Shaman

Georgia on my mind…

The weather in Pittsburgh, PA has been cold, damp and full of snow and sleet this week. I’m glad the weekend is finally here. As I trudged home from work, I thought of sunny days in Georgia, with glasses of sweet iced tea, and peaches. So I made up my mind to make dessert tonight with some peaches. 5 to 6 slices of chilled peaches dusted with some cinnamon, along with a mini chocolate coated ice cream bar, and some cherry glaze made from sugar-free syrup and cherry essence, with a dash of food color. About 12 grams of carb. I can’t wait for summer to arrive. Perhaps a visit to the South is warranted…

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Low carb almond cake

This is a yummy cake that folks on low carb. diets and/or celiac disease can enjoy. It takes about an hour to bake, and about 20 minutes to whip up the ingredients. Here’s the list of ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour (Also called almond meal)
• 1/2 cup granola (oats will also do)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1 cup Eggbeaters
• 1 cup Splenda (If you use sugar-free syrup, use 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 stick of low-fat margarine
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons vanilla flavor
• 1 granny smith apple - 1/2 chopped fine, the other 1/2 cut into long, thin slices
• 1 tablespoon apple essence (Use a sachet of sugar-free apple cider powder as a substitute)

Start by combining all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix them well. Grease a baking dish with some margarine and coat the greased sides with some almond flour. Place the baking dish in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the baking dish and keep aside. Slice the margarine block into quarter-sized pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Add the 1/2 cup of finely chopped apple pieces, along with a cup of the Eggbeaters and blend the ingredients with a spatula. Using a hand blender, combine all the ingredients into a homogeneous mixture. Add the vanilla and apple flavoring and continue to hand blend on low for about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to the baking dish, decorate the top of the wet dough with the thinly sliced apple slices and bake in the oven at 350 F for an hour. Allow the cake to cool down. Cut into slices and enjoy.

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Low carb. chocolate fudge pudding with almond cake and strawberry jello

The sugar-free jello is 0 carbs.
The recipe for the almond cupcakes is here (3.5 grams carb.)
The sugar-free chocolate fudge pudding is the typical Jello recipe (2 cups of cold low-fat milk). For this dessert, there’s 1/2 a cup. The milk has 6 grams of carb., and the pudding mix has about 8 grams of carb. (Nutrition label can be found here) for a half cup serving depicted above. Net. carbs work out to about 15 grams.

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Low fat pumpkin cheesecake

Ingredients

• 1 block low-fat cream cheese (16g carb/ 0 fiber)
• 1.5 cups pumpkin puree (27g carb/15g fiber)
• 1 cup eggbeaters (0 carb/0 fiber)
• 1/2 cup Da Vinci sugar-free syrup (0 carb/0 fiber)
• 1 cup splenda (0 carb/0 fiber)
• 1/4 cup powdered almonds, for the crust (5g carb/3g fiber)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. F. Grease a pie dish and evenly sprinkle the almond powder to make a crust. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes, remove pie dish from oven, and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the low-fat cream cheese, pumpkin puree, eggbeaters, splenda, sugar-free syrup, pumpkin spice and the cinnamon powder, and blend using a hand blender till the mixture is homogenous. Pour the mixture into the pie dish and bake at 350 deg F for 90 minutes. Eat warm, or enjoy cold after refrigerating it for about 4 hours.

Total carbs: 48 grams

Total fiber: 18 grams

Total net carbs: 30 grams

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Word Diabetes Day : Reflections

Today is World Diabetes Day. For me, it is not a day of celebration, but one of reflection. Diabetes is on the increase, and will fast become the primary cause of death and amputations worldwide, thanks to sedentary lifestyles, auto-immune reactions and diet habits. Contrary to what most people think, you don’t get diabetes by eating too much sugar or being obese. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disorder. Type 1 diabetes is caused when the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them.Type 1 diabetics will need insulin therapy for life, because their body does not make any insulin. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a malfunctioning pancreas. Patients with type 2 diabetes are encouraged to reduce weight, increase physical activity and take medications that will help control their blood sugars. A majority of the population has Type 2 diabetes, and this type is on the rise throughout the world.

While insulin is available today, it is not a cure. Besides, the pathetic state of health care systems makes it extremely difficult for a person with diabetes to get the required medication without good health insurance. Children are the most affected, because Type 1 diabetes usually strikes children, although it has started to manifest itself in adults too. As a nation, we have to ensure that we give our children a chance at a healthy future. Do your part in alleviating this problem. Lobby for better health insurance guidelines. Write to your government representatives about the cost of medication, and the need to make medication affordable. Contribute to find a cure. Children deserve a better future. Do it for them.

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