What are you eating? Choosing the right foods really does make a difference, especially if you are one of nearly 24 million Americans who have diabetes. For the last 20 years I known I was diabetes , could be longer but I was diagnosed in 1994 and my doctor says I am in perfect health . I want to share with you foods that good for everyone . Research shows that "eating a healthy diet," coupled with exercise and maintaining normal body weight, can "prevent type 2 diabetes in people who are predisposed" to develop the disease, says Christine Tobin, a certified diabetes educator and president of Healthcare and Education for the American Diabetes Association. Tobin notes there are lots of lists of so-called super foods, but the American Diabetes Association chose its 10 best super foods for both type 1 and 2 diabetics because they contain nutrients that are especially important to people with diabetes, people with diabetes, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamins A, C and E. They are high in fiber, which helps you feel full longer and keeps your glycemic index low so they don't spike blood sugar (thus increasing hunger). And, Tobin says, they help maintain healthy levels of blood pressure and blood fats (like cholesterol), which are important for all of us but especially so for diabetics. TOP 10 (DIABETES) SUPER FOODS:
1. Beans. Though high in calories, kidney, pinto, navy, black and other types of beans are rich in nutrients and high in fiber. They help you feel full and stay full longer, Tobin says.
2. Dark, leafy green vegetables. Spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, kale and other dark, leafy green veggies are nutrient-dense, low in carbohydrates. And so low in calories that Tobin says you can "eat all you want."
3. Citrus fruits. Oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, which helps heart health. Stick to whole fruits instead of juice. Fiber in whole fruit slows sugar absorption so you get the citrus fruit nutrients without sending your blood sugar soaring.
4. Sweet potatoes. High in vitamin A and fiber and low in glycemic index, sweet potatoes don't "raise your blood sugar at the same level as a regular potato," Tobin says.
5. Berries. Whole, unsweetened blueberries, strawberries and other berries are full of antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. Choose fresh or frozen for salads, smoothies or cereal.
6. Tomatoes. Enjoy this low-calorie super food raw or cooked. Serve sliced, steamed, broiled or stewed, as a side dish, in salads, soups, casseroles or other dishes. "You're getting really very vital nutrients — vitamin C and iron and vitamin E," Tobin says.
7. Fish high in omega 3 fatty acids. Salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, halibut and herring are high in omega 3 fatty acids that help both heart health and diabetes. (Tobin advises staying away from breaded or deep-fried fish.)
8. Whole grains. Pearled barley, oatmeal, breads and other whole-grain foods are high in fiber and contain nutrients such as magnesium, chromium, folate and omega 3 fatty acids.
9. Nuts. Once a diet no-no because of nuts' high fat content, research now shows these are "good fats" (including omega 3s) that improve heart health and provide other benefits. But nuts are high in calories, so "you can't eat a whole bag of almonds or walnuts," Tobin cautions. The ADA recommends 1.5 ounces a day, "a small handful."
10. Fat-free milk and yogurt. These dairy foods not only provide the calcium and vitamin D your body needs, but they also help curb cravings and between-meal snacks.
Tempted to splurge? "If you're going to overdo something," Tobin says, "you're better off overdoing on a super-food," even if it's high in calories, "than on something like chocolates."
1. Rinse wings, pat dry, and cut apart at joints. Put in a re-sealable plastic bag with marinade. Seal and refrigerate, turning occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to overnight. Remove wings; reserve marinade.
2. Preheat oven to 500°. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil and coat lightly with oil. Arrange wings skin side up and brush with reserved marinade.
3. Bake wings until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn over, brush with marinade, and bake another 5 to 6 minutes. Turn once more, brush with marinade, and bake until skin is brown and glossy, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve warm, with lime wedges
Margarita Marinade :
Makes 1-3/4 cups, enough for 2 pounds chicken wings
Just like the cocktail it's named for, this easy marinade is a four-ingredient flavor explosion of tart, sweet, and salty all rolled up into one. Here it's used to jazz up chicken wings, but it works wonders for flank steak, grilled pork, and chicken thighs too.
3/4 cup tequila
3/4 cup triple sec
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1. In a bowl, whisk together tequila and triple sec.
2. Stir in lime juice and salt.
3. Stir until salt dissolves.
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 50 MINUTES
Makes 12 tacos
Skinless turkey thighs and drumsticks are packed with flavor; they're also low in fat and high in protein and essential minerals like selenium. Braise the meat in beer until ultra-tender, then shreds it for tacos. "It's also fabulous in a sandwich." 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2- 1 pound bone-in turkey thighs or drumsticks, skin and fat removed
**Salt and freshly ground pepper**
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 medium white onion, cut into 1-inch dice, plus minced white onion, for serving
1 large oregano sprig
1 large jalapeño—stemmed, seeded and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
1 ancho chile—stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped or torn 1 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 12-ounce bottle Mexican dark beer, such as Modelo Negro
1 cup water
12 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds and cilantro sprigs, for serving
1. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the turkey with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until richly browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a plate.
2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the casserole along with the garlic, diced onion, oregano and jalapeño and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato, ancho and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring, until the tomato releases its juices.
3. Return the turkey to the casserole, add the beer and water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat, turning once, until the turkey thighs are tender, about 1 hour. Transfer the turkey to a plate and let cool. Discard the oregano sprig and cinnamon stick and boil the sauce over high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 12 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°. Wrap the tortillas in foil and bake for about 8 minutes, until softened and heated through. Remove the turkey meat and shred it. Transfer the sauce to a food processor and puree. Return the sauce to the pot and stir in the shredded turkey. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the turkey onto the tortillas. 5. Top with minced onion, sesame seeds and cilantro sprigs and serve.
Make ahead:
The shredded braised turkey can be refrigerated in the sauce for up to 2 days. Reheat gently.
PREP / TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES 8 SERVINGS
You makes a slightly spicy red sauce for these enchiladas with smoky guajillo chiles and fruity ancho chiles.
Sauce:
3 each of guajillo and ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 cups hot water
1 medium onion, quartered
3 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2-1/2 cups canned tomato sauce (20 ounces)
1 cup water
**Salt and freshly ground pepper **
Enchiladas :
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced (3 cups)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3/4 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (3 cups)
**Salt and freshly ground pepper **
**Vegetable oil for frying**
**16 corn tortillas **
Chopped red onion, cilantro, hot sauce and sour cream, for serving 1. In a microwave-safe bowl, cover the chiles with the hot water. Microwave at high power for 2 minutes, until softened. 2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chiles to a blender. Add 1 cup of the chile soaking liquid and the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and oregano and puree.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the tomato sauce and the water. Strain the red chile sauce through a fine mesh sieve into the saucepan, pressing and scraping to remove the skins and any stray seeds. 4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of 2 shallow baking dishes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned, 10 minutes. Add the broth and cook, stirring, until the onions are very soft and the broth has evaporated, 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl; let cool. Stir in the chicken, cumin, cilantro and half of the shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper. 6. Wipe out the skillet and heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in it. Add the tortillas 1 at a time and fry over low heat just until pliable, about 10 seconds each. 7. Transfer to a paper towel–lined baking sheet and pat dry. Spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken filling onto each tortilla and roll up into a tight cylinder. Place the cylinders in the baking dishes, seam side down. Spoon the remaining chile sauce on top, spreading it to cover the enchiladas. 8. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
9. Cover the enchiladas with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until heated through and bubbling; remove the foil halfway through cooking. Let the enchiladas cool for 10 minutes. Serve with chopped red onion, cilantro, hot sauce and sour cream. TIP:
Make ahead the dish can be prepared through step 4 and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before baking.
This casserole version of the Mexican specialty is perfect for a spicy Easter brunch. This dish can be prepared through step 5 up to a day ahead and chilled (bake an extra 5 to 10 minutes).
8 poblano chiles
3/4 pound fresh high-quality Mexican chorizo
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
12 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup freshly shredded jack cheese
1. Preheat broiler. Lay chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cook about 4 in. from broiler until chiles are blistering and black, about 5 minutes. Turn chiles over and broil until blistering and black all over, about 5 minutes. Put chiles in a large metal bowl and cover with foil or plastic wrap. Let sit 15 minutes.
2. Peel chiles and discard skins. Cut off stem ends and discard; remove seeds. Set chiles aside on layers of paper towels to dry.
3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook chorizo, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through, about 4 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix chorizo, cotija, and oregano. Stuff chiles with mixture and lay them in an 8- by 12-in. baking dish.
5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs until they are thoroughly broken up and uniform in color and texture. Whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle chiles with 1/2 the jack cheese. Pour egg mixture over chiles and sprinkle with remaining jack.
6. Bake until top starts to brown and the eggs are set but still soft, about 30 minutes.
Total: 6 Hours, 30 Minutes Serves 16
Though it seems dense and decadent, this creamy cheesecake is made with cottage cheese, neufchâtel, and Greek yogurt instead of regular cream cheese and sour cream.
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
1 container (32 oz.) low-fat cottage cheese
2 packages (8 oz. each) neufchâtel cheese
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3 large egg whites
1 cup low-fat (1%) Greek yogurt
1. Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 1 tbsp. sugar. Press into the bottom of a 9-in. springform pan. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, drain cottage cheese in a strainer 15 minutes. Whirl cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add neufchâtel and 2 cups sugar and blend until no lumps remain. Then add flour, vanilla, lemon zest, salt, eggs, and egg whites and blend until mixture is smooth, scraping inside of bowl as needed. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake until edges are puffed slightly and center barely jiggles when pan is shaken gently, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven, leave door slightly ajar, and let cheesecake sit in oven another 30 minutes.
4. Mix together yogurt and remaining 1 tbsp. sugar. Put cheesecake on a cooling rack. Carefully spread yogurt-sugar mixture over top of cheesecake and let cool completely. Chill, covered with foil, at least 4 hours. Run a thin knife around the outside of the cheesecake to loosen, remove side of pan, and slice cheesecake with a hot knife.
An Easter Promise As you hold these candies in your hand , and then you will see , the "M" becomes a "W" an "E" and then a "3" They tell the Easter story ~ I'm sure it's one you know ~ It happened on the cross, a long , long time ago . The "E" is for "Easter " a time for us to ponder ! The "M" is for Miracles . Jesus performed signs and wonders . The "3" is for the third day when Jesus rose again . "W" is for worship He cleansed all sin for men! My jelly beans tell a story , All for God's own Glory Red is for the blood of God's only son , Black is for the sins we've done . Yellow is for the morning so bright , The day he rose to make all things right . Green reminds us that He is risen , White is for the forgiveness we find in him . Purple is for Jesus throne , Pink reminds me that I am never alone . A bag of jelly beans , colorful and sweet, It's a prayer , a promise and a Easter treat . So as you eat these candies or share them with a friend , Remember the meaning of Easter It's love that never ends . Author Bobbi ... last name unknown
