

Pre heat oven to 400-425° F.

Rinse the asparagus under running water. On a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil, toss the shallots, garlic, butter, olive oil, salt, and pepper with the asparagus and spread to one layer.

Cook at for 6- 10 minutes depending on how crunchy you like your vegetables. Sprinkle with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Did you know asparagus may be able to keep diabetes at bay by helping blood sugar levels stay under control while boosting output of insulin? READ MORE

Chef Ward’s asparagus dish pays homage to silver screen legend, actress Rosalind Russell.

“Flops are a part of life’s menu and I’ve never been a girl to miss out on any of the courses,” said Rosalind Russell.

She was a tall and lean just like asparagus! She was best known for her versatility in witty and sophisticated roles such as the fast-talking newspaper reporter in the screwball comedy ‘His Girl Friday’ in 1940. She is also fondly remembered for her portrayal of Mame Dennis in the film ‘Auntie Mame’ in 1958.

Rosalind Russell may have been the most glamorous and famous woman to have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). However, she shared three qualities with many others living with RA: She was determined, hopeful, and private. She used her celebrity status to advocate for research and successfully lobbied Congress to pass the National Arthritis Act.

Not Everything About Old Hollywood Was Glamorous!

Actress Kim Novak recalls when she first got to Hollywood, her studio changed her name, gave her lavender highlights, and told her to speak with a breathier voice. When Novak overate one day after a visit to a farmer’s market, one of her actress girlfriends suggested she remedy the mistake by drinking soap and water — which she did, before getting a ride to the hospital.

Did you know your favorite Old Hollywood actresses would dab gasoline on their cheekbones and browbones to spotlight their bone structure? Cinematographers would even rub the stuff on camera lenses to give the shoot a soft-focus, ethereal quality.

High blood sugar is dangerous for many reasons, but it can also make your skin dry, and prone to cracking and breaking. This opens the door to infections. And if you do get an infection, high blood sugar makes the infection harder to fight.

“The No. 1 key is to get your diabetes in check,” says Katherine H. Fiala, MD, director of the dermatology residency program at Scott & White Clinic in Temple, Texas. “If you do that first, everything else is so much easier.”

Our team’s having so much fun putting together ideas for a Divabetic Old Hollywood Mother’s Day Celebration, that Chef Ward ‘the Decadent Diabetic’ Alper sent me this fun message referencing Old Hollywood: “With all these Divas you are having for brunch, I HOPE, you didn’t have to call Janie Clarkson and cancel….again.”

This delicious quote is from the film, Mr. Skeffington starring Bette Davis. Popular and beautiful Fanny Trellis (Bette Davis) is forced into a loveless marriage with an older man, Jewish banker Job Skeffington, in order to save her beloved brother Trippy from an embezzlement charge, and predictable complications result.

05/01/201705/03/2017

Old Hollywood Inspires Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration, Pt 2

Our Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration embraces an Old Hollywood aesthetic to encourage you to shine the spotlight on you and your diabetes health!

Sure, it can be difficult at times to enjoy the holidays when you’re living with diabetes especially if you feel like you can’t enjoy the foods your actually preparing for your family and friends! Why not take the opportunity this Mother’s Day to change your mindset as well as your family’s about what healthy tastes like?

One of our favorite experts,‘The Decadent Diabetic’ aka Chef Ward Alper shares this Oscar worthy menu for a Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration. The Decadent Diabetic’s menu includes Cucumber Soup, Smoked Salmon & Brie Omelet, Roasted Asparagus and Tart A Citron. Below is Chef’s Ward Alper’s recipe Stanwyck Smoked Salmon and Brie Omelet. (We will be posting a different dish from his marvelous menu each day throughout the upcoming week).

Stanwyck Smoked Salmon and Brie Omelet Recipe by the Decadent Diabetic

(Serves 2, Carbohydrates 4 grams per serving)

Chef’s note: This dish is as simple to make as it is elegant to serve. Great for a weekend breakfast, brunch or lunch.

Ingredients

4 eggs very well beaten and frothy

Salt and pepper to taste and your doctor’s recommendation

2-3 Tbsp. Liquid (milk, cream, sour cream, or yogurt)

1 TBSP. finely chopped shallot or scallion.

2 TBSP. butter

2-3 ounces of brie, in ¾ inch pieces

3 ounces sliced smoked salmon.

2 TBSP. rinsed and drained capers (optional)

How the ‘Decadent Diabetic’ prepares the recipe:

Combine the eggs, salt pepper, liquid, and shallot or scallion and whisk until light and frothy. Heat the butter in a skillet. Add the eggs to the skillet and lower the heat to medium high. Allow the mixture to start to set. Start bringing in the sides to the center rotating the pan to allow the liquid to fill in the empty spaces.

Add the cheese and smoked salmon to the top of the omelet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and continue to cook until the omelet puffs up (about 2-3 minutes). Sprinkle with capers and serve.

If you don’t keep capers in your pantry, try asparagus tips in their place.

Our entree’s diva inspiration, Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress who had a 60-year career in film and television, best known for her strong female roles in films, such as Double Indemnity. In 1937, Stanwyck’s talent as an actress was recognized on a grander scale as she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Stella Dallas (1937).

She would come to be nominated three more times for the films Ball of Fire (1941), Double Indemnity (1944) and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)—each time for best actress in a leading role—however, she never won the award. In addition to the recognition she received from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Double Indemnity, she was lauded by critics for having what’s considered one of her greatest roles as seductress and murderer Phyllis Dietrichson in the popular noir film

Make a scene. For easy ooh factor, use a white tablecloth, white dishes, and just one or two rich metallic accent colors (gold or silver, never bronze).

Add a touch of Old Hollywood to your table and honor the legendary icons of Hollywood’s silver screen and share your favorites with your grandkids. Flowers and centerpieces should be tall enough to talk under or short enough to talk over.

In Old Hollywood, a party’s success wasn’t just about what was being served but also who was being served with lots of style.

Tori Avey printed out pictures of her favorite silver screen stars and put them in decorative frames from Michael’s and placed one at each seat. READ MORE

Opposites Attract! Let the glamour and style of ‘Old Hollywood’ inspire you to embrace New Diabetes Technology. Barbara Stanwyck’s gorgeous costumes in the film, ‘Lady Eve’ sparked our search for diabetes technology worthy of the silver screen. It’s sleek design and ease of use make it the perfect accessory for our Divabetic Old Hollywood Mother’s Day Celebration.

Dexcom‘s new “complication” to its Apple Watch compatibility allow your data to now be displayed right on the main watchface! There are four different ways to view your glucose data there, ranging from 1 to 6 hour trend graphs.

Currently, the new capability is only for the G5 Mobile app and Apple Watch, as the company hasn’t yet updated the Follow app that lets users share their results in real-time with family members or others. Word is also that this new feature doesn’t work with every single watchface, so if you have a unique model it might not yet be possible to make the glucose data display on the main watchface.

One of our fabulous members from the Divabetic community, Taryn McQuain Bentaous, who is living with type 2 diabetes and sells Mary Kay Cosmetics, shares her favorite ‘Old Hollywood’ shade lipstick to help you feel like a diva!

“I choose Poppy Please from our Gel Semi-Matte Collection,” says Taryn. “It feels wonderful to wear, and the matte finish reminds me of old Hollywood. It reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, my favorite old movie!”

04/29/201705/03/2017

Old Hollywood Inspires Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration

For the past twelve years at our Divabetic live events, on our podcasts and inner blog we’ve been promoting a ‘New Attitude’ about living with diabetes to help you ‘Keep Your House A Home’ by learning to prevent a diabetes health-related complication from occurring. Now we’re sharing our decade’s worth of our ‘diva brand of diabetes outreach’ advice and suggestions with you so that you won’t have to avoid the holidays in order to take charge of our diabetes.

Our Divabetic Mother’s Day Celebration embraces an Old Hollywood aesthetic to encourage you to shine the spotlight on you and your diabetes health!

One of our favorite experts,‘The Decadent Diabetic’ aka Chef Ward Alper shares this Oscar worthy menu for a Diabetic Mother’s Day Celebration. The Decadent Diabetic’s menu includes Cucumber Soup, Smoked Salmon & Brie Omelet, Roasted Asparagus and Tart A Citron. Below is Chef’s Ward Alper’s recipe for Catalina Cucumber Soup. (We will be posting one recipe each day throughout the upcoming week).

Catalina Cucumber Soup Recipe by the Decadent Diabetic

(4 8 ounce servings, Net carbohydrates: 6 per serving)

Ingredients:

1 medium to large sweet onion Sliced (thick or thin, your choice)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil or butter

2-4 cloves crushed and chopped garlic (depends on how much you love garlic)

1 – big stalk of celery, roughly chopped

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

2 Tablespoons flour

1 ½ quarts Low sodium chicken broth

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons fresh dill (1 if you use dried)

3- large Cucumbers

3-4 heaping tablespoons sour cream

Chef Ward Alper’s Preparation:

Note: No need to finely chop any of the vegetables in this recipe. They will all be blended smooth at the end.

Peel the cucumbers and using the tip of a teaspoon, remove all of the seeds from the cucumbers Chop roughly.

In a good sized soup pot sauté onion in olive oil or butter until soft but not brown. Add salt and pepper about one minute into the process.

Add garlic and flour. Cook for one minute or so. Slowly add the chicken broth stirring so as not to have lumps. Add the juice and zest of the lemon.

Add ½ of the cucumbers to the broth. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat, let cool, and then add the remaining portions of the cucumbers, reserving some if you wish for garnish. Using an immersion blender, whip the soup until smooth.

Add the sour cream. Blend to combine.

Note: Quickest if you have an immersion blender stick, but it works in a processor. Just do it in small batches.

Let cool in the refrigerator overnight!

While your soup’s cooling why not turn up the heat with a touch of Old Hollywood glamour?

Spokesmodel, Author and Diabetes Advocate Doris Hobbs (‘Rich In Love’) beautifully captures the essence of Old Hollywood in this vintage ensemble.

“A type 1 diabetic since 2014, I follow the strength of my father who has been living with type 1 diabetes since the age of two. His determination to take control of the illness has shaped my mission,” says Doris.

Doris is living proof that living with type 1 diabetes doesn’t have dim your dazzle!

She adds, “We, as a society, have a tendency of suppressing our fears, as mastering those can be difficult and takes large amounts of will and courage to look in the mirror and say, “I will succeed; I can do this!”

You don’t need to be a red carpet Old Hollywood bombshell to harness the power of black clothing because it matches everything! It’s great for mixing and matching, for layering or for helping your ‘Revenge’ red lips standout.

MAKE UP TIP: Grab a lipstick brush and your favorite shade of red to apply a gorgeous red lip, completing the Old Hollywood glam look. To clean up the edges and define your lips, dip a concealer brush into just a pinch of concealer and outline your lips, paying particular attention to the corners and the cupid’s bow for extra crisp definition.

The key to achieving a classic, glamorous Old Hollywood look and style of entertaining lies in the details. We all know that the little details that make the ordinary become extraordinary can be daunting! But the first detail to achieving the glamorous life of your favorite Old Hollywood actress, Loretta Young, Grace Kelly or Norma Shear is focusing on you and your diabetes health!

Prioritize means “to put in order of importance”. And as a busy mom, grandmother and/or daughter with diabetes you must continually do this over and over again, making choices based on the priorities you have built. If you aren’t clear on your priorities I believe you will continually run into trouble trying to balance everything. Do you know what your priorities are for yourself and your diabetes health? Are you living your daily life with those in mind? I think a great way to get an handle on what those priorities are is to take a walk outside alone without your iPhone. Take a minute to smell the Spring flowers and when you get back from your walk, sit down and make a list.

Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, co-author of ‘The Complete Diabetes Organizer: Your Guide to A Less Stressful and Manageable Life’ offers this advice to help you in the kitchen to organize your diabetes life!

“ If you’re not organized, you can’t find what you need to cook anything, says Susan. “A for meal preparation. That means instead of stuffing certain items in your cupboard or fridge just because you found a space where it fits, organize by use instead. Group similar items together and keep healthy snacks in plain view.”

Do you have a few empty make-up bags from a give-away or promotion?

Susan suggests “to stay organized, use a medium-size makeup bag for blood glucose-checking supplies and a different one for fast-acting sources of carbs, such as glucose tablets. Keep your supplies close to you in style!”

Speaking of giveaways, pampering gifts like products from PEAK 10 SKIN® are always a great treat to any Mom…at any age! Whether it’s your daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, wife or your Mother, women love things that make them feel pampered and special. PEAK 10 SKIN® have a couple different gift sets that we put together with Mom’s in mind, but they will also custom design a gift for the Mom’s in your life. For custom gifts, simply call or email us. Beautiful gift wrap available , too! Remember, all of products are professional spa quality and are paraben FREE, gluten FREE, cruelty FREE!

PEAK 10 SKIN® is offering this Special 30% Discount Offer to our Divabetic community (use the Divabetic coupon code: divabetic (all lowercase))

Don’t forget to use your coupon code: B2B (40% off)

Making a Mani/Pedi kit of SAVE MY SOLE & SOOTHE hand cream would be fabulous! If you get the 2oz of each, that would be a $36 retail/$21.60 for you!