If you’ve been recently diagnosed with diabetes, you may be confused about what you can or cannot eat. The American Diabetes Association and authors Tami A. Ross, RDN, LD, MLDE and Patti B. Geil, MS, RDN, CDE, MLDE, FAND, FAADE, have collaborated on this book providing a step-by-step guide to eating right with Type 2 Diabetes.
Given that I’m about a marry a man with Type 2 Diabetes, I’ve experienced an increased interest in the topic of diabetic-friendly cooking. This is the first in a series of reviews of books on this topic.
NOTE: I received a free copy of this book for review, however I am under no obligation to write about it positively or otherwise.
SUMMARY OF WHAT DO I EAT NOW?
What Do I Eat Now? A Step-by-Step Guide to Eating Right with Type 2 Diabetes, 2nd Edition, is both a guide to healthy eating in general and for those with diabetes, and a recipe book. It is organized like a study book. Each chapter ends with a summary, a recipe and a short list of facts. Sometimes there is even space for you to jot down next steps inspired by what you learned in the chapter.
There are plenty of sidebars and bulleted lists to make this easy to read in small sessions (like during your 15-minute afternoon break?)
WHAT WORKED FOR ME
The lay out makes for easy reading, as well as the simple language. This book can be read and understood by almost anyone who finds themselves with a diabetes diagnosis.
The authors acknowledge the importance of food in our every day lives. This book isn’t about denying this basic human fact, but provides a solution for managing your blood sugar while still enjoying the foods you love, albeit in more than likely a greater deal of moderation than you’ve been using so far.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME
This is a minor thing, but I didn’t like the color palette. The interior is printed in two colors: green and black. I know this reduces the price of the book, but it looks too clinical to me. Maybe a different color than the green they chose would feel a bit more fun.
RECOMMENDATION
This is an excellent beginner book for someone who has just been diagnosed with diabetes … or the person who has finally decided to take their head out of the sand and address their blood sugar issues. There is even information that people who are looking to just manage their weight, too.
RATING FOR WHAT DO I EAT NOW?
SPECS
Format: Trade paperback, 6.8 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches Publisher: American Diabetes Association Language: English ISBN-10: 1580405584 ISBN-13: 978-1580405584
Cover provided by authorReading My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family with Recipes, was something I looked forward to doing. I’m working on my own memoir-recipe fusion book and wanted to see how someone else might do it. I was not disappointed.
NOTE: I received a free copy of this book for review, however I am under no obligation to write about it positively or otherwise.
SUMMARY OF MY FAT DAD
Each chapter starts off with memoir — the author shares a part of her life — and ends with recipes that were mentioned in the chapter. Each chapter builds upon the ones before it, developing a rich tapestry of what it was like to grow up through Dawn Lerman’s eyes.
WHAT WORKED FOR ME
Lerman’s voice is strong. I almost felt like we were in her living room, with me listening to her weave her tale with rapt attention. I also ear-marked several of the recipes to try on my own later.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME
I felt like she didn’t know how to wrap up the end of the book. Perhaps she hasn’t fully processed the emotions … or, more likely … her life is interesting enough to fill more than one book! The last chapter or two felt forced.
SIDE NOTE ABOUT MY FAT DAD
Not long before I read this book, I was introduced to Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts and my fiance and I even attended one of his live seminars. I found it interesting as I read My Fat Dad how clear it was that the author and her mother spoke in different love languages, leading to Lerman not feeling loved by her mother.
RECOMMENDATION
This is a very well written book and if you’re like me in that so many of life experiences are remembered through the lens of food, this is a enjoyable must read.
RATING FOR MY FAT DAD
SPECS
Format: Trade paperback, 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches Publisher: Berkley Language: English ISBN-10: 0425272230 ISBN-13: 978-0425272237
Food is such a wonderful thing that it’s high time you got into it. A lot of people view food purely as a source of energy, but it can be so much more than that. There’s nothing quite like that feeling of trying really wonderful food. A lot of the time you will have to go to a restaurant to be able to do this. However, more and more people are taking culinary skills into their homes. There is so much you can do with food in and around the home. These are some of the wonderful suggestions I have to help you become a foodie today.
Source: Pexels.com
Learn to Cook Like a Foodie
Many of us take cooking for granted, but it’s actually a valuable life skill to have. You need to understand that there are so many benefits to being able to cook. And now is the time to learn so you can start becoming more of a foodie. Cooking means you’re able to provide for yourself and the family. But, it also means you can plan out all the meals you want to have over the week. You can also entertain guests and work on perfecting your skills in an enjoyable way.
The perfect things to treat yourself with if you want to become a foodie are food gifts. And you know all those times when friends ask you what you want, but you have no idea? Well, now you do. You can get plenty of different food related gifts that will fulfill precisely what you need. Whether it’s food, condiments, utensils, or spices, these are the perfect things for the foodie in you. It’s important to diversify and try as many new things as you can. Getting food gifts from friends and family saves you having to get them yourself, and you may discover new things as a result.
As mentioned above, it’s essential that you try new things — that’s how you develop your kitchen creativity! The brilliant thing about food is how much variety there is. You need to think about how you can generate the best possible experience. Food should be all about experience. Preparing and tasting are just as important as one another, and you need to come up with ideas that will help you enjoy this more. Trying something new each week or so is a great way to generate more experience and expand your repertoire.
Believe it or not, there is an art form to having the perfect BBQ! You need to make sure you have the perfect food you need for a great BBQ. This means thinking about the different meats you’re going to cook as well as planning the other parts of the BBQ as well. You also need to think about planning, so the weather is right too. Make sure you do it on a lovely summer’s day when the sun is out. It’s also important to consider the guest list and invite people you know will make a good go of things. The BBQ is the easiest way for you to make your transition into a full-blown foodie. Take charge of it and don’t be afraid to try out new techniques to produce delicious food.
Use the ideas I’ve listed here to work on becoming a foodie today. This will heighten your appreciation of food and will allow you to have a go at new recipes. It’s important to make sure you do what you can to get the most out of preparing, cooking and eating food. Unleash your kitchen creativity starting today!
Reduced from a photograph taken 28th January 2004 by Stephen Lea and released under the GFDL by the photographer.
Researchers have discovered a new reason to add purple potatoes to you diet. According to food scientists Jairam K.P. Vanamala and colleagues at Penn State and the University of Colorado, purple potatoes contain compounds that may help kill colon cancer stem cells and limit the spread of the cancer.
Reduced from a photograph taken 28th January 2004 by Stephen Lea and released under the GFDL by the photographer.
Why is killing cancer stem cells important? “You might want to compare cancer stem cells to roots of weeds,” says Vanamala. “You may cut the weed, but as long as the roots are still there, the weeds will keep growing back and, likewise, if the cancer stem cells are still present, the cancer can still grow and spread.”
Vanamala and his fellow researchers found that an extract from baked purple potato suppressed colon cancer stem cells in a lab dish. They tested the compound on mice with colon cancer and found the same results.
According to their results, they estimate that an effective portion size for a human to achieve these results would be equivalent to eating one large purple potato a day. Of course, this has not been tested on people and there is no guarantee that it will work in humans the way it works in mice. However, given the already good reasons to add this root vegetable to your diet, this just gives you a another one to add to the list.
Could eating purple potatoes prevent colon cancer from developing in the first place? We may never know.
Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.
This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.
Buying knives can be a breeze … or an exercise in confusion. What is a honesuki knife and what do I use it for? Is there really difference between a meat and a vegetable cleaver? What is the best way to store my knives. Well, in this quick guide, I’ll provide you with some basics that will help you understand what you’re looking at, using and buying when in the knife section of your cooking goods store.
Source: Pixabay
Glossary for Buying Knives
When buying knifes, you need to know what your shopping options are. This glossary will help.
Boning knife – This knife is easy to recognized because of its narrow blade, which makes it perfect or carving around bones in both meat and poultry.
Chef’s knife – A basic, all-purpose knife used for chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing.
Honesuki knife – This Japanese boning knife has a triangular blade, which makes it easy to work around the bones and joints of poultry.
Meat cleaver – With its large blade, this knife handles big carving jobs. With a single downward stroke, a meat cleaver can slice through most cuts of meat.
Nakiri knife – A Japanese knife used for chopping vegetables.
Paring knife – This is a small, precise knife used for trimming and slicing fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Santoku knife – Ideal for mincing, dicing and slicing, this multipurpose knife is a hybrid of a chef’s knife and a cleaver.
Serrated knife – This is a long knife with a saw-like edge used to cutting loaves of bread without squishing the crust. For this reason, it is sometimes called a bread knife.
Slicing/carving knife – A thin-bladed knife used for cutting meat, poultry and fish.
Steak knife – A small, serrated knife used to cut through heartier meats that your traditional table knife won’t.
Tomato knife – This knife keeps tomato skins from tearing because of its very thin, serrated edge. You can also use this with citrus fruits.
Utility knife – Like a chef’s knife, but smaller. Used to cutting sandwiches, slicing meat and pretty much anything else that doesn’t call for a chef’s knife.
Vegetable cleaver – Like the meat cleaver, a vegetable cleaver has a wide blade. However, the blade is finer for it is meant to chop produce, which requires a little more finesse.
Choosing Your Knives
You will use your knives pretty much every day, so you want to make sure you are comfortable with them and that they will perform well in your kitchen. Therefore you’ll want to interact with a knife before investing in it. Here are some tips to help you choose the right knives for you.
Hold different knives. How do they feel in your hand? Is it solid and secure in your grip? Is it balanced?
Do you want your knives to match? You can buy knives individually or in a set. Beginner cooks are usually well served by the sets, but the more you use a knife, the more likely you should pick it out individually.
Decide what material you want your knives to be made of. Stainless steel are easy to maintain and durable. So most people go with them. However you have other options:
Ceramic – rust-proof, impervious to acids, prone to chipping, don’t need sharpening as often, must be professionally sharpened, not as sharp as metal knives
Carbon steel – sharpest knives of all, easiest to keep sharp, must be cleaned and dried immediately after use
How do you cook? Do you cook a lot of meat? Then you’ll need to buy knives meant for meat. Do you bake your own bread? Make sure you have a bread knife. Make sure that you buy knives you’ll actually use.
Source: Pixabay
Essential Knives
When buying knives, you’ll want to make sure that you have on hand the four most commonly used knives. For most people, these four are all they need: Chef’s knife, utility knife, serrated knife and paring knife.
Caring for Your Knives
You’ve taken care to buy the right knives for your home, now you need to care for them so don’t have to go back to buying knives again!
First, you need to store them so that they are dulled and you don’t cut yourself accessing them. If you bought a set that comes with a block, you’re set. You can also buy blocks separately. A magnetic strip attached to the wall or your refrigerator is another way to keep your knives handy. Don’t keep them loose in drawer … they’ll dull while jostling against each other and you could get cut when reaching in to get one.
After each use, you’ll need to clean your knives. Do this by hand … dishwashers will dull and possibly damage your knives. Simply clean with warm water and soap then dry. Easy!
Alas, knives dull, so you’ll to to sharpen them occasionally. You have several options:
A handheld steel dowel much like a metal file.
A knife sharpener that you run your knife through.
Professionals at your local kitchen retailer.
Armed with the tips and information in this post, you can be quite successful the next time you go buying knives.
The summer months are ideal for making use of your back yard. The weather is warm and the sun is out till late. It’s an excellent time to get your BBQ out and get it lit … and cookin’. Why not organize a BBQ for your family and friends? It can be a great event that will end up lasting till the early hours.
First, you need to arrange seating outside for everyone. Then you can sort out games and music so that everybody has a good time. You will then need to buy food and drinks for your guests. Here are some food items that you need to get to have a fantastic BBQ.
Salad Fixings
If you want to have a great summer BBQ, you need to prepare salad that you can have with the meat you cook on the grill. It’s a great accompaniment to meat, and it’s also healthy. As well as a traditional salad, which you can make with lettuce, tomatoes and onions, you could also go for pasta or potato salad. These are all top choices for a BBQ, and you will notice that they will go down quickly. If you choose to make these two, keep them in the fridge till you are ready to serve the meat. You can buy them ready made, so you don’t have to go to the extra effort of making your own. Check out these salad recipes for some unique ideas.
A lot of people cook meat on their summer BBQ, as is traditional here in the States. But they forget to try and cook fish on the grill, too. Salmon is a delicious choice to try on the BBQ, and you could even serve it as chunks in the salad. Prawns are also a top choice for BBQ as they grill nicely. It’s best to BBQ King Prawns as they are big enough to cook properly, and they taste great. Serve them with sweet chili sauce for extra flavor (if you’re lucky, you can find some at your local 99¢ Only store!). Crab is also a good choice that people don’t realize tastes good on the BBQ. You can try some on the grill by ordering it off websites such as http://www.citarella.com/shop/crab. It’s also quicker than cooking meat on the BBQ.
And, of course, if you’ve got a fisherperson in your home … fresh fish grilled in your backyard beats anything you can buy in a store or online.
Kebabs
Another top choice that is perfect for parties is the kebab, or skewered food. They cook so well on the BBQ, and you can do a few at once. Decide if you want to make your own or buy them ready made. When making your own, you should decide which meat you want to use first, and then you can cut these into chunks. Most people then add peppers and onions to the kebab as they complement the meat. As it says here, you could even add fruit such as pineapple, peach and mango to make them even more exotic. Don’t forget to marinate the kebab before adding it to the BBQ.
A traditional choice, sausages make a summer BBQ complete as they are so tasty when barbecued. To make it more interesting, why not choose different types of sausages to cook on the grill? There are a variety available, including ones which have apple or even tomato inside. Remember to check if any vegetarians are coming to your BBQ — you may want to buy some veggie sausages for them. Just make sure to cook them first, so they haven’t touched any meat. A lot of people pre-cook sausages before putting them on the BBQ, so they don’t poison their guests.
Burgers
If you are looking for another food item which will be amazing on the BBQ, you should consider cooking some burgers. They are so tasty after being barbecued, and you can get so many different types. Why not choose to cook some turkey and pork burgers, as well as the traditional beef burgers? You should also get some cheese which people can add to the burger. Burgers are another thing you should cook in your kitchen first before putting on the BBQ. Just don’t pre-cook them for too long otherwise, they will become rock solid once cooked on the BBQ.
Bread Rolls
Bread Rolls are an essential if you want to have a great BBQ with friends and family. It’s a great accompaniment when eating meat and fish. You can also use the bread rolls with the sausages and the burgers. To spice things up, why not get different bread rolls which are topped with cheese or tomato. It gives more people a choice, as well as making the food taste even more delicious. I’m also partial to Hawaiian sweet rolls.
Sweet corn
You might be surprised to know that healthy sweet corn is delicious on the BBQ. It is quick to do; just make sure you keep turning it over so that it all gets barbecued. You can then serve it for people to have alongside their meat. It’s great also to provide some butter so that it isn’t too dry.
Potato Chips
While people are waiting for the summer BBQ food to be cooked, it’s an excellent idea to put out some potato (and other) chips to keep pangs of hunger at bay. Choose a few different types so that there is a choice for everyone. Fill the bowl to the brim and then once it’s gone, you can refill to keep your guests satisfied. Put it outside on the table and keep it covered till your guests arrive.
Bananas
Another exciting — and unusual — food item you might try at your summer BBQ is the banana. This fruit is amazing once cooked and can be a great dessert option for everyone. As discussed here, all you have to do is chop off the ends of the banana and then place it on the grill to cook for at least 10-15 minutes with its skin still on. Once it’s cooked, you can carefully open the skin and eat the hot banana. It’s even more delicious if served with ice cream or, my favorite, whipped cream. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top, and you’ve got a world-class BBQ’d dessert!
Want an extra-special grilled banana dessert? Add some chocolate to melt in while grilling! Image from Pixabay
Don’t forget to start up the BBQ awhile before people start arriving, for it does take a bit of time to get it going and be hot enough to cook on. And for safety reasons, don’t leave it unattended just in case a child wanders over there!
Summer is almost here: Are you ready for some cooking outdoors? The tools we use to prepare and cook food outside is different that what we use indoors, and so requires a slightly different skill set.
As Summer approaches, the barbecue beckons. Cold beer, balmy Summer nights and sizzling food are all reasons that barbecues are something we return to time and again. But unless they’ve hosted, few people realize the skill and effort that goes into cooking outdoors. With a changeable temperature, difficult equipment, and sometimes several guests to cater for, it can be a major feat. But pull it off, and you’re a neighborhood hero.
There are few better sensations than sinking your teeth into a hearty, flavorful meal that you’ve cooked yourself. If you’re a seasoned pro or want to give outdoor cooking a try, you can always benefit from tips. Follow the suggestions below and you will never go far wrong.
Know Your Methods for Cooking Outdoors
Cooking outdoors can be as rustic as over a fire on a stick. Or as extravagant as on a state of the art barbecue complete with luxury accessories. Some ingredients may even require some oven time during the day and then will later crisp up to perfection outdoors. Whatever your method, know it well. Consider what ingredients will suit your meal and how to get the best flavor effect. It can be tempting to think of outdoor cooking in terms of sheer spectacle. But the fact is that we want great tasting food, no matter how it was cooked.
Stone grill cooking is gaining popularity for both its style and substance. Food looks inviting and attractive while sizzling in plain sight on the grill. But the stone grill method also achieves succulent, tasty results. Investigate methods of outdoor cookery and never be afraid to experiment.
This isn’t a glamorous or exciting tip and that’s probably why it is so often overlooked. But covering your food before and after cooking is an essential part of achieving great results outdoors. Hygiene can be difficult to manage outdoors. We should always ensure that our utensils and equipment have been thoroughly cleaned and then kept in a clean area. There is no sense in cleaning utensils but then leaving them on a dirty outdoor bench, for example. But our food should be kept equally hygienic before serving. Leave ingredients in the refrigerator or indoors for as long as possible before needing them. If they have to be close at hand, then keep them in a sealed container. Servings can be covered by extra plates or tin foil. It may not look pretty and stylish. But it ensures that no-one leaves sick. Only the flies will go hungry!
It is a common mistake to think we can slap something on the grill and it will soon be cooked. The nature of being outdoors can mean that a well-ventilated area distributes the heat. We do not get the same results as we would from using a sealed oven, for example. Things can take longer and certain ingredients should be cooked slowly to achieve the tastiest results. We can cook some things ahead of schedule or begin them indoors. We can always mix a few Summery drinks for any impatient guests too!
Outdoor cooking isn’t just for meat, fish and steaks. We should consider all the flavor possibilities we can unlock. We can create marinades for tofu, grilled fruit, and crunchy vegetables. Not only are these better for the waistline, they pack a major flavor punch. Give your meal a taste of Summer and added dimension by using a wide variety of ingredients.
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