Reduced Sugar Fruit Cookie Pizza

Preheat oven to 375.

Spray 12 inch foil pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine 1 pkg Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Cookie Mix with 1/3 cup veg oil, 2 Tbsp water, 1 egg, and 1/2 tsp lemon or almond extract. Drop spoonfuls onto pan, and press with fingers until even. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool completely.
Mix 1/4 cup each Reduced Sugar Cream Cheese frosting and Smuckers Sugar Free Apricot Preserves. Spread evenly onto cooled cookie, leaving a small border on the outside to resemble the crust of a pizza.
Slice your choice of fruits - I used strawberries, kiwi, peaches, and blueberries. Mix each fruit in a small bowl with a Tbsp of sugar free preserves, and arrange decoratively on pizza.

The cookie crust has 19 grams of carbs, of which 6 grams is sugar 4 grams is sugar alcohol. It also has 135 mg of sodium, 2 g of total fat. This is listed as the counts for 1/18 of the total mix for cookies. Definitely not something to have every day, but as a special treat it's really something.

Chocolate Berry Cheesecake Trifle

1 pkg Reduced Sugar Pillsbury Devils' Food Cake ( 1 1/4 cups water, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup oil)
1 can Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Chocolate Fudge Frosting
2 pkgs Jello sugar free Cheesecake pudding (3 cups skim milk)
3/4 pint fresh strawberries, half of them thinly sliced
1/2 cup Splenda, 1 tsp raspberry extract, 2 tsp water mixed together
Sugar Free Cool Whip

Make, bake and cool chocolate cake. Frost with about 1/2 can of frosting. (For ease of cutting I did it in a 13 x 9 pan)
Make the "syrup" of splenda and extract.
Whisk the milk with the 2 packages of pudding and set aside.

In a clear glass bowl, scatter the bottom with about a cup of cake cubes. Drizzle with 2 tsp of the syrup. Top with about half of the pudding mix. Top that with sliced strawberries on the outside of the bowl, and chunked strawberries in the middle. Repeat layers. End with cake, and top that final layer with sugar free cool whip, and a few sliced berries. I also put a couple of cubes of cake, all crumbled up.
You will use about half the chocolate cake, all the pudding, and about 3/4 cup of Cool Whip.

Truly decadent!

Meeting with the Nutritionist

So today Rob had his appointment with the nutritionist - a really wonderful guy named Rhys Wyman out of Andover. He gave us tons of great information, and lots of great advice. We learned a great deal! For example, Rob should be eating about 40 grams of net carbs per meal, and snack should be about 15 net carbs. Rob was thrilled to learn that he can have fruit - we've been avoiding it as we weren't sure about the rold of natural sugars in diabetes management.
So far Rob has lost 20 pounds, and I've lost 28. We are both really thrilled.
Next up on the agenda - a Labor Day party at my aunt and uncles... and I found that Pillsbury has a reduced sugar line of mixes - so I'm going to do a dessert pizza with fresh fruit... and a Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle with Strawberries, both low sugar. Will post pics.

Latest Update

So I weighed myself yesterday... and I've lost 25 pounds! I am thrilled and amazed... considering that I had pasta salad and a hot dog in a roll at a BBQ last weekend. I've been living a low glycemic/low carb life for over a month now and really don't miss much... the big difference here is that I don't have diabetes, but Rob does... however, I knew that I wanted to eat healthier for my sake, and for his. He's lost 15 pounds and is feeling alot better. His sugars have been hovering around 140, so he may have to go on Glucophage. We will find out later today.

I am so gratified that there are lots more options out there that are low sugar/no sugar/low carb. I also love that this challenge has intensified my creative cooking impulse.

Rob jokingly asked me to take on the KFC challenge. I may be good, but I don't know if I can do that....lol....

Low Carb French Toast

I found this really great bread by Pepperidge Farm called "Carb Style". It has 5 net carbs per slice...as a point of comparison, a single slice of whole wheat bread has 17 grams of carbs per slice.

Whisk together 1/2 cup Egg Beaters, 1 packet Splenda, and a couple of dashes of cinnamon in a shallow bowl.

Melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter in a medium saute pan, Dip both sides of bread into egg mixture and fry over medium heat about 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Cook other side.

I served 3 slices with Carey's sugar free syrup. 2 Tbsp has 12 grams of carbs.

I certainly wouldn't eat this everyday - but it is a special treat. I will say that the tecture is a bit different, but it looks, smells, and tastes like regular French Toast.

Cheesecake

6 graham crackers, crushed

1 cup almond meal

2 packets Splenda

dash of cinnamon

1/2 stick each unsalted and salted butter, melted
Combine all above and press with fork into bottom and slightly upsides of springform pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

3 pkgs cream cheese

1/2 cup Egg Beaters

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup each Splenda and Brown Sugar Splenda
Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350. With paddle attachment of stand mixer, add cream cheese and sugars. Beat well at medium speed. Zest the lemon, then juice it, and add both to the cream cheese. Add the vanilla. Add the Egg Beaters. Scrape down sides, and mix until smooth. Pour into springform pan, and smooth top. Bake on top rack of oven for about an hour. Check at 45 minutes. Top should be lightly browned, and still have a tiny bit of jiggle. It will continue to cook in pan. Cool on wire rack until completely cooled. Refrigerate to firm up. Some cracking on top is natural.

Blueberry Topping
Mix 1/2 cup frozen blueberries with 2 Tbsp of no sugar added blueberry jam and 1 Tbsp of agave nectar over medium heat. Combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 3 Tbsp water, mix well, and add to hot blueberry mixture. Stir well to avoid lumps. Add a dash of lemon or vanilla extract to the berries, if you like. Use a fork to mash some of the berries. Add another 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. Spoon over cooled cheesecake. If you prefer, substitute raspberries, or strawberries.

Makes 12 generous servings.

I swear you wont miss the sugar!

As I haven't cut into it yet, I will re-post a picture of the completed product when I do.

Breakfast on the Low carb

Cereal, while tasty gets really boring after a while. Plus it's really hard to find a cereal that doesn't use up alot of your daily carb intake. Thinking back to when I was on South Beach, I remembered there was a crustless mini quiche dish. Using that for inspiration, I came up with a great alternative that is tasty, and great on the go.

2 six cup muffin tins

Non stick cooking spray

1 and 1/2 pint containers of Egg Beaters

1/2 pkg/jar of real bacon pieces (I use Hormel...don't use imitation bacon bits)

Your favorite finely diced veggies (I used mushrooms, red pepper, and scallions)

Freshly ground pepper

Parsley flakes

1/2 package shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

Finely dice veggies and mix together with bacon pieces. Set aside. Spray sides and bottoms of each muffin tin very well. Fill each tin 3/4 full with veggie bacon mixture. Top each with about 1 1/2 Tbsp of shredded cheese. then por Egg Beaters slowly over each, filling to top of each cup. Sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground black pepper. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tops are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. When cooled, place two in each sandwich bag and refrigerate. Great to make ahead for the week!

The Ultimate Summer Dinner, low carb

To one pound of sirloin tips, I added 2 Tbsp of Soyaki marinade from Trader Joes, which has 13 grams of carbs. I also added some powdered ginger. Marinate as long as you can, overnight is great. Grill outdoors if you have the means until cooked to your satisfaction. (I like mine more well done, Rob is happy if a cow walked in a warm room once in it's life) The tips are served with cooked fresh bi-color corn on the cob (sprayed with I Cant Believe it's Not Butter Spray), and slices of locally grown beefsteak tomatoes.

An ear of corn has 13 grams of carbs, tomato has 0 carbs, and 4 or 5 generous steak tips have, what 2 grams (maybe) of carbs?

The quintessenial summer dinner.

Diabetic Friendly Marinade

Marinade

in a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp Splenda brown sugar blend, 1 Tbsp agave nectar, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp onion powder and garlic powder, 1/2 tsp Jamaican jerk seasoning blend, 1 tsp parsley, few cracks of black pepper, a tsp of Dijon mustard, and a few dashes of lite soy sauce. Whisk well and pour over meat. (I did this over a small pork tenderloin) Marinate a couple of hours. Grill or bake.

This would also go well over chicken.

I would serve this with baby carrots - that I've also made a healthier "glazed" version with a Tbsp of unsalted butter, a Tbsp of Splenda brown sugar, a dash of ginger, a dash of cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix over frozen baby carrots and microwave for 4-5 minutes until tender.

To round out the meal, I'd make some brown rice.

Chinese Style Chicken and Pea Pods

1 pkg chicken breast (about a pound, or a little less)
1 pkg frozen pea pods
1/2 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Soy sauce
Olive oil
1 tsp each fresh grated ginger and minced garlic

Thinkly slice chicken (if you put chicken into freezer for about 1/2 an hour it is MUCH eaiser to slice thinly).
In large saute pan, put 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add chicken, and saute until fully cooked, and golden brown. Remove to dish. In same pan, add onions, ginger, and garlic. Cook for about a minute. Add chicken broth and cornstarch mixture to medium heat. Use a whisk to scrape up any brown bits, and cook until mixture thickens, about a minute. If it's too thick, you can always add a little water. Add water chestnuts, pea pods, and then reserved chicken. Stir well and serve hot.

Fantastic with the friendly fried rice - for a low guilt Chinese style feast! :)

Diabetes Friendly Fried Rice

Serves 6

2 boneless pork chops

1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp Splenda

6-7 drops red food coloring

Olive oil

Soy Sauce, reduced sodium variety

Rice Vinegar,no salt/sugar added variety

1 pkg Sucess Brown Rice

1 tsp each fresh grated ginger and minced garlic

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup Egg Beaters

1/2 can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 cup bean sprouts

In a little prep bowl, combine applesauce, Splenda, and food coloring until a deep reddish pink hue is achieved. Divide this equally over the top of the two pork chops. Refrigerate for at lest an hour, covered.

In a small non stick saute pan, put 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add pork chops to hot oil meat side down and "glaze" side up. Cook for 5 minutes. Gently flip chops over and cook 2-3 minutes. Depending on thickness of the chops, you may need to cut them in half to complete cooking in the middle. Reflip to meat side, add a tablespoon or two of water, cover, and cook 2 more minutes. This ensures the meat doesn't dry out. Remove to small plate to cool. Once cool, dice into little cubes and set aside.

Meanwhile, in large saute pan, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add green onions, then ginger, cook for 30 seconds, add garlic, cook another 30 seconds. Add bean sprouts and water chestnuts, then splash about a Tbsp of rice wine vinegar. Then add Egg beaters. Stir well, so that a "scrambled" consistency is acheived. Add the diced pork, and the brown rice. Add 1 Tbsp or so of soy sauce over all the rice, and stir well over low heat. Taste for seasoning, and add a little additional soy sauce if desired. Top with a few reserved thin slices of green onion to garnish.

One cup of cooked brown rice has about 25 net carbs.

Progress

Well last week my husband returned for a 2 week followup from the diagnosis.
Rob dropped his sugar 30 points, on average. He lost 8 pounds!
(On a side note, this healthy eating has been awesome for me - I lost 15 pounds!!)
Dr G was so pleased, he gave us high fives and said he was willing to wait a month before he decided whether or not Rob needed to go on medication.
Our dietician appointment is the end of the month, which will be awesome to get that perspective, and find out what other changes we can make. I plan to bring this blog to her. I still have lots of questions but we're on the right path. (I think)

Andi's Apple Scallops with Apple Pistachio Brown Rice

Andi's Apple Scallops with Apple Pistachio Brown Rice
Serves 2
3/4 pound large sea scallops
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp ginger

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup apple cider

2 Tbsp agave nectar

1 Tbsp butter
olive oil
1 package Sucess Brown Rice

1/2 Granny Smith apple, diced with skin on

1/3 cup pistachios

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp parsley
Whisk together mustard, ginger, balsamic, agave, and apple cider in small bowl, set aside.
Boil and drain rice.

In same pan used to boil rice, put butter and allow to melt. Add diced apples, pistachios, and parsley, and warm through over low heat. Add cooked rice and stir well to combine. Cover and set aside.
Rinse scallops, and pat dry. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper.
In large saute pan, place 1 Tbsp olive oil, and 1 Tbsp butter. Heat over medium high heat. Place scallops in pan, and cook for 1-2 minutes over high heat, or until golden brown crust forms on one side. Flip and repeat.Remove cooked scallops to small bowl. Add sauce mixture to pan over medium heat, and whisk, bringing up any brown bits. Sauce will thicken quickly. Return scallops to sauce, turn over to coat.
Plate 6 scallops on each plate, spoon sauce over. Serve rice on the side of scallops.

For color, I served this with grape tomatoes and bocconcini (mozzarella balls)

1 ounce scallops has 15 mg of cholesterol, 74 mg sodium, 0 carbs, fiber, or sugar, and 5 grams of protein.It's a good source of Vit B12, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Zinc, and Copper.

1 small apple has 17 net grams of carb, 1 mg sodium, 0 fat or cholesterol. It's a good source of fiber and vitamin C.

1 ounce of pistachios has 12 g of fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 5 net grams of carbs, 2 g of sugar.

1 ounce of brown rice has 0 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 net grams of carbs, 0 gram of sugar.

blueberry Cheesecake

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup almond meal

30 Annie's bunny grahams

1 packet Splenda

using food chopper, crush graham cookies and add almond meal. Pour into melted butter, and combine well. Press into botton of pie plate with a fork.

2 packages instant sugar free fat free Jello cheesecake flavor pudding

3/4 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup soy milk creamer

fresh blueberries

Sugar free cool whip

Using a whisk, add both packages of pudding to cold milk and soy creamer. Whisk well to combine. and pour over crust.

Add blueberries over the top, and garnish with cool whip.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

(As I made up this recipe, I am not sure of the nutritional breakdown, but I can get it for anyone who is interested.)

Mango Coffee Cake

2 medium ripe mangoes

1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar blend for baking

1/4 cup oil

3/4 cup fat free milk

1/3 cup Egg Beaters

2/3 cup AP flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp lime zest

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats

Preheat oven to 375. Coat a round baking pan - or pie pan - with cooking spray and set aside. Reserve 8 or 9 slices of mango and chop the rest into small pieces.

In a large bowl, combine Splenda and oil with mixer. Add milk and egg and beat well for 1 minute.

In a seperate small bowl combine flours, baking powder, lime zest, cinnamon, and oats. Slowly beat dry mixture into the wet one.

Fold in chopped mango to the batter.

Pour into sprayed pan.

Top with reserved mango slices, and sprinkle one packet of regular Splenda and a dusting of cinnamon over the mangoes.

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes

Serves 10. 190 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g sat. fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 73 mg sodium, 30 g carb, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein

Shrimp Scampi

OK so since Rob's diagnosis I have been charged with a task - to make delicious healthy low sugar meals that actually look and taste good.... so I thought onto something other than chicken. We both LOVE pasta, and I remembered a low carb dish I made when on South Beach. So I re-created it!

1 2 or 3 pound spaghetti squash

1 lemon

about 1/2 pound of raw shrimp, deveined

2 tsp garlic powder, dash of red pepper flakes, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 Tbsp parsley, 1/2 tsp sea salt and fresh pepper (you can of course use minced fresh garlic, but I didn't have any in the house!)

olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and discard. Place halves face up on baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, and then with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for about 45 minutes, you should be able to easily pierce the flesh with a fork. Let cool slightly, and pour off any juices with olive oil from the baking sheet into a small bowl and set aside. Drag fork lengthwise along squash, creating strands. Put into a baking dish.

In the small bowl, add the spices, and juice the lemon. Add a touch more olive oil, and stir to combine.

On the same baking sheet used to cook the squash, place the shrimps. Spoon olive oil/lemon/spice mixture over all shrimp

Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch and pink.

Add shrimp to spaghetti squash and pour juices over all.

Serve warm.

My research indicates that 1 cup of cooked squash has 7 net carbs. :)

Indonesian Chicken

Andi's Indonesian Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts, skinned and boned, sliced into small strips

few sprigs each basil, cilantro, mint, and parsley

2 Tbsp Trader Joe's peanut butter

2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp lite soy sauce

1 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, dash each of red pepper flakes and cinnamon

zest of a lime, and juice

vegetable oil

olive oil

your favorite veggies - baby carrots, water chestnuts, green beans, pea pods, red peppers are among my favorites.

brown rice or whole wheat pasta

In small chopper or food processor, combine herbs, peanut butter, applesauce, soy sauce, lime zest, juice, and spices. Pulse to combine well, and add veg oil to thin sauce to pourable consistency.

Brown chicken in large saute pan with a little olive oil until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes depending on thickness of pieces. Add a bit of fresh pepper, but no salt. (Due to the saltiness of the soy sauce) - remove to small bowl.

In same pan, add a touch more olive oil and saute your veggies until crisp tender. Add chicken back in and warm through.

Put 2 - 3 Tbsp of peanut sauce over the mixture, and stir to combine.

Plate up your rice or pasta, and spoon the chicken and veggies over.

Top with a little additional sauce, and sprinkle with a bit of parsley, for color.

Nutritional Info

unsweetened organic applesauce 3 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar. Very good Vit C

soy sauce, while high in sodium, has no fat, sugar, or carbs and is great to flavor in moderation. it's also a good source of magnesium, iron, and copper.

2 Tbsp of TJ's peanut butter has 6 g of carbs and 2 g of fiber, plus iron and calcium.

A cup of long grain brown rice has 40 g of carbs, and only 2 g of fat.

A cup of whole wheat pasta has 31 g of carbs, and only 1 g of fat.

All American Cheesecake

Crust - 4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

30 Annie's Bunny graham crackers, 1 packet Splenda, 1 cup almond meal processed until crumbs.

Combine melted butter with crumbs, and press into bottom of springform pan

3 8 oz packages cream cheese

1/2 cup soy creamer

1/2 cup Splenda for baking

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 carton Egg Beaters

zest of one lemon, and juice of 1/2 lemon

In mixer, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add egg beaters and scrape down sides. Add zest. Add creamer. Add vanilla, and lemon juice.

Pour over crust.

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes. Top should be slightly browned and not too jiggly. Cool in pan and then decorate.

All American topping

1/2 juice of lemon, from above

2 Tbsp red raspberry preserves, no sugar added

1 pkg Splenda

Combine in small saucepan over medium heat.

Add a cup of sliced/chopped strawberries, and warm through.

I put a corner of fresh blueberries and then stripes of strawberries. For the white stripes, I put some sugar free Cool Whip in a little Ziploc bag and piped it (covering any spread out fruit juice)

I also put a few tiny drops of Cool Whip on top of the blueberries to simulate "stars"

I carried this in the springform pan and left the base on for presentation. It should be noted that the BBQ I took this too also featured high fat desserts like chocolate cake and cupcakes, yet more than half was gone as soon as desserts were out. :)

Helpful Links I've found

http://www.diabetes.org/ The American Diabetes Association

http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/107389/diabetic_desserts.html?cat=22 Great search engine for desserts

http://www.splenda.com/page.jhtml?id=splenda/healthdiabetes/diabetesmain.inc Splenda's website

http://www.truvia.com/index.html Truvia's website

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/minisite/ce_index.htm Clean Eating - a great magazine I found

http://www.fitday.com/fitness/Login.html?_a_Date=1246579200. A great online food hournal that calculates nutritional values.

http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/food-to-eat/ Tons of recipes in this online guide

http://www.nutritiondata.com/ Another great resource for nutritional value.

Introduction

My husband and I have battled weight all our lives - both growing up, going on South Beach before our wedding, but the weight came back. We had been saying for about a year that we "needed to do something". Well that something was about to happen.

July 1, my husband and I went to the doctor to get the results of our bloodwork. His came back with Type II Diabetes. His blood sugar was 174, with an A1C of 8.6. He would need to check his blood sugar twice a day. The doctor felt it could be controlled with food management - and thus appointments were made with a diabetic nurse as well as a nutritionist.
And so it began. I started researching - finding out what I could while waiting for the appointments. I started to think - this can be done - eliminating as much refined sugar and carbs as we could from our eating. It's not a diet - it's a healthy eating lifestyle change.
There's a lot more sugar free foods - as well as alternatives these days. This blog is designed to give others in my circumstance some great ideas, and what works and what doesnt.
I plan to post recipes - with pictures as well as helpful links.