Recipes – Page 6 – Divabetic

05/22/201805/23/2018

Happy Diabetic’s Grilled Veggie Kabobs of Love Recipe

Memorial Day feels like the unofficial beginning of summer. It means lots of socializing, get-togethers with friends, picnics, sunshine, barbecues, and outdoor activities.

It’s also the beginning of the season of fresh, locally grown ingredients, so there’s no better time to invigorate those Memorial Day barbecue and picnic spreads with locally sourced items from surrounding farms and farmers markets.

If you’re thinking of serving food that’s ‘Lean & Green’ for Memorial Day, this veggie recipe from our good friend, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’ is for you!

Happy Diabetic’s ‘Grilled Veggie Kabobs of Love’ Recipe

The Veggies-

12 Grape tomatoes
12 white button mushrooms
2 red onions cut in quarters
2 yellow peppers, cut in 1inch squares
12 slices yellow squash
12 slices zucchini
Bamboo skewers soaked in water so they will not burn.

The only MARINADE you will ever need-

1/4 to 1/2 cup good quality olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

2-3 cloves chopped garlic

Sea salt to taste

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

½ fresh lemon juice- slice the lemon after juicing and add to the marinade

½ fresh lime juice- slice the lime after juicing and add to the marinade

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Let’s Put It Together!

MARINADE: Mix all ingredients together in in a glass bowl.
Arrange vegetables on skewers and place in a large zip lock storage bag. Pour the marinade into the bag with the veggie skewers and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Preheat a grill on medium high flame or an oven at 375 degrees. While cooking turn and brush with marinade for 10 minutes or until cooked tender and slightly charred.

In a recent profile on the Everyday Diabetes website, Chef Robert Lewis admitted that he feared the worst for his own love of great food following his diagnosis with Type 2 Diabetes in 1998.

“I suspected that my days of good eating were over,” Lewis writes on his blog. “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.

Today he’s a man on the go! is a man on the go. When he’s not working as a director of training for 60 restaurants in the Midwest, he’s traveling around the country as a keynote speaker for Taking Control of Your Diabetes and/or hosting his own podcast, ‘The Happy Diabetic Kitchen Podcast’! Read more about Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’ in Diabetes Health Monitor magazine.

A vegetarian diet has been shown through research to promote weight loss and lower A1C. This was done without carbohydrate and calorie restrictions, so it may be that a vegetarian diet may be just the one for you. As always, check with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your lifestyle to find out what the potential impacts (whether positive or negative) may be on your health.

Shift away from meats on the barbecue grill by injecting recipes with beans and grains. They help to drop the risk of type 2 diabetes by one-quarter, according to Harvard researchers. Whip up a whole-grain pasta salad with an assortment of slivered or chopped carrots, celery, scallions, red bell peppers, and yellow squash. Or try an Asian Noodle Salad for a yummy twist on a classic.

Divabetic presents Diabetes Awareness Day featuring a Dog Fashion Show, Health Screenings, Healthy Food Tours, Diabetes Alert Dog Demonstrations, Poetry Readings, Art Displays & More on Sunday, June 3, 2018 at Mosaic Central Farm Market in Fairfax, VA

Here’s a complete listing of Events & Activities:

9AM Lions Free Sight & Hearing Screenings for Adults & Children (until 12 PM): Lions Club District 24A Sight and Hearing Van hosts free sight (including glaucoma) and hearing screenings for all visitors (men, women, and children). They will also offer a paper screening test for diabetes and blood pressure testing.

10 AM Healthy Food Tour of Mosaic Central Farm Market with Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator Nadine Young RD, CDE with Virginia Hospital Center: Learn how the season’s best fruits, vegetables and artisanal foods can fit into your meal plan. Visit different booths to pick up tips on preparing seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as local dairy, grain and protein products so you can build your healthy plate.

10:30 AM Dog Fashion Show Registration & Rehearsal: Dogs of all breeds and sizes are welcome to compete on the red carpet for fabulous prize awards compliments of Mosaic Central Farm Market vendors. REGISTER NOW: https://goo.gl/forms/WWxkBrs7ugpfK38P2

10:45 AM Healthy Food Tour of Mosaic Central Farm Market with Dietitian Nadine Young RD, CDE with Virginia Hospital Center: Learn how the season’s best fruits, vegetables and artisanal foods can fit into your meal plan. Visit different booths to pick up tips on preparing seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as local dairy, grain and protein products so you can build your healthy plate.

11:30 AM Dog Fashion Show: See the best dressed dogs pose on the red carpet at our 2^ndAnnual Dog Fashion Show. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic:

12 PM Diabetes Alert Dog Demonstration & Talk: Find out how dogs help people manage their blood sugar high’s and low’s, answer your questions and share resources for purchasing a diabetes alert dog and/or training your own pet. Presented by internationally known Scent Detection Dog Expert, Debby Kay and Health Educator, Kathy Gold RN, CDE

1 PM Plate Poetry Project & Workshop: What’s Eating You? Fine Artist Susan McCalsin’s Plate Poetry Project explores the conservations that people have with themselves while eating. Poet Lorraine Brooks helps adults and kids to express their mealtime thoughts and concern after reading aloud several of her poems.

Don’t miss the Capital Jazz Fest featuring Luther Vandross’ longtime collaborator, Marcus Miller.

Capital Jazz Fest will take place at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland and will feature over 25 national acts on two big stages!

03/26/2018

Ropa Vieja Slow Cooker Recipe by Holly Clegg

Best-Selling Cookbook author Holly Clegg guests on March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast, shares her wonderful Cuban recipe to help you add some flavor to your menu without compromising your health.

Holly says, “Easy to toss into a crock pot for a wonderfully flavored Cuban beef stew-style recipe. Serve over rice or with tortillas.” She adds, “If using a cooker larger than what’s called for increase everything proportionately, making sure the cooker is at least half to no more than two-thirds full.

Ropa Vieja Slow Cooker Recipe from Alimentándose bien durante el cáncer: Recetas fáciles y recomendaciones durante y después del tratamiento.

Ingredients

2 pounds flank steak, trimmed of fat

1 cup fat-free beef broth

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 green bell pepper, cored and sliced into strips

1 onion, sliced into strips

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon vinegar

Directions

1. In 3 1/2-6-quart slow cooker, insert plastic liner if desired. Place flank steak in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cover, and cook on LOW 8-10 hours or on high 4 hours or until meat is very tender.

2. When meat is very tender, remove from slow cooker and shred meat with fork. Serve in sauce.

Makes 8 servings

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 197 kcal, Calories from fat 42%, Fat 9 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 48 mg, Sodium 378 mg, Carbohydrates 7 g, Dietary Fiber 1 g, Total Sugars 5 g, Protein 21 g, Dietary Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat

Nutrition Nugget: Make this even easier by cutting up vegetables the night before so are ready to go in morning. Cut slow-cooking vegetables, such as carrots, into small pieces. Cut quick-cooking vegetables, such as sweet peppers into bigger pieces. Can serve over couscous, polenta, or rice, if desired.

With over 1 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy healthy everyday recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim & TERRIFIC® 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.

This newly revised and expanded 15-year anniversary edition of Holly’s Eating Well Through Cancer includes chapters on nourishing foods that are best tolerated to ease common side effects such as nausea, sore mouth and throat, taste changes, neutropenia and weight loss. With easy everyday recipes using familar ingredients, you’ll find this book an invaluable recipe resource for cancer prevention

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.

LISTEN NOW: Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on author and chef, Holly Clegg, in this half-hour special edition of Diva Talk Radio. This fun-filled food frenzy will feature expert advice on quick, flavorful and healthy eating from Holly’s latest book, ‘Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age’

LISTEN NOW: March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast inspired by Celia Cruz. Guests include Cookbook Author Holly Clegg, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach and Mama Rose Marie.

02/20/201802/28/2018

Cuban Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Recipe by Holly Clegg

We’re spotlighting ‘Latinos & Diabetes’ on March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with musical inspiration from ‘La Reina de la Salsa’, Celia Cruz on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 6 PM, EST.

March’s musical inspiration, Celia Cruz did not have diabetes but people of Hispanic and Latino origin are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes and related cardiometabolic abnormalities. The risk varies considerably among specific ethnic groups and other factors, such as the length of time they have been living in the United States, according to two studies and an accompanying commentary being published in the August issue of Diabetes Care®.

“If there are any bright highlights in the picture,”aid Neil Schneiderman, PhD from The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), “they are that Hispanics/Latinos older than 65 years, who have better access to health care, are more likely to be aware of their diabetes, more likely to be receiving treatment, and have better glycemic control than those people under the age of 65 years.”

Best-Selling Cookbook author Holly Clegg, who will be joining us on March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast, shares her wonderful Cuban recipe to help you add some flavor to your menu without compromising your health.

“Perky flavors are packed in this eye-catching tenderloin,” says Holly. “Serve sliced to see the stuffing.”

Cuban Stuffed Pork Tenderloin from KITCHEN 101 cookbook

Directions:

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup chopped bread and butter pickles

Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°F. Cover baking pan with foil.
Make a slit down center of each tenderloin, not cutting through (butterfly).
Spread inside of both tenderloins with garlic and mustard. Stuff with parsley, cheese and pickles. Fold sides together securing with twine or threading toothpicks to hold together. Season tenderloin with pepper. Bake 40-45 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160°F.

Makes 6 servings

Options: Turn leftovers into Cuban quesadillas or sandwiches. In tortilla, layer, pork (shred if possible), Swiss cheese, pickle slices and mustard and heat in skillet.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 232 kcal, Calories from Fat: 33%, Fat 8g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 104mg, Sodium: 264mg, Carbohydrates: 3g, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Total Sugars: 2g, Protein: 34g, Dietary Exchanges: 4 1/2 lean meat

With over 1 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy healthy everyday recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim&TERRIFIC® 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.

This newly revised and expanded 15-year anniversary edition of Holly’s Eating Well Through Cancer includes chapters on nourishing foods that are best tolerated to ease common side effects such as nausea, sore mouth and throat, taste changes, neutropenia and weight loss. With easy everyday recipes using familar ingredients, you’ll find this book an invaluable recipe resource for cancer prevention

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.

LISTEN NOW: Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on author and chef, Holly Clegg, in this half-hour special edition of Diva Talk Radio. This fun-filled food frenzy will feature expert advice on quick, flavorful and healthy eating from Holly’s latest book, ‘Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age’

TUNE IN: March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast inspired by Celia Cruz on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST. Guests include Cookbook Author Holly Clegg, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd,RD,CDE,CDN, Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach and Mama Rose Marie.

Vídeo oficial de Celia Cruz de su tema ‘Rie Y Llora’. Haz clic aquí para escuchar a Celia Cruz en Spotify: http://smarturl.it/CCRSpot?IQid=RYL

10/25/2017

The Diabetic Pastry Chef’s Sugar-Free Chocolate- Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe

My friend and colleague Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ shares a Halloween-inspired dessert recipe to help you celebrate this spooky holiday without jeopardizing your diabetes health.

When Stacey Harris was studying to become a pastry chef, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Rather than give up her chosen profession, she began creating more diabetic-friendly desserts. By using blended flours and a combination of sugar and sugar substitutes, reducing milk carbohydrates, and eliminating trans fats, Stacey Harris has transformed more than 200 desserts into diabetic-friendly delights.

Sugar-Free Chocolate- Pumpkin Bundt Cake by the Diabetic Pastry Chef

Please read carefully: This cake recipe uses 2 separate batters, a number of bowls, and must be baked in a large 12-cup bundt pan to prevent overflowing. A little difficult but well worth the effort! Splenda For Baking can be substituted for the Whey Low D Granular, see the instructions for this in the note at the end of the recipe.

3 sticks butter, softened

2 1/2 cups Whey Low D Granular sweetener

6 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups pure canned pumpkin

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 tsp baking powder, divided

1 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:

In medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Add Whey Low and continue whisking until pretty well dissolved. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Slowly add the egg mixture a little at a time beating well after each addition. Remove half the mixture from the mixing bowl and place in another bowl; set aside.

Pumpkin Batter: Add the following to the mixture still in the mixing bowl: 1 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and all of the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Finally add the canned pumpkin and beat on low speed just until combined.

Chocolate Batter: In another separate clean bowl, mix together the remaining 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt; add the cocoa powder. Add this mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the remaining butter mixture that was set aside.

Add half of the pumpkin mixture to a greased and floured 12-cup bundt pan. By spoonfuls drop half of the chocolate batter on top of the pumpkin batter in the bundt pan, being careful to let the pumpkin mixture peak through in spaces. Repeat to spoon the remaining pumpkin and chocolate batters. Carefully run a butter knife a couple times around the rim of the batters in the pan and then draw the knife across the width of the pan in 10 to 12 spaces to swirl the batters. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes before inverting the pan to remove the cake. Cool completely.

Special Note: Splenda For Baking can be used instead of Whey Low Granular D in this recipe. To use Splenda For Baking beat the butter, add the Splenda and continue beating until fluffy. Next add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, and then add the vanilla. Continue the recipe as written.

The Diabetic Pastry Chef’s cookbooks are filled with information on the definition, treatment, and prevention of diabetes and include complete nutritional information (calories, fat, cholesterol, sugars, and protein) for each recipe. She uses Splendar and presents other sugar-free alternatives for pancakes, muffins, cakes, cookies, and pies. Stacey Harris shares the sweet secrets of her simple-to-use formula that will convert most any recipe into a lower-carb alternative without compromising taste or quality. Now ‘divabetics’ can enjoy Chocolate Truffle Cookies, Blueberry Tartlets, Cream Cheese Cupcakes, Coffee Bread Pudding, and hundreds of others. BUY NOW

“In The Diabetic Pastry Chef, Stacey Harris proves you can prepare and eat wonderful food and still stay well within the guidelines of food for a person with diabetes.”—Alan L. Rubin, M.D., author of Diabetes for Dummies and Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies

Healthy Halloween Tip: Take the focus off of candy by encouraging arts and crafts projects, pumpkin carving/painting contests, watching a Halloween movie, visiting a haunted house, or going on a hayride. This is a great way to create memories that don’t involve food.

10/22/201710/22/2017

The Decadent Diabetic’s Roasted Ginger Shrimp in Remoulade Sauce Recipe

Chef Ward Alper aka ‘The Decadent Diabetic’ and I believe that diabetes doesn’t have to dim your dazzle especially when it comes to entertaining.

Together we’re hoping to encourage you to enjoy life without compromising your diabetes health.

Coming together with friends and family to share meals helps build healthy relationships and promotes good overall health. But why not make the most of the meal and let silver screen legend, Ginger Rogers inspire you to experiment with spices like ginger to your meals.

Fresh ginger is good for so many things. When buying ginger look for full, plump roots that are juicy and not dried out on the ends at all.

It’s been famously stated that silver screen legend, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and in high heels!

That’s also a fairly accurate description of what life’s like for people with diabetes – they do what everyone else does while managing their blood sugars!

Ginger Rogers is quite simply one of the greatest talents that Hollywood has ever seen. She was an actress and singer and dancer–a triple threat before people even really knew what that meant. Not only could she do it all, she did it all so well…the result of a strong work ethic and sheer raw talent. As an actress, she had tremendous range; she was a natural with comedy, but she could also bring a tear to your eye as she did in dramas like her Oscar-winning performance in Kitty Foyle (1940). And as a singer, she recorded several songs that were hits at the time and continue to be standards today. But it is for her grace as a dancer that she is perhaps best known, especially for her 10 movies with Fred Astaire. It is important to remember she had already made a name for herself on the stage and in 20 films before their first one together, but their coupling created an image so iconic they are still known all over the world.

Roasted Ginger Shrimp in Remoulade Sauce Recipe by The Decadent Diabetic

Ingredients for Shrimp Preparation

10 RAW shrimp (16-21 size) pealed and cleaned

½ tsp. ground ginger

1 TBSP. canola oil

1 tsp. soy sauce

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce:

½ cup Mayonnaise with olive oil

1 tsp. – Dijon mustard

1 tsp. coarse grained mustard

1 tsp. white wine or cider vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Combine shrimp, ginger, oil, and soy sauce. Roast in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Allow to cool.

Mix mayonnaise, mustards and vinegar together until smooth. Place into a small dish and surround with the shrimp.

Servings: 2

Carbohydrates: 3 grams per serving

When Chef Ward Alper was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes he thought it was the end of eating as he knew it. For the first weeks Chef Ward says he faced a tin of tuna or a slab of meat and a salad and got bored very fast. He left the table unhappy and unsatisfied. Then it dawned on him that there were plenty of foods out there that he could still eat, and even more to be created, his eyes, and his world, opened up and he came up with the motto – “Take back my life and my table”. Chef Ward has been working in the restaurant kitchen since he was 8 years old. He shares recipes and more at his blog, The Decadent Diabetic, encouraging fellow ‘divabetics’ to expand their choices.

Our ‘divabetic’ entertaining inspiration, Ginger Rogers starred with Fred Astaire in the 1935 musical, “Roberta”. It was an adaptation of a 1933 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the novel Gowns by Roberta by Alice Duer Miller.

The film’s famous songs included “Yesterdays“, “Let’s Begin” (with altered lyrics), and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes“, “I’ll Be Hard to Handle“, “I Won’t Dance” and “Lovely to Look At”

https://youtu.be/rkV8fC5W0tw

09/16/201705/21/2020

Sugar-Free Coconut Custard Recipe by The Diabetic Pastry Chef, Stacey Harris

I blame MaryAnn, who whipped up endless coconut cream pies for Gilligan on TV, and the chorus of Rupert Holmes’ hit song, Escape (The Pina Colada song) for why I associate ‘coconuts’ with ‘beaches’. That’s probably why I reached out to my friend and colleague Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ for a dessert recipe featuring coconuts to help celebrate the debut of our 4th Annual Diabetes Mystery podcast, ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’. After all, the setting of this year’s mystery is the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, NY!!

Here’s Stacey Harris’ fabulous Coney Island caper inspired recipe for you and your family to enjoy!

Sugar-Free Coconut Custard Recipe by The Diabetic Pastry Chef

Ingredients:

2 c. milk, scalded
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c. SPLENDA® Naturals
2 tsp. coconut extract
dash nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In large bowl, beat eggs, add SPLENDA® Naturals, coconut extract and nutmeg; blend in hot milk.

Pour into small casserole dish and bake for 1 hour.

Garnish:

Serve with whipped cream sprinkled with a little toasted coconut, a fresh orange slice or garnish of your choice and enjoy!

USA Today Best-Selling Author, Tonya Kappes, We Are Diabetes organization founder, Asha Brown, Divabetic Image & Style Advisor, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’, Seveda Williams, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, MaryAnn Horst Nicolay MEd, DTR, Mama Rose Marie and Poet Lorraine Brooks help the fruit suit clad sleuth, Mr. Divabetic in the seaside adventure, ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’.

Diabetes advocate turned reluctant amateur sleuth, Mr. Divabetic finally takes the plunge and ventures into a new career as a healthy caterer. With the help of his co-workers and nosy Italian mother, he heads for Coney Island to cater his first party for his former swim coach, Ted Rockow. But this nautical soiree quickly capsizes when the guest of honor is found sleeping with the fishes.

What it an accident or foul play?

Now Mr. Divabetic’s grilling a sequined Real Estate Agent, ex-lifeguard Lothario and a voluptuous Dance Instructor, all intent on keeping their secrets buried deep within the sand. Can Mr. Divabetic prove Coach’s death was a murder, not an accident? Or will he end up floating out to sea?

Will he sink or swim? Tune in to find out if he can solve the murder of his former swim coach with the help of his friends and a kooky crudite-obsessed fortune teller. Along the way to revealing the identity of the murderer he uncovers Summertime diabetes self-care tips.

This year’s mystery podcast features music from the original cast recording of ‘Gypsy’ courtesy of SONY Music. LISTEN NOW

08/29/2017

Make Taco Tuesdays Healthy! with The Happy Diabetic

Who doesn’t love Taco Tuesdays?

All of sudden the day after Monday, Tuesday, doesn’t seem so bad. I think ‘tacos’ might be to blame for why Tuesdays have become a highpoint in our culinary week. This popular culinary trend, Taco Tuesdays, took off in Southern California and quickly spread to many big cities across the nation.Taco Tuesday is similar to Happy Hour in that restaurants vary in their participation, hours, and specials offered.

Taco Tuesdays can be part of a healthy diet plan, if done right.

I asked my friend, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’ to share a few of his favorite healthy fish taco recipes on this blog. It’s all part of the preparations for our biggest podcast event of the year, Mister Divabetic Mystery podcast: ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’ on Tuesday, September 12, 2017, 6 PM, EST.

The wonderful Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’ plays the character on ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’.

Since this year’s zany adventure takes place in New York City’s historic seashore, Coney Island we’re spotlighting seafood dishes.

Don’t let diabetes dim your DAZZLE! Get in the spirt and enjoy the first of several fish taco recipes,Hoisin Shrimp Tacos, from The Happy Diabetic. It’s sure to win over your family and friends at your next party!

Hoisin Shrimp Tacos by the Happy Diabetic

What’s in it?

5 tsp. Hoisin Sauce

1 tbsp. soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. shrimp, tails removed, peeled and deveined

1/2 tsp. olive oil

2 limes

kosher salt

2 c. shredded white cabbage

1/4 c. fresh chopped cilantro

WHAT’S THAT?: Hoisin sauce is a thick, pungent sauce commonly used in Chinese cuisine as a glaze for meat, an addition to stir fries, or as dipping sauce. It is darkly colored in appearance and sweet and salty in taste. Peking-style hoisin sauce ingredients include starches such as sweet potato, wheat or rice, and water, sugar, soybeans, sesame seeds, white distilled vinegar, salt, garlic, red chili peppers, and sometimes preservatives or coloring agents. Traditionally, hoisin sauce is made using toasted mashed soy beans.

Let’s put it together!

In a large mixing bowl stir together 3 teaspoons Hoisin, soy sauce, and garlic; add shrimp and mix until well coated. Set aside to marinate.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine 2 tsp hoisin, and zest and juice of one lime, mix together with cabbage and cilantro; set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat or cook on the grill, heat the oil. Drain shrimp and pat dry; discard marinade. Sear shrimp until slightly caramelized, then flip. Cook until shrimp are firm, about 3 minutes and remove from the heat.
Wrap the tortillas in foil and bake for about 8 minutes, until they are softened and heated through.
Assemble tacos with a handful of cabbage slaw and a few pieces of shrimp. Cut garnish with the remaining lime cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Skip The Chips: According to United States Department of Agriculture reported that tortilla chips are high in calories per gram and are filled with saturated fats and high levels of sodium. Get more Healthy Taco Tuesday tips from Pritikin to help you host a nutritious and delicious Taco Tuesday right at home: READ MORE

In a recent profile on the Everyday Diabetes website, Chef Robert Lewis admitted that he feared the worst for his own love of great food following his diagnosis with Type 2 Diabetes in 1998.

Join us for the broadcast of our newest Mister Divabetic Mister entitled ‘Gypsies, Tramps and Peas’.

Diabetes advocate turned reluctant amateur sleuth, Mr. Divabetic finally takes the plunge and ventures into a new career as a healthy caterer. With the help of his co-workers and nosy Italian mother, he heads for Coney Island to cater his first party aboard a yacht for his former swim coach, Ted Rockow. But his nautical soiree quickly capsizes when the guest of honor is found swimming with the fishes. What it an accident or foul play? Now Mr. Divabetic’s grilling Burlesque dancers, a lifeguard lothario and some sequined mermaids, all intent on keeping their secrets buried deep within the sand. Can Mr. Divabetic prove Coach’s death was a murder, not an accident? Or will he end up floating out to sea?

Will he sink or swim? Tune in to find out if he can solve the murder of his former swim coach with the help of his friends, some sassy mermaids and a cooky fortune teller. Along the way to revealing the identity of the murderer he uncovers expert tips for diabetes self-care during the Summer months.

USA Today Best-Selling Author, Tonya Kappes, Asha Brown, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’, Seveda Williams, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, MaryAnn Horst Nicolay, Mama Rose Marie and Poet Lorraine Brooks help the fruit suit clad sleuth in this seaside adventure. Healthy delicious recipes provided by Chef Robert Lewis and Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’.

This year’s mystery podcast features music from the original cast recording of ‘Gypsy’ courtesy of SONY Music.

Join the show! Get the full script for ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’ and read along as our cast performs. Please e-mail: mrdvabetic@gmail.com

08/10/2017

The Happy Diabetic’s Healthy Hot Dog Topping Recipes

Chef Robert aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’ takes part in our fourth annual Mr. Divabetic Mystery podcast: Gypsies, Tramps & Peas scheduled for Tuesday, September 12, 2017. This year’s diabetes mystery takes place in Coney Island, the home of Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Joey “Jaws” Chestnut captured his 10th Mustard Belt by eating an event-record 72 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win.

To get you in the spirit of ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’ we asked Chef Robert to share some recipes for healthy hot toppings to help you ‘makeover’ your hot dog.

“Okay, let be honest the All American Hot dog get’s a bad rap!,” says Chef Robert Lewis. “It’s nutritional reputation is horrible. The average hot dog actually beats out a basic hamburger patty by about 100 calories assuming it’s not a foot long. After all, who really needs to eat a foot of food anyway!”

Chef Robert Lewis recommends choosing organic, grass-fed, and/or kosher all beef wieners, which tend to have less sodium. Aim for less than 200 calories, 5g sat fat, and 400 mg sodium.

Don’t worry, if you’re feeling angry with Chef Robert for taking the fun out of grilling because he’s got loads of surefire ways to make sure your dogs are the ‘top dogs’ at your next cookout.

After all, he 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.”

The Happy Diabetic Fixin’s Tip: Replace relish, which is loaded with sodium, with shredded cucumbers. Cucumbers are low in calories and provide a healthy dose of fiber, vitamin C and potassium.

The Happy Diabetic’s Festive Hot Dog Toppings (all less than 150 calories!)

The West Coast Hot Dog Recipe

Yellow mustard and chopped fresh basil

Sliced avocado

Alfalfa sprouts

Shredded or sliced cucumbers

Baby Spinach

The Salsa Dog

Roasted corn

Sliced green onion

Fresh lime juice

Diced red bell and Green pepper

Slices of jalapeño slivers

Crumbled sharp cheese

Pickle ME! Hot Dog Recipe

2 teaspoons olive oil mayo mixed with 1 teaspoon chopped cucumbers

Sliced pickled red onion

Crumbled feta cheese

Shredded carrots

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Aloha! Ohvey…Chop It Up Hot Dog Recipe

Chopped red onion

Chopped fresh pineapple

Chopped red bell pepper

Chopped macadamia nuts

Chopped fresh cilantro

Fresh lime juice

My Big Fat Greek Hot Dog Recipe

Grape tomatoes

Sliced Kalamata olives

Chickpeas

Pepperoncini

Chobni Meze Cucumber Greek Yogurt

The Happy Diabetic Quick Fixes: Add low-sodium chili supplies fiber and protein, Choose white beans and low-sodium turkey bacon that contains fiber and protein, Spice it up withresh herbs, such as dill or cilantro (lot’s flavor to a and are low in calories) or top your dog with chopped pineapple or mango.

Everything’s Coming Up Roses! We’re going behind the scenes on our upcoming Mr. Diabetic Mystery podcast. ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’ (scheduled for September 12, 2017) with music from the Original Broadway cast of ‘Gypsy’ courtesy of SONY Music.

Our annual diabetes mystery podcast hopes to encourage you to become a Diabetes Detective. Look for clues, search for patterns, investigate the reasons behind your blood sugar high’s and low’s and report to the authorities (your healthcare team) about medical information found on the internet.

On August’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast we’re discussing tips for Summertime Diabetes Management, the Best in Swimsuit Coverups, Body Image Issues, Health Hazards of Professional Eating Contests, Safe Pedicures and Broadway’s Biggest Divas.

LISTEN: August’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with music from the musical, ‘Gypsy’ features guests Actress, Singer Soara-Joye Ross, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’, Maryann Nicolay BA, DTR, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP, Founder & Executive Director of the We Are Diabetes organization Asha Brown, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes and Mama Rose Marie.

07/03/2017

Star Spangled Sugar-Free Strawberry Tart by the Diabetic Pastry Chef

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, recipes and games with you so that you won’t have to avoid the holidays like the Fourth of July in order to take charge of our diabetes.

Typical July weather is hot, hot, hot! If you’re living with diabetes make sure you stay hydrated. Dehydration, or the loss of body fluids, can happen on these very hot summer days whether you have diabetes or not. If you have diabetes, dehydration also can occur when blood glucose is not under control. When blood glucose is elevated, this can lead to an increase in the body’s excretion of urine.

“People with chronic diseases like diabetes as well as people taking certain medications, including heart disease medications and diuretics, which are often used to treat complications of diabetes, are at increased risk of experiencing difficulties in the heat, even though they may not be aware of it,” says Catherine Carver, M.S., A.N.P., C.D.E, Director of Educational Services at Joslin Clinic.

How do you know if you are properly hydrated?

Try this skin test. First, use two fingers to grab a roll of skin on the back of your hand (between where your watch sits and where your fingers start), advises Higgins. …
Check your urine. If you’re well-hydrated your urine will be mostly clear with a tinge of yellow, Higgins explains.

Tart with strawberries and whipped cream decorated with mint leaves

Our good friend, Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ who loves to bake shares this delicious dessert recipe featuring one of our favorite fruit, strawberries!!!

Sugar-Free Strawberry Tart by the Diabetic Pastry Chef

1- 8 or 9″ baked pie shell

Filling

1-8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup Swerve sugar-free confectioner’s sugar or other equivalent

Strawberry Topping

1/2 cup Marzetti sugar-free strawberry glaze

2 cups fresh strawberries, halved

mint leaves for decoration

whipped cream, optional

Beat together the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar substitute. Spread in bottom of baked pie shell.

Gently combine the strawberry glaze with the fresh strawberries, and arrange on top of the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until set approximately one hour. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ loves to bake! While she was attending cooking school she began creating diabetic-friendly recipes for breads, cakes and other desserts by swapping out the sugar, blending the flour and cutting the milk carbohydrates after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes READ MORE

DIVABETIC TIP: If you have diabetes, the key to maintaining your blood sugar is to use portion control. Thanks to the low-carbohydrate density of strawberries, you can safely enjoy a 1¼-cup serving. The diabetic exchange for blueberries is 3/4 cup.

When it comes to reducing your risk for diabetes, knowledge is key. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about type 2 diabetes! (Answer at bottom of post)

DIVABETIC TIP: Watch for Signs of Heat Exhaustion, especially if you are working or exercising outdoors. People with diabetes and other chronic diseases like heart disease are more susceptible to overheating. Symptoms include: feeling dizzy or fainting; sweating excessively; muscle cramps; skin that is cold or clammy; headaches; rapid heartbeat and/or nausea. If you experience any of these symptoms, move to a cooler environment, drink fluids like water, juice or sports drinks (based on your healthcare provider’s instructions) and seek medical attention.

HOT TOPIC: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is troubled by the proposed changes to Medicaid and the negative impact of these changes on low-income Americans, who are disproportionately affected by diabetes. In states that expanded their Medicaid programs, more individuals are being screened for diabetes than non-expansion states. Cuts to Medicaid would leave the most vulnerable individuals with or at risk for diabetes without the health coverage they need to be diagnosed and treated for the disease as early as possible.

As currently drafted, the Association cannot support this legislation. It falls far short of the minimum standards for replacing the important safeguards and coverage provided by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which the Association has outlined. We urge all Senators to vote no on this bill and to work toward meaningful legislation that will protect access to affordable and adequate health care coverage for people with diabetes. READ MORE

ANSWER: Men are more likely than women to have undiagnosed diabetes. One of the big reasons is that men are less likely to go to their doctor regularly. One out of every four people with diabetes doesn’t know it, and a simple blood test can determine if you’re at risk for the disease or already have it. READ MORE

06/30/2017

Star Spangled Divabetic Fourth of July 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, games and entertaining ideas with you so that you won’t have to avoid the holidays like the Fourth of July in order to take charge of our diabetes.

For people with diabetes, the heat and humidity of summer can be particularly hazardous, reports Anahad O’Connor for the New York Times.

One of the complications of diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2, is an impaired ability to adjust to rises in temperature, which can cause dangerous increases in body temperature during the summer. The underlying problem, nerve damage, occurs in 60 to 70 percent of Americans with diabetes; it can affect nearly every organ in the body, including sweat glands. When nerve damage keeps the sweat glands from working properly, the body fails to cool down as the mercury rises. READ MORE

What’s more ‘American’ than football? Well, how would you tackle type 2 diabetes is if you’re a professional player? You might start seeing red (and not white and blue!) if your team’s management decided to let you go because of your diagnosis.

The New England Patriots released Kyle Love two months after he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes — despite the fact he’d made 24 starts at defensive tackle the previous two seasons. Three teams later, Love has found a new home on the Carolina Panthers’ strong front seven, but New England’s decision still provides some motivation.

“Every day I think about it. It eats me up,” Love told Sporting News. “You do so much and you put so much work on the field. That somebody could just release you based off a physical problem that’s not going to stop you from playing football, it really grinds my gears.”

Staying ‘big’ in order to play his position may have contributed to some bad eating habits admits Love. For example, even now, there’s still the occasional trip to Burger King, and not always the “perfect meal.” More often, he tries to use the wisdom he has gained while dealing with the illness.

“My thought process was, ‘I’m an athlete, I work out every day, there’s no way I can get diabetes or high blood pressure because I sweat so much and burn so many calories.’ But if it’s determined to happen, it can happen.

When it comes to reducing your risk for diabetes, knowledge is key. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about type 2 diabetes! (Answer at bottom of post)

DIVABETIC QUICK TIP: During the hot summer months, you want to make sure you protect your diabetes supplies and equipment. Heat can have negative impacts on your oral medication, insulin, blood glucose meter, and test strips. For example, you don’t want to keep your meter in your car since cars can get extremely hot. Always keep it in a cool dry place. READ MORE

Fresh ideas for Fourth of July Entertaining

ENTERTAINING TIP #1: Put together a flag-inspired cheese plate featuring red raspberries, strawberry and blueberries.

ENTERTAINING TIP #2: Quench your thirst with Fruit Water! Just put frozen blueberries, ice cubes, and fresh strawberries in glass beverage. Avoid any fruit that’s bruised or overly ripe, or herbs that don’t look fresh.Use thin slices or small cubes because the flavor will infuse more quickly.Add the fruit, herbs, spices or whatever you want to use into a bottle of cool water.

ENTERTAINING TIP #3: Star Spangled Fruit Salad with cookie cutter watermelon stars – Simple to make and perfect for a Summer night!

Check out these ‘Hotter than July’ Topics in Diabetes

HOT TOPIC #1: A small but growing group of people without diabetes are wearing Continuous Glucose Monitors to track what goes on in their own bodies.

“I’ve been trying to learn why some days I feel fantastic, and other days I don’t. I had a cinnamon roll recently and my blood glucose doubled in 60 minutes,” says Tabb Firchau, an entrepreneur living in Seattle, who bought his CGM off eBay for about $300. “The monitor helps you understand the costs of the decisions you are making.” READ MORE

HOT TOPIC #2:Broccoli compound could be helpful to diabetes according to a new study published in Science Translational Medicine. Apparently a compound called “sulforaphane,” that occurs in broccoli and other vegetables, has the ability to lower the liver’s production of glucose. “There are strong indications that this can become a valuable supplement to existing medication,” Dr Rosengren predicted. “Sulforaphane can reach the patients faster than a medication, and it is also an interesting concept from a diabetes perspective where diet is central.” READ MORE

HOT TOPIC #3:U.S. Air Pollution still kills thousands every year, even at the levels allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a new study. “We are now providing bullet-proof evidence that we are breathing harmful air,” says Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who led the study. “Our air is contaminated.”

Dominici and her colleagues set out to do the most comprehensive study to date assessing the toll that air pollution takes on American lives. READ MORE

HOT TOPIC #4:Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) have introduced the Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act of 2017 to help curb America’s diabetes epidemic. This bill will allow Medicare coverage of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) services for people with prediabetes and other risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes.

“People at risk of Type 2 diabetes, including the many with prediabetes, need support to avoid developing this disease,” Congresswoman DeGette said. “Older adults served by Medicare are disproportionately affected by prediabetes and diabetes itself. It just makes sense to ensure that seniors on Medicare who face these risks have coverage for MNT services.” READ MORE

HOT TOPIC #5 : Flip Flops or Not! The type of shoes you wear when you have diabetes is important! “There are shoes which can help prevent or delay the onset of foot ulceration in diabetes. There are also shoes which can cause or help accelerate the development of foot ulceration,” says Stephen Ogedengbe, MD, a researcher at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria for WebMD. What to do? Wear shoes you can easily adjust. They should have laces, Velcro, or buckles. Do not wear shoes with pointed or open toes, such as high heels, flip-flops, or sandals. READ MORE

Diabetes Roundtable ‘Super Stars & Stripes’ themed podcast featuring the Divabetic Charlie’s Angels of Diabetes Outreach, Mama Rose Marie, celebrity makeup artist Turner Harte and real diva, Morelia of Nashville, TN. Plus, we’re dining out with a dietitian at Subway in a menu review of healthy food choices and gather ringside for a Food Aisle Face-off between watermelon and corn-on-the-cob. Tune in and call in to get inspired, to give a shout-out or to play Divabetic’s Diabetes Numerology game. LISTEN NOW

ANSWER: True. If you’ve ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure, this could contribute to your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Make sure to talk to your doctor about your risk level if you have high blood pressure.