Food Friday: Gestational Diabetes Approved Recipe...Cauliflower Crust Pizza

If you have gestational diabetes, by the 9th month you are craving pizza. Pizza can be so full of carbs and salt. Here is your way to satisfy your craving, enjoy one of your favorite foods with friends, and still be healthy with a gluten free, low carb, and low salt meal.

For the crust:

2 cups grated cauliflower (about 1/2 head)
1/2 cup yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the toppings:

3/4 cup of your favorite store-bought or homemade pizza sauce or marinara sauce (we use 1 can of Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes as it has less salt mixed with Italian seasoning)

1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese (we like to add cheddar too but remember to watch the salt intake)

Choice of toppings (cooked meat, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, etc)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grate the cauliflower by hand or with a food processor until it takes on a grainy or grated texture. Place 2 cups of the grated cauliflower into a clean, thin dish towel. Wrap it up in the middle and twist closed, squeezing out all the moisture. Place the dry cauliflower into a bowl and add the yogurt, eggs, and herbs. Fold the mixture until everything is evenly combined. Place the cauliflower "dough" onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread the mixture with your hands until it is about 3/4 inches thick. This is your crust.

Bake the crust for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm enough to hold its shape. Remove the crust from the oven and top with sauce, cheese, and your choice of veggies or meat. Pop the pizza back into the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

Food Friday: Gluten Free Recipe - Shepherd's Meatloaf

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe for my freezer shortly before Judah was born. I remember that only meat and potato type meals seem to fill me up with the nutritious calories I needed for nursing. And this was one of those meals.

Not only is portion of meatloaf delicious, but it is a guaranteed gluten free recipe. My brother-in-law is constantly on the look out for such recipes and having gestational diabetes in the past, I understand how important it is to have recipes like this on hand for special dietary needs.

So eat healthy and eat tasty!

Ingredients

1 pound lean chuck beef
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 cooked medium potato, mashed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms sliced or 1 can drained

Directions

In an 8 inch loaf pan, mix meat, onion, salt, potato, garlic powder and egg, thoroughly and form loaf. Firmly press mushroom slices over entire surface of loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Slice and serve hot.

Food Friday: Gestational Diabetes Approved Recipe - Chicken Alfredo with Spaghetti Squash

Looking for another easy dish to compliment your gestational diabetes or gluten free diets? Try some chicken Alfredo and noodles, that's right, chicken Alfredo and noodles!

Recently I discovered spaghetti squash. Surprisingly it tastes like eating real pasta making it a great substitute for noodles packed with lots of carbohydrates and gluten. Even though squash contains some carbohydrates your servings can be more generous than eating real pasta. According to the app, Calorie Counter, 1 cup of spaghetti squash contains 10g of carbohydrates.

First, we cooked some white chicken breast on top of the stove. Meanwhile we cut the spaghetti squash in half and microwaved (prepared according to instructions provided) it for approximately 10-14 minutes before scraping the contents out with a fork. We added some olive oil, lemon juice, basil, and Parmesan cheese for flavor to the squash noodles. At the same time we had sliced a couple of medium sized zucchini and sprayed them with olive oil and topped with Dash herb and garlic seasoning with Parmesan cheese to bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. To complete the meal we found a jar of low sodium, gluten free Alfredo sauce.

Depending on serving sizes, all you need to count is your squash. The zucchini itself is 4g of carbohydrates to 1 cup. The chicken is a lean piece of meat. And if you watch how you season your food, the only added salt is contained in the Alfredo sauce.

Our pasta dish tasted like something you would find at an Italian restaurant only with a lot less carbohydrates and no gluten. It was also very easy to make for a quick meal at home. And you cannot go wrong eating meat and vegetables. You could even serve it with a salad. You might also have some room leftover for a slice of whole wheat bread or a piece of fruit for dessert.

Food Friday: Gestational Diabetes Approved Recipe - Black Bean Salsa

Black Bean Salsa is a recipe suitable for those of us that have gestational diabetes. It is very healthy with low carbs and low sodium. The ingredients are very versatile with different menu combinations. And of course it is easy to make and to have on hand. Add this delicious recipe to your to your special diet. Thanks to the Iowa Diabetes and Endocrinology Center for providing it.

Black Bean Salsa
1.5 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 -1 red onion, chopped (I would only use 1/4 onion finely chopped)
1 can petite canned tomatoes, drained (I would add two cans)
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

Serving Ideas
Use salsa with 100% tortilla chips
Nacho/Quesadilla style and - chicken or lean beef
Bake with chicken breast and serve with brown rice
On top of scrambled eggs on top of whole wheat toast
Burritos - add tuna, chicken, or eggs on whole wheat tortilla
Top of baked potatoes
Mix with brown rice and stuff green peppers

Nutrition Information
Per 1 cup serving: Calories 86, Total Fat 0.5 g, Sat Fat 0g, Carbohydrates 18g, Protein 4g, Sodium 7mg (if use no added salt tomatoes and rinse beans).

Tip Tuesday: Tracking Your Gestational Diabetes

So first things first, we have to track our carbs for gestational diabetes. Not an easy task when going out to eat or using a recipe that does not spell out the nutritional facts so readily.

Thankfully, my professional health consultants have pointed out a few websites and apps that can help solve that very problem. And we have started using it more frequently, especially eating out more lately. I can find out the carb count and the sodium intake from a dish at a major food chain restaurant.

I first look at the menu for something that sounds like it will contain less carbs and sodium and we look it up. Then I know for sure how many extra things I can have at the meal. This worked great at Outback Steakhouse the other night where I had the Gold Hearts of Mahi Mahi (without the lemon sauce of course for sodium) and I could still have a few pieces of bread.

Our favorite app to take along with us on our 4G network is calorie counter, who allows you to break down your dish or recipe. At home we can use sites like myfitnesspal.com or calorieking.com, who specializes in low fat and low carb recipes. Try it out for yourself even if you are on a diet.