Snacks and Other Stuff.....

I've already fallen behind on my blog posts!  Today I have a couple of recommendations 

for a low carb snack and a great new cooking method I am experimenting with!

I am behind the curve on the air fryer craze, but we finally have one and I love it!  It cooks almost anything and WAY quicker. This last week I cooked fresh green beans - they were delicious.  I figured out they have to be cooked a bit longer and on a lower temperature so I recommend 300' for about 12-15 minutes depending on how crunchy or not crunchy you like your fresh green beans!  I simply put them in the cooking basket, drizzle olive oil and "everything" spice and cook!

Have you tried Edamame?  I recently found it in the freezer section at Walmart in a package with individual packages so you get the right serving size.  I know the individual portion items are a little more expensive but I love the fact you don't have to worry about portion sizes. These steam in the bag, open and toss with sea salt!  High Protein, low carb! Enjoy!

Amazon Fresh to the Rescue

Have you spent much time on line looking around Amazon Fresh?  They have a great variety of low carb, low fat and keto friendly food. One of my favorites is the Carb-O-Licious line of snacks and the rum balls are the perfect way to end a meal if your sweet tooth is calling!

These are rich and delicious and you can taste the rum in the chocolate!   Each rum ball has 130 calories, 12 grams of fat, 4 grams sat. fat, 8 grams carbs, 2 grams of fiber and 5 grams of sugar alcohol - which makes the net carbs only 1 gram!  :) 

Other treats in the Carb-O-Liscious line include a variety of muffins, breads and other snacks. It's nice to have healthy treat options!  These are a little pricey but it's not like you eat them all at one time, and they can be frozen so you can enjoy later! 

Yummy Low Carb Snacks!

Healthy snacks are a challenge, and I have found that if I plan and organize a little in advance, I can have those types of snacks readily available!


Do you love summer sausage and cheese as much as I do?  It's a great low carb snack! Summer sausage has a lot of fat - recently Samantha discovered this Hillshire Farms 
Turkey Sausage - just dice it up and pan saute' in a small amount of olive oil, drain and store in the fridge - and when you are ready for a snack, it's ready to go - enjoy with some diced cheddar cheese!

Do you miss bagels? I'll admit it - I crave them!  Now that the "Everything" spice is readily available, all you need is some lowfat cream cheese and whatever wheat bread you like (I love the Sara Lee Wheat bread - 40 calories per slice). Toast, spread and sprinkle!  Yum!

Stay tuned...I will publish more snack ideas soon! 

Zucchini Noodles

It's been a busy few weeks - I had to travel for work then I caught a bad cold (pretty sure from a lady on the plane) that has turned into a sinus infection.....you get the point - I got behind on my blog! I will post some yummy recipe's to make up for it!

Have you tried the Zucchini Noodles or Zoodles?  They come fresh or frozen - both are good but the fresh ones are really good! I have found those at The Fresh Market in the produce section. These are a great substitute for pastas and perfect for a side with chicken or fish!

I will admit I miss pasta - and there is brand called Dreamfield's Pasta that has lower carbs and added fiber - so I can have a little of that from time to time. (I get that at Walmart but I have seen it at Kroger as well) But the zucchini noodles are delicious and I can have a larger portion without sending my blood sugar too high.

With the fresh zucchini I just toss it with a little bit of olive oil in a pan on the stove, and mix in a jar of Ragu's Mozzarella Cheese Sauce, and add in 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, sea salt and pepper - and you are done! Enjoy!

Chocolate/Vanilla Mousse Pie

It's tough to find Sugar Free/No Sugar Added desserts that taste good - but this one fits the bill, and it's easy!

Chocolate/Vanilla Mousse Pie

• 2 cups cold 1% milk, divided
• 1 pkg. (1.4 oz) sugar free instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
• 1 pkg. (1.4 oz) sugar free instant vanilla (or white chocolate) pudding mix
• 1 carton reduced fat cool whip, thawed
• 1 reduced fat graham cracker crust
• no sugar added chocolate chips

In a bowl, whisk 1 cup milk and vanilla or white chocolate pudding mix for 2 minutes,  Fold in half of the cool whip and spread over pie crust.  

In another bowl whisk remaining milk and chocolate fudge pudding mix and fold in remaining cool whip, mix together and spread over the first layer in the crust. 

Refrigerate for about 2 hours until set and garnish with additional cool whip and no sugar added chocolate chips.

This is a  great dessert for spring and summer! Enjoy!

A Colorful Plate for Dinner

When cooking, try to have a variety of color on your plate.  This is the best way to get the vitamins and minerals you need daily from your food.  Tonight's dinner looks like it was hard work, but it wasn't.  

Pesto Chicken, roasted asparagus, 1/4 of a sweet potato and a salad!

I always put my salad on my dinner plate instead of in a separate bowl. I tell myself this keeps me from eating too much of the other things....(Ha!) This salad was made with baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and goat cheese.  I bought goat cheese crumbles at Aldi's the other day.  Aldi's grocery stores are here in NW Arkansas but I had never visited one until recently.  They have a great selection of cheeses and salad dressing and their prices are amazing. My favorite dressing is just a regular balsamic vinaigrette.

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables and it just so happens it is a "super" food - filled with too many amazing vitamins and benefits to list here, but it is a "perfect" veggie!  I simply wash it, cut the stems about 1 " from the bottom and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt and diced garlic or garlic powder and bake on about 350' for 20-25 minutes.  When it starts to brown a little, take it out and put some parmesan cheese on the top and pop it back in the oven for about 5 minutes. 

For the pesto chicken (I recommend using fresh not frozen chicken breasts), place them in a baking dish sprayed with Pam.  Spread pesto sauce on each breast, and top with a slice of mozzarella cheese, and slice a tomato with thin slices and place on top of the cheese.  Bake on 350' for about 30 minutes - I usually check it about 20 minutes in. Try not to overcook it - chicken can get very tough pretty quickly. This is a healthy dinner and will 

fill you up and it's a nice presentation if you are cooking for friends or family!

I am back! How about a mock apple pie?

Well, it's 2019!

My last blog was in 2014 during the holidays.  I have had many people ask me to start blogging again so here I am!  I think I am going to expand the blog - maybe not all abut Type  2 Diabetes this time around - maybe more about the challenges of all chronic diseases, aging in general, and how what we eat and how much we move can impact how well we age, and most importantly how exercise in general can impact your mental state. 

My mom is a great example of this -  at 81, she is still very independent, drives, keeps busy with her art and church and her friends...and this impacts her in a very positive way. 

If any of you have topics you would like me to expand on here in my blog, please let me know!  I have had people in the heath care industry reach out to me and do guest blogging so I may have some guests blog as well!

I love to cook and sort of "invent" dishes that are more heart friendly.  Tonight I am making a "mock apple pie" - it's so easy!  And delicious! And, it will help you survive a sweet craving!
I am not claiming it is as good as real Apple Pie - it isn't, but it tastes great - and you can even put a portion of no sugar added frozen vanilla yogurt on it!


Ingredients

• 4 apples, cored and cut into bite size pieces-leave peeling on(that's where the fiber is)
• 1 cup quick cooking oats - use 3/4 cup mixed and save 1/4 cup for topping
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Truvia baking sugar
• 1/2 stick real butter cut in slices
• 1/4 cup Canola Oil

Pre-heat oven to 350' Once the apples are cut and diced - place in a bowl and toss with the other ingredients (except the butter and 1/4 cup quick cooking oats) Pour into a pie plate sprayed with Pam cooking spray. Top with additional oats and place the butter slices all over the top and bake on 350' for 30 minutes or until bubbly browned on top. Enjoy!