Crispy Peanut Butterscotch Pie

This little recipe caught my eye one day as I perused several cookbooks from the library. I quickly copied it down, but didn't have time to try it until tonight. We'll be having family in town for the holiday weekend, so I thought I'd test this out in advance to see if it would qualify as good "party food".

It's safe to say that I've found a new favorite dessert!

So... without further ado.. here we go!

• 1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1 T. honey
• 1 1/2 c. Rice Krispies
• 1 (1 oz.) package of sugar-free butterscotch instant pudding mix
• 2 c. 1% milk
• 1 c. frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

Combine peanut butter and honey in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 30 seconds, stirring until mixture melts. Stir in cereal. Line an 8" cake pan with wax paper and press mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.

Making the crust

Still on the crust...

Prepare pudding mix according to package directions, using 2 c. milk; fold in whipped topping. Spoon pudding mixture into pan. Cover and freeze until firm. Let stand at room temp 10-15 minutes before serving. (Now, I'll confess, we left it out longer than that, and while it got really messy, it was actually better than if it was frozen solid!)

Yield: 6 servings  

Carbs: 23 g per serving

Calories: 175 per serving

Seriously, you gotta try this.. the perfect blend of cold, sweet, and crispy!

When life gives you lemons...

Make Lemonade.
You know the saying.

Today, I decided to take this catchy little phrase literally. Diabetes can sour life if you let it, but with a positive attitude and willingness to learn, any situation can be sweetened.

But back to the real lemons. Okay, the 4th of July weekend is nearly upon us, and I've been thinking through all of my favorite summer holiday foods, trying to plan a menu that my extended family will enjoy... and that I can enjoy as well! In my opinion, lemonade is essential to any and all picnics. We happened to have two lemons sitting in our kitchen, so I grabbed them and set out to discover sugar-free lemonade.

With the combined input of several websites, this is what I came up with! It's so quick and easy.. because you use Stevia (sugar substitute), you don't even need to heat water to dissolve the sugar into a syrup, like most lemonade recipes!

(Keep in mind.. this only makes about 1 qt. of lemonade since that's all the lemon I had to work with! This is easily doubled, tripled... etc.)

• 2 large lemons (to make about 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice)
• 1 qt. of cold water
• 2-3 packets of Stevia sweetener (It depends on how sweet you like it! I made it with just two, and loved the bit of tartness that remained)

Set the lemons out at least one hour before you want to use them to let them warm up. Before cutting the lemons, roll them on the counter top, applying firm pressure with your palms to soften them. Cut lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup until you have about 1/3 cup. Mix with cold water and Stevia, and enjoy!

Next time I make this, I think I'll serve it with crushed ice and some fresh raspberries or strawberries. I may even add a bit of lime juice for some extra tangy-ness! 

Happy summer!

Moussaka: A Lasagna Wanna-be

My sister introduced me to moussaka just a few weeks, ago, and I'll be honest.. I was pretty skeptical at the time. If you're like me, you probably haven't even heard of it before! So.. a quick description. Moussaka is a Greek dish similar to lasagna, the primary difference being that it uses eggplant instead of noodles, and it also contains cinnamon and nutmeg. (Thus my skepticism... eggplant? cinnamon? nutmeg? in one dish??)


It would seem that my sister had every right to rave over this dish. The eggplant is a great substitute for carb-laden pasta, although it has a slightly different texture. My favorite part of the dish, however, is the addition of the cinnamon and nutmeg. Delicious. Think comfort food. Think warm, cozy flavors. Moussaka was a hit with the whole family, and we'll definitely keep this one around!


Warning: this dish does take 30-40 minutes of prep time, as well as 45 minutes to bake, so make sure you set out on this venture with time to spare!


Serves 4, approximately 12 carbs per serving.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants
•  olive oil (as needed)
•  1 lb lean ground beef (or can use ground lamb)
•  2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
•  2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (or to taste, I use lots!)
•  1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
•  1 teaspoon dried oregano (or to taste)
•  1 teaspoon salt, divided (or to taste, I use seasoned salt)
•  1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 T. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 T. ground cinnamon  

Cheese Sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter
•  1/2 teaspoon salt (I use seasoned salt)
•  1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
•  2 tablespoons flour
•  1 cup half-and-half cream
•  1 egg
•  1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (can use more) 

1. Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan 

2. Peel the eggplants then slice 1/4-inch thick (or a little thicker won't hurt).
3. Lightly coat each side of sliced eggplant with olive oil then season slices with salt and pepper  4. Place the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet; broil under the broiler until brown; turn and broil the other side, brushing with oil if needed; repeat with all eggplant slices. (Don't go overboard with the oil.. you don't want it to be greasy!)

5. In the bottom of the prepared baking dish arrange half of the eggplant slices.
6. In a large skillet, combine beef and onions; cook stirring until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are soft; drain fat.
7. Add in the garlic, tomato sauce, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper to taste; pour mixture over eggplant slices. 8. Arrange the remaining eggplant slices over the beef mixture.    


PREPARE THE CHEESE SAUCE: 
9. Melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste; gradually stir in half and half or milk, cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
10. In a small bowl, beat egg; stir in some of the hot sauce, then add egg to sauce mixture, mix well; add in Parmesan cheese, and stir again.
11. Pour the cheese sauce over mixture in baking dish.
12. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes.

 Note: If doubling this recipe to serve 8 it is best to make two separate casseroles instead of one larger one.


Voila! Dinner is served! 

Asian Chicken and Mandarin Orange Salad

Nothing speaks summer like a light salad topped with fruit and grilled chicken!

This was my supper tonight, and it was delicious! Even better, it's so easy to throw together. (Sorry there's no picture.. I'll try to add one later!)

Ingredients (for one salad):

• Spinach and lettuce salad mix
• 2 T. slivered almonds
• 1 small chicken breast, grilled and cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup of canned mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2 cup chow mein noodles
• 2 T. Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

Toss all ingredients together and enjoy! I calculated this to be approximately 24 carbs. That's my kind of supper right there! I was left with plenty of carbs to enjoy a side of fresh pineapple and raspberries, as well as a sugar-free fudgsicle. 

Summer has never tasted better :)

A Possible Cure for Type I Diabetes??

Fascinating new study that may have some great implications for diabetics in the future! Check it out...

http://www.emaxhealth.com/

Coffee love

Coffee.

One of the first thoughts to cross my mind when I was diagnosed with diabetes was "Oh no! Can I still drink coffee?!?"

Answer: YES. Coffee and tea have essentially no carb content! (Just don't drink too much, because excessive caffeine dehydrates your body, which will lead to high blood sugars.)

Ahhh.. sweet relief. I'll be honest, I HAVE to have my daily bit of caffeine, and that usually comes in the form of a cup of high quality, dark roast coffee. (Fortunately, I've never liked pop/soda.. and that's definitely out). I also love tea, so on days that I miss my morning coffee, I usually end up with a cup of tea in hand by 10 a.m. 

While I'm usually content with my one cup of tea or coffee per day, and that being sugar-free or just lightly sweetened, sometimes a girl's gotta have something purely delightful... such as a cappuccino. Even after learning that I could still have coffee, I was convinced that I'd kissed the cappuccino days goodbye.

Until this:

I may have done a slight "happy dance" over this. Did you know... a cappuccino made with low-fat milk and sugar free syrup is, on average, only 9-12 carbs? Most specialty coffee shops, like my personal favorite, Stoney Creek Roasters, offer a variety of flavors of sugar free syrups. In fact, even McDonalds has vanilla sugar free syrup!

Sometimes, I still mourn the loss of the days when I could drink a large mocha shake without fear or shame. But with artificial sweeteners once again to the rescue, I'm so excited that there are quite satisfying alternatives.

Diabetics, rejoice. You can still have your capp and drink it too. 

Carb Counting: The CalorieKing

As most diabetics SHOULD know, counting carbs is essential to healthy blood sugar levels! Carbs may include sugar, fiber, starch, etc, but in the end, your body breaks all carbs down into simple sugars to be used for energy. Without insulin to transfer the sugars into your cells, the glucose builds up in your blood... thus, diabetes. A healthy body naturally matches every carbohydrate that you eat with the proper amount of insulin, but as diabetics, we have to figure it out for ourselves! That's why it's so important to know exactly how many carbs you are eating so you can give yourself the correct dose of insulin.

Unfortunately, many diabetics find carb counting to be difficult, time-consuming, and overwhelming. And to be honest, it can be at times. It does take extra time and dedication. Over time, however, you'll find yourself memorizing the carb content in different foods, which speeds the process up considerably.

As a new diabetic, this little book has been a huge lifesaver! The CalorieKing's Calorie, FAT &Carbohydrate Counter makes it easy to learn how to count carbs.

Ahh. Gotta love this. Here's my favorite things about this book:

• It's small (only about 4x6"), and thus easy to slip in a purse or bag when you're on the go
• It lists almost ALL common foods, arranged by categories such as fruits, vegatables, beverages...
• For each food listed, it tells you the calorie, fat calorie, and carbohydrate content (remember, as diabetics, we need to be careful not to consume too much fat. It slows down how quickly our body can break down carbs, and places us at higher risk of heart attack and other complications)
• It includes common restaurants.... you no longer have to be afraid of eating out!
• There is a section geared toward diabetic eating
• It's cheap! Find it anywhere, including Amazon.com!! 

Honestly, I couldn't make it without this book! I keep two.. one in my purse, and another on the kitchen counter so I always have a quick reference on hand. Whether you're a beginner at counting carbs or an old pro... or if you're a non-diabetic looking to eat more healthily, definitely give this book a try! 

Here's a quick peek at the inside... great formatting. So user friendly. Love.

Three columns of numbers, L-R: Calories, Fat Calories, Carbs