NATIONAL PUMPKIN DAY

The word pumpkin originates from the word pepon, which is Greek for “large melon”.  Within recent years, white pumpkins have become more popular in the United States.

How about a recipe?

PUMPKIN SOUP (Makes 8 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. sweet Italian turkey sausage

1/2 c. chopped onion

3 c. chopped pumpkin (or butternut squash)

4 c. chopped kale

4 c. chicken broth

4 c. water

Parmesan cheese for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook sausage in a medium saucepan.  Add onions & saute’ until translucent.  Pour the broth and water into the saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Add kale and pumpkin.  Simmer until pumpkin is soft – about 20 minutes.  Serve hot, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

It’s a great day to go out to the pumpkin patch!  Enjoy the moments while you can!  🙂

 

NATIONAL NUT DAY

I think we can agree that some friends are a bit on the nutty side…  and they do come in all shapes and sizes.  I think we also agree that it’s perfectly okay!  😉

The nuts we want to focus on are the edible kind…  of course.  Nuts are low or no carbohydrates, so are very healthy for diabetics.  They are chock full of nutrients and healthy fats.  My favorite nuts are cashews, and I eat a few handfuls every day.  Our little nuthouse here in Wichita, The Nifty Nuthouse, has such delicious cashews, but at $9.00 a pound, I have to pace myself for sure.

Once in a while I get a craving for Chinese food, and my favorite recipe is for, you guessed it…  Cashew Chicken.  Here’s my simple recipe:

CASHEW CHICKEN (Makes 5 servings – 10 carbs each)

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce

1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

1/4 cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp sesame seeds

3/4 cup cashew pieces

salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat a large pan on medium heat and add the coconut oil.

Season your cubed chicken with a little salt and pepper…don’t over do it on the salt because the soy has enough salt in it.

Add the chicken to the pan and brown on both sides, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan, and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain some of the grease off.

In the same pan, add the sesame oil and saute the garlic clove and ginger for 1 minute.

Stir in the Teriyaki, Oyster, Soy Sauce, Rice Wine Vinegar and red pepper flakes.

Once the sauce has come to a boil, add the chicken and stir to combine. Cook about another 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the chicken to a serving bowl and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

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So today, give that nutty friend in your circle a phone call or send a note…  and celebrate the edible kind with this wonderful recipe.  🙂

SPINACH LOVERS MONTH

Who remembers this fella???  Yep, it’s Popeye!!!  Remember what his super-food was???  Absolutely…  it was SPINACH!

Spinach is part of a healthy diet.  I’m finding new and different ways to use spinach, but my favorite recipe is creamed spinach.  I was tickled to find a copycat recipe for Boston Market’s creamed spinach.  It’s low-carb and delicious!

Low-Carb Creamed Spinach

Makes 8 servings

4g. carbs per serving

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. butter

1/2 c. chopped shallots

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 1/2 c. half & half

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

8 oz. Havarti cheese

16 oz. fresh spinach

Instructions:

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots and garlic.  Cook until tender.  Pour half & half in and reduce to low heat.  Stir in salt, pepper, paprika and nutmeg.  Add in Havarti cheese and cook on low heat until it’s melted and combined throughout.  Once melted, add in the spinach and toss together until coated with cheese.

Serve warm.

This is a great side dish for steak or fish.  Some days I don’t want a great big meal and just fix this.  Spinach is packed with nutrients that keep us strong – just like Popeye!

Here are some other ways to enjoy spinach:

• Spinach Smoothie.  It’s not as bad as it sounds.  There’s not much flavor to spinach so you can add in the nutrition boost without changing the taste.  Add a handful of spinach next time and see for yourself.  Making smoothies and juicing is not the best way to consume any fruit or vegetable for diabetics because when you make the food liquid, it increases the sugar content and decreases the amount of fiber you get.  Diabetics need less sugar and more fiber, so keep that in mind.
• Spinach Wrap.  Place grilled chicken in a spinach leaf and dip it into ranch dressing.  It’s pretty good!
• Omelets.  Add spinach, mushrooms, onion, and cheese to make a nutritious and delicious filling for omelets.  Sometimes I add some applewood smoked bacon…  it’s delish!
• Spinach Salad.  Toss in some strawberries or mandarin oranges.  A few apple chunks would even work.
• Stir-Fry Dishes.  Spinach, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and broccoli stir-fried in a little olive oil makes a good lunch or dinner.Keep in mind that spinach is:
• Low in calories
• High in Vitamin A
• High in magnesium
• High in fiber
• Good source of calcium
• Good source of antioxidants
• Helps with cancer prevention
• Lowers cholesterol
• Is high in folate
• Increases brain function
• Is an anti-inflammatory
• Promotes healthy vision
• Increases circulation
• Strengthens your immune system
• Helps fight infection
• Promotes healthy skin
• Is high in flavonoids
• Good source in vitamin E
• Good source of beta carotene
• Good source of zinc
• Increases bone density

If you’re a diabetic with neuropathy like me, spinach can help your neuropathy because it increases circulation.  I eat a lot of spinach and have not gone beyond the needles and pins sensation in my feet.  Good nutrition really does matter.  🙂

 

NATIONAL KALE DAY

Kale is the perfect companion for bacon and cheese as part of a healthy low-carb salad.  Anytime a vegetable is cooked, it takes some of the nutrients out of it, but I prefer kale a little wilted so I fry it up with my bacon to make it taste better.Kale chips are pretty good.  They do provide that crunch that chips used to.  Are there really health benefits to eating kale?  Does it really give you a boost of energy like people claim?  My research tells me the answer to both questions is YES.

Since a low-carb diet allows many foods that have low or no fiber content, kale helps with a need for fiber, much like other types of lettuce and spinach.  It also contains an antioxidant called alpha-lipoic acid, which lowers glucose levels, increases insulin sensitivity and prevents oxidative stress-induced changes in patients with diabetes!  My ears perked up when I read that!  It also decreases peripheral neuropathy and/or autonomic neuropathy in diabetics!  This is good news for diabetics!!!

My theory is, if you can put enough stuff that actually tastes good (bacon, cheese, salad dressing) with the kale in your salad – it really sort of masks it enough that you can eat it without choking it down.  I’m being honest.  Have you tried to eat a piece of raw kale with nothing on it?  I rest my case.

I don’t juice because juicing is not the best choice for diabetics.  We need to keep the fiber intact rather than squeezing the juice from the fruit or vegetable.  The sugar content is found in the juice – and why would I want to ditch the fiber and keep the sugar?  That doesn’t make sense in my brain.

Kale is a super veggie, with more vitamins and minerals than spinach.  If you are lacking energy and seem to be dragging along, maybe you should try a salad with kale.  Use plenty of dressing – not a sweet dressing, but a blue cheese or ranch type dressing.  Read the labels before using – I prefer blue cheese but once in a while I use ranch.

Leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, kale, collards, Swiss chard, and spinach are the most nutrient-dense of all foods.  – Joel Fuhrman

My kale salad is not as “fancy” as most recipes you’ll find because I don’t eat dried cranberries or pour sweet vinaigrettes over it, but for what it is, I think it’s good.

Kale Salad

INGREDIENTS:

6-7 cups chopped fresh kale leaves

1 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6-8 slices cooked bacon, chopped

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

INSTRUCTIONS:

Basically, just mix this all together, tossing with your hands.

Add your blue cheese dressing and you’re good to go!

 

🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A COMMENTARY FROM THE HEART

Good people do live in my midst!  We’re getting ready for a garage sale later this month and spent a day preparing the garage for the tables, racks, etc.  The worst thing that can happen at a garage sale is when someone wants to buy something that you are not selling.  The solution is to cover everything that you want to keep with a tarp.

We were working in the garage when along comes our neighbor.  He’s a very pleasant man, friendly and hard-working.  He owns a farm just outside Wichita as well as a home in our little community.  He asked if our riding lawn mower was for sale.  My husband told him it was.  They worked out the details and our big -ticket item was sold.

Seems cut and dried, doesn’t it?  We get money and he gets the rider to use out on his farm.

The story’s not finished.  Here’s the cool part.

Yesterday was the open air market at our extension office.  Most of the vendors have stopped coming because summer is over.  We stopped to look around a bit, not expecting to find much.  There was our neighbor with the last of his vegetable crop – and it looked delicious, I must say.

Without saying a word, he bagged up most of what he had left and handed it to us.

He has absolutely NO idea what he did.  We have vegetables to put in our freezer for winter.  Our freezer was empty – now it’s full.  I think I know what the squirrels must feel like – collecting and filling their little homes with food for the winter months.

He told us it was a bonus payment on the mower.  We laughed.  I wanted to cry tears of joy.

But here’s the thing…  my dad had a garden every year and grew all the vegetables our neighbor does.  We’ve been buying vegetables at the market – but let’s face it, they just are not homegrown.  They don’t taste the same.

I’m sitting here now eating fried okra, crying tears of happiness.  It’s like a taste of home, to be honest.  This small gesture touched my heart and took me back home for just a little while.

This journey called life is filled with a little pain and a little sorrow, but once in a while, a neighbor does something that renews your faith in humans.  I could never thank him enough for that – not without crying, anyway.  It’s more than okra – it’s closing my eyes and going back to a late summer / early fall meal with my parents.  How do you thank someone for that?

I know it’s just a simple little story, but isn’t our life here on the planet about paying it forward?  It’s about sharing your bounty with those who are not farmers or gardeners.  Our neighbor would certainly have not had to do that.

I thank him not only for the food, but also for the wonderful memories that food sparked in me.  And as always, I’m so very grateful to God for making it all happen!  🙂

A COMMENTARY FROM THE HEART

This has been such a fun journey with my friends!  Thanks to Deanna Stalnaker for sharing this recipe on facebook!  Even though we have shared great main dish and side dish recipes, what is life without a little dessert?  I was so tickled to see this because believe it or not, Key Lime Pie is my favorite – yeah, it really is!

Deanna said that even though the recipe calls for a 0.6 oz. package of sugar-free Jell-O, she uses the 0.3 oz. package.  So make a note of that.  😉

All people with healthy physical appetites have a sweet tooth somewhere in their heads.  – Macmillan’s Magazine, 1887

How about a low-carb strawberry cheesecake???  Yeah!  I’m on a roll.

I’m starting to like those pies with the ground pecan shells, aren’t you?

I’ve never before eaten a dessert, then tested and had my blood glucose be HAPPY!  I’m so excited about this…  I really am!

Pie…it fills the cracks of the heart. Go away, pain.  – Kevin James, Mall Cop

Did you see the movie, Mall Cop???  Kevin James cracks me up – and that’s a great movie!

So far I haven’t gone completely Atkins, but I think legal donuts sound really good!  I like “fair food” – and truth be told, that’s the real reason I go to our state fair every year. 

So on those days when you don’t think you can live on low-carb and low-fat, know that you don’t have to.  There are alternatives to traditional high carbohydrate foods.  Aren’t we thankful for “the way of escape” recipes that keep blood glucose numbers happy?  I know I am!

Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.  – English proverb

What’s your favorite low-carb recipe?  Let me know in the comments below.  I believe we’re all here to help each other on this journey toward healthier blood glucose!  🙂

 

A COMMENTARY FROM THE HEART

Would you think that most Asian food would be “legal” on a low carb diet?  Well, some of course is – the obvious choices are broccoli and beef or broccoli and chicken.  Pass on the rice, opting for more broccoli instead.  Once in a while it would be nice to indulge in some sweet and sour, wouldn’t it?  Oh – but that would give you a blood glucose spike like no other!  We’ve been so good so far – and we don’t want to blow it now.

Take heart – thanks to substitutions and some smart people who know how to create healthy alternative recipes, here is a recipe that will let you enjoy sweet and sour once again.

LOW CARB SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN OR PORK

Makes 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Meat:

5-6 small boneless chicken breasts or equivalent amount of boneless pork loin, cut into bite-size pieces

2 large eggs, beaten

1 C. crushed pork rinds

1/2 C. almond flour

1/3 C. parmesan cheese

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. coconut oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

1/2 C. Erythritol (I usually use Splenda – but it doesn’t work well in this recipe)

1/2 C. rice vinegar

4 Tbs. reduced sugar ketchup

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put pork rinds, parmesan cheese ad almond flour in food processor.  Grind until it’s a meal like consistency.  Dip chicken or pork in egg then coat in the pork rind mixture.  Set on a plate.

Heat the oils in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add meat in small batches and cook.

Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan.  Whisk while it boils down.  If you want to add extra veggies like bell pepper, green beans, celery or a bit of pineapple, now’s the time to let it marinate with the sauce.

Once the meat is cooked, remove from skillet and continue cooking the rest of the batches.

Mix meat with sauce to coat.

I’m big on adding vegetables – so I add a bit of sliced red and green bell pepper and a few fresh green beans.  I’m not opposed to putting a chunk or two of pineapple with the sweet and sour pork.  I’m already living without the rice, I don’t want to do without just a bit of pineapple too.  😉

Enjoy!

 

 

 

A COMMENTARY FROM THE HEART

The high protein low carbohydrate diet is going well, and I’m seeing results!  I’ve lost 13 pounds so far and I’m not finished yet.  Most importantly, my blood glucose has been very happy – ranging from 110-120 on average.

I knew I’d experience some cravings – I just didn’t know it would happen so quickly.  This week I have wanted PIZZA so much!  I started bargaining – saying if I had a small or personal size pizza, I could just eat everything off the crust and leave the crust.  I’m not sure I really would have done that (I want to think I would have).  As fate and God’s perfect timing would have it, my friend Deanna happened to post a recipe for a low carb pizza.  I was quick to snag it – and I think if I’m having pizza cravings, chances are others are having them too.  So I’m going to share this recipe with you today – you’re welcome!Photo courtesy of Deanna Stalnaker

Low Carbohydrate Pizza

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

1/3 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp. chives

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. wet garlic, minced

2 C. mozzarella cheese

Toppings:

1/2 c. low-carb pizza sauce

1 C. mozzarella cheese

Pizza toppings of choice

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat together cream cheese and eggs until smooth.  Add cream, parmesan, chives, Italian seasoning and garlic.  Spray 9×13 pan with PAM.  Put 2 C. of mozzarella cheese in bottom of pan.  Pour egg mixture over cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and spread sauce over baked mixture.  Add toppings.  Cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Bake until bubbly and brown.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

A low carb diet is not difficult, but it does require some creativity at times.  Thankfully, there is positive support all over the internet, and I’m especially thankful for my friends who are there to help me every day with ideas, recipes and inspiration.  🙂

 

A COMMENTARY FROM THE HEART

I’m so thankful to God for guiding me in the right direction so I can manage my type 2 diabetes.  I’ve been committed to exercising 3 days a week and have embraced a low-carbohydrate, high protein diet.  I’ve lost 13 pounds so far and have not needed to take a shot of Levemir at night – for the most part.  My blood glucose has been consistently from 82-110 throughout the day.  I’m also thankful for the prayer support from friends on facebook and in the DOC.  Our facebook group, A Second Helping of Wellness…  with a Dash of Humor and a Pinch of Faith, has been so wonderful and supportive – thank you!

I want to share some of the recipes that have made my blood glucose happy.  I wanted to wait until I knew for sure that this would work before sharing.  I’ve seen positive results, so I’m going to post them here for you.

I love Mexican food!  I was so happy to find this recipe because even though it’s a salad, it is a taco salad – and I’ll be honest – I like that “taco” part!

LOW CARBOHYDRATE TACO SALAD

Makes 4 servings, (approx. 2 cups ea)

9g carbohydrates / 31g protein per serving

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 pkg. low-sodium taco seasoning

3/4 C. water

2 Tbs. olive oil

4 C. shredded lettuce

1/2 C. chopped tomatoes (omit if you want to lower the carbs even more)

8 Tbs. sour cream

1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

With olive oil, brown ground beef in skillet.  Add taco seasoning mix with water.  Simmer until reduced.

Mix with remaining ingredients.  You can layer them in a big clear bowl – but I’m not fancy – I just mix it all up and serve.

Sometimes I pick up a little bag of Nacho flavored Doritos from the checkout line at Walmart to crush up and put on top.  Yeah, it adds a little carb, but you can add just a few for flavor.  It’s a small bag and there’s 4 servings – don’t sweat it.  I also add about 1/2 Tbs. of Catalina salad dressing sometimes.  Yes – I know…  I know.  Shh…  don’t tell.

I did say LOW carb – not NO carb, right?  😉

 

 

NATIONAL ROTISSERIE CHICKEN DAY

Ugh – liver IS the worst – AMEN to that!  😉

We can hardly imagine a restaurant that does not have rotisserie chicken turning before our eyes!  A rotisserie uses indirect heat in which the chicken is placed next to the heat source.  Elements are either electric or gas-powered, with adjustable infrared heat.  These types of rotisseries are quite functional for cooking rotisserie-style chicken.  It’s perfect for a restaurant that serves so many people every day!

It’s wise in its simplicity really – because any leftover chicken can be used for sandwiches, chicken salad, soup or any number of other dishes.

Here in the states, rotisserie chicken gained popularity in the 2000’s.  Not only did restaurants start offering the dish, but many grocery stores and even Walmart sold them.  Millions of rotisserie-cooked chickens were purchased by consumers in the U.S. last year. 

Protein is a key nutrient that supplies your body with energy and keeps your muscles and cells healthy. Three ounces of rotisserie breast meat supplies 23.8 grams of protein, which is 52 percent of the 46 grams of protein that women need each day and 43 percent of the 56 grams that men require on a daily basis. A rotisserie thigh contains 22.9 grams of protein.  For type 2 diabetics, this is good news!  Just make sure you weigh that piece of chicken so you keep portion control in mind.  😉  And…  in our house the skin is removed – sorry, but that skin is just unnecessary fat.

People who suffer with migraine headaches should be aware that chickens used for rotisserie cooking may be injected with water or a solution of sodium to retain moisture and add flavor.  The water is not bad, but the addition of sodium can trigger migraine headaches.  Some other ingredients may be used to enhance flavor and brown the chicken, such as oleoresin, yeast extract, sodium tripolyphosphate and natural flavorings.  Yeah, some of these additives trigger migraines as well.  Be careful when you’re choosing a chicken.

Since there’s literally no way to tell what has been injected into a rotisserie-cooked chicken, my husband and I decided to buy a Showtime rotisserie for our home.  We put as little or as much seasoning on our chicken as we like.  There’s more than one way to cook a chicken!  It’s just one more way to take control of my surroundings and stay healthy.

https://www.ronco.com/

We usually inject a little water into the chicken and sprinkle some Mrs. Dash seasoning on it before cooking.  The natural juices and no sodium seasoning make the chicken taste amazing – and no ugly migraine side effect – YAY!  So, eat some rotisserie chicken today!  🙂