I’ve teamed with A Sweet Life Diabetes Magazine and some other great bloggers to bring you a full low carb World Diabetes Day menu. Check out the great recipes and enter to win one of two beautiful Le Creuset cookware sets!
You know the subject of diabetes is important to me, right? I think I’ve made that pretty clear here on All Day I Dream About Food. But as today is World Diabetes Day, I’d like to re-open the subject. I will keep it brief, but I’d ask that you take a moment to think about how diabetes has affected your life. Because these days I would daresay that no one is completely unaffected by it. You may not have it, but you likely know multiple people who do. I won’t throw a bunch of statistics at you, but in case you haven’t heard, Type 2 diabetes is on the rise. It’s an epidemic and the truth is that no one is really immune.
What’s also very important to me is the subject of WHY Type 2 diabetes is on the rise. Yes, our very sedentary lifestyle plays a huge role. So does our diet. But the conventional suggestions on improving diet are not helping, in my very strong opinion. Eat more carbs and less fat? If I did that, I would be on insulin by now. And it’s easy to dismiss me and to think that since my pancreas is already a little faulty, I have to eat this way. But others don’t, others are fine following conventional nutritional advice, they won’t get diabetes. Right? Maybe…maybe not.
Again, I come to back to the subject of why diabetes is on the rise. Isn’t it possible that none of us are supposed to be eating high carb diets? Keep in mind that all of those whole grains that are the basis of the modern Western diet turn to glucose in your system. And every time you load up on glucose in your system, your pancreas has to work hard to create enough insulin. Perhaps your pancreatic beta cells will never go kaput. Goodie for you. But they sure will for a lot of people…an increasing number of people. More and more and more people. And those people will have diabetes. Like me. Trust me, if a healthy, active, slender woman with no family history of the disease can develop diabetes, anyone can.
So today is World Diabetes Day and it’s time to raise awareness. To that end, I teamed up with A Sweet Life Diabetes Magazine and two other amazing bloggers to bring a full low carb World Diabetes Day menu. We decided on an “American” style menu, to prove to the world that American food doesn’t have to be filled with carbs. From appetizers to dessert, we want you to realize that low carb can be delicious and satisfying. You won’t miss the bread or the pasta or the sugary sweets in this menu. We’ve got you covered!
Appetizer: Cheesy Spinach Puffs from Mellissa Sevigny of I Breathe, I’m Hungry
Side Dish: Green Beans with Creamy Mushroom Sauce by me!
Main Course: Shrimp Etouffee from Maria Emmerich of Maria Mind Body Health
Dessert: Chocolate Cookie Pizza by me! Please head on over to check out this recipe now.
Nutritional counts for Chocolate Cookie Pizza (serves 12):
186 Calories; 17g Fat (74.9% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 38mg Cholesterol; 145mg Sodium
GIVEAWAY!
I am also excited to announce that A Sweet Life is hosting an amazing giveaway of TWO gorgeous Le Creuset Cookware sets. Both in blue, as blue is the colour of Diabetes Awareness. The giveaway runs from today until November 20th, so get in there and enter to win!
Enter to Win One of Two Marseille Blue Le Creuset cookware sets!
Vicki Bensinger says
Yum this cookie pizza sounds fantastic and the perfect treat for a crowd I’m saving this recipe.
Jeanette says
Thanks for all you do to raise awareness about diabetes and to provide a great resource for those with diabetes. Both my brother and dad are pre-diabetic, so I am always looking for ideas for them.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Jeanette!
Paula says
My husband is a Type 2 Diabetic and could really care less. Even so, I don’t want to be like my grandma, who could have controlled her type 2 and choose not to and so I choose NOT to get it. Therefore I’ve stopped using sugar and simple carbs to feed my family. I am a candy maker and so this has been really hard! But I’m tweaking recipes and making delicious candies with other natural sweeteners and getting rave reviews. My kids don’t like it right now but they will thank me later! 🙂
Carolyn says
That’s great to hear, Paula. I struggle with the kids too, but most of my sweets meet with their approval. Sure, they’d rather have some of the same stuff their friends are having, but I know that in the end they will appreciate it.
Nadine says
Yum-will be trying this soon! Do you by any chance have a recipe for a lo carb apple pie? My husband just had a heart attack and is going lo carb but loves apple pie.
Dolly2 says
For some reason I can not get the ingredients & directions to open. I can on other recipes
Carolyn says
What link are you clicking on because it just worked for me.
Sherrie says
I used to make dessert pizza’s and have been craving a healthy makeover – Thank you!!!!
petiscos e miminhos says
What a great ideia, I have to try it soon!
busylady says
Caroline, I agree 100%. I follow a wheat free, low carb diet and that is the one thing that has for the past 10 years kept me off of insulin. The diet they proposed at the hospital when doing diabetic education would have had me in a different place if I had not done research into alternate diets. I love desserts so your blog has been wonderful..
Sandra | Sandra's Easy Cooking says
Everything looks yummy but your Chocolate Cookie Pizza look incredible! I am trying this soon!
Melissa {Persnickety Plates} says
Great post. I found your chocolate pizza via Yumgoggle. I’m always trying to find diabetic friendly desserts (or any dish, really) for my husband & this looks great.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Melissa!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
such a clever recipe! My kids would love this pizza
Angie J. says
I work in a medical clinic and have many Diabetic patients on a daily basis. I learn so much about the condition and love helping them to persue a healthy lifestyle. I also have a family history of Diabetes, so it is very neat to see that these options and recipes are out there!
Jenna says
Um. I love you. Subscribing to this blog is what will
Save me from diabetic food insanity. Thank you !
Jenna says
Um. I love you. Subscribing to this blog is what will
Save me from diabetic food insanity. Thank you !
Susan says
Just made the chocolate cookie pizza. It is chocolate heaven! Fabulous recipe. Actually, I’ve made many of your recipes and every single one of them has been a hit in our home, even with three picky teens. Thanks for all of the recipes and showing the world that you can be low carb/gluten free and not miss out on some wonderful tasting food. I’m insulin resistant & was on my way to diabetes, plus gluten intolerant. Your website has helped me tremedously in preparing good tasting & healthy food. Thanks so much for all of your work and effort!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Susan, for the kind words! Glad you find my recipes helpful.
Shaina says
I love cookie pizza! Your menu looks amazing!
Tammy says
Hi Carolyn! I made this, but made the chocolate crust into cookies by flattening them into 2 inch diameters and baking them for 15 minutes in the oven. It was great since the dessert was only for me. I stored the cream cheese mixture and chocolate in the fridge so when I wanted a little dessert, I would make an individual fruit pie by topping the chocolate cookie with a little of the cream cheese mixture, a sliced strawberry and a little chocolate. Tasty! Hmmm…I think I might just have to make this again ASAP. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Carolyn says
Like your changes!
diadaily says
Hey! As a type1 I adore your website but I was wondering about this recipe, did you take it down? It ends after the nutrition info? Thanks.
Carolyn says
No, you simply have to click the link to get to A Sweet Life. It’s published there.
Jen says
Hi. I just found this through pinterest.
My 18 month old daughter is getting tested for diabetes tomorrow. She has a lot of symptoms and we have several type 1 diabetics in our family.
I am not really a sweets person. I typically can’t stomach sugary foods. I just don’t like the taste. However, I dislike most artificial sweeteners even more than real sugar. It’s not a big deal because we rarely eat desserts anyway. Until now, I’ve always swapped out sugar for honey when I could. Quite frankly, I know so little about diabetes, I don’t even know how bad honey is for diabetics.
I know I have a lot to learn. However, I’d like to start cooking diabetic friendly foods anyway. I figure it can’t hurt and my dear relatives would surely appreciate it, too.
Anyway, all of this to ask- What is the least sweet tasting sugar replacement? Is this swerve stuff in the recipe a really sweet tasting sweetener? I need to bring a dessert to a get together next weekend and wanted to bring something sugar free in case my little one is diagnosed with diabetes. I just don’t really know what kind of sweetener to buy.
Carolyn says
Hi Jen…how very scary for you and all of your family, with your daughter likely to have Type 1. I feel for all of you, as insulin-dependent diabetes is tough to manage, no matter how carefully you eat. But I applaud your decision to change the way you cook and eat now. Please understand that it’s not just sugar or honey that is the problem, but carbs in general (I am sure you already know this!).
Swerve is my go-to primarily because it does not have some of the funny aftertastes or after affects of other sweeteners. It also behaves the most like sugar in cooking and baking, making it an really good replacement. It can measure cup-for-cup like sugar but you can always reduce the quantity you put in the recipe. For example, if your recipe calls for 3/4 cup sugar, replace it with 1/2 cup Swerve. That would be my suggestion.
If you want any suggestions on my recipes and how to adapt them to your tastes, please don’t hesitate to let me know!
Faith Davis says
Can this be made the day before and kept in the frig?
Carolyn says
Yes, should do just fine.
Ally Gillotte says
I Pinned this yesterday and now I’m just getting a server error from asweetlife (which I wasn’t initially), so I can’t access the recipe 🙁
I Googled it, however, and found the recipe, with your photos, uncredited on chefthisup.co. I left a comment directing viewers to this post, but thought you might want to know.
Looking forward to making it!
Carolyn says
Sorry, their site is down.
Angie says
Where is the recipe?
Carolyn says
Click the link in the post!
Betsy says
Hi! Thanks for these recipes! If I were to omit the cocoa powder from the cookie crust for my DS who doesn’t care for it, would you recommend any other adjustments? Thanks again.
Carolyn says
I have a vanilla cookie version right here! http://www.swervesweetener.com/recipes/sugar-cookie-pizza/
Betsy Stokes says
Yay! I don’t deserve you! ?