ORANGE-LEMON BAKED SALMON

2 tbsp salt-free lemon pepper seasoning blend
4 (4-oz each) salmon fillets
4 thin lemon slices
4 thin orange slices
2 tbsp white cooking wine, optional
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with the nonstick spray.

Place the fish in the prepared pan and coat with the lemon pepper seasonings.  Place a lemon slice and an orange slice atop each fillet.  Sprinkle with the wine.

Place in the oven for 5 minutes.  Lower the heat to 325 degrees and continue to cook for 5 minutes.  Allow to rest for a few minutes (3 or 4) before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

SPICY OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN LEGS

1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup baking mix (such as Bisquick)
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 chicken legs, skinned

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Pour the oil evenly over the bottom of a 15 x 10-inch baking pan; set aside.

In a large bowl combine the baking mix, paprika, Cajun seasoning, seasoned salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and black pepper; mix well.  Pour mixture into a paper bag large enough to shake chicken in.

Add the chicken legs, a few at a time according to the size of the bag, and shake bag to coat legs well.  Arrange the legs on the baking pan.

Bake the chicken, turning once during cooking, until the juices run clear when pierced.  This will take around 30 to 40 minutes.

STAIR EXERCISE

If at all possible, a diabetic should always take the stairs rather than an elevator or escalator.  One of the keys to diabetic exercise is to make it a part of your everyday life.  While that doesn't have to mean an hour a day at the gym, it does mean you should find the simple ways to get exercise.  Stairs are a very good way to do that.

KIDS AND FAST FOOD, OBESITY, AND DIABETES

I am stepping out of the norm here and writing about kids and fast food.  Now understand, I am not against fast food for children.  Just this past Saturday I bought my 7-year-old granddaughter a McDonald's happy meal while we were out enjoying some Christmas activities.  But that is not something we do on a regular basis.  Having said that, I recently saw a study from about a year ago that said 30% of our kids eat fast food everyday.  Another said that a survey of 4th graders in one of our nations large cities said that nearly 50% were overweight.  Might there be a correlation between the two?  I think so.

What concerns me even more is the number of these children who will be facing diabetes later, if not already.  Please do not feed your children fast food everyday.  If they are overweight, make small subtle changes in their diets to help them lower their weight.  Remove a lot of the snack foods from your home and replace them with whole-grain crackers, fresh fruit that is easy for kids such as grapes, bananas, etc, and fresh produce such as baby carrots, etc.  Healthy, unsalted, nuts can also he a good idea.  And remember all things in moderation.

I am not a fan of Mrs. Obama and some of the crazy ideas about school lunches.  My daughter used to be an elementary school lunchroom manager.  When they had to replace some of the foods with fresh fruit, their trash cans were full of apples, bananas, etc.  I am also against banning toys in happy meals, etc.  We can control what our kids eat better than we do.  And it starts when they are young.  Don't reward behaviour with food.  Refrain from buying the heavily coated sugar cereals; teach your youngsters to eat healthy cereals.  There is much we can do to protect our children and grandchildren from this hideous disease known as diabetes!

SWEET POTATO PIE

3 medium to large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups Splenda granulated
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup low-fat evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 unbaked sugar-free 9-inch pie shell
Sugar-free frozen whipped topping thawed for garnish, if desired

Cook the sweet potatoes covered in water to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer about 45 minutes until tender. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the potatoes and when cool enough, peel, remove blemishes, and mash.  Add the butter, Splenda, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Using a wooden spoon, beat mixture until smooth.  Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.

Bake pie at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.  If crust begins to get too brown, cover edge with a foil rim.

Note: Cinnamon is a blood sugar regulator so I have more cinnamon in this recipe than you may be used to.

Note: File Photo

SPIRAL HAM WITH A DIABETIC ORANGE GLAZE

1 fully cooked spiral sliced ham (approx 8-9 lbs)
2 cups water
1/2 to 3/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/4 cup no-sugar-added orange juice
1 cup Splenda sweetened orange marmalade
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the ham, cut side down, on a rack in a large roasting pan.  Pour the water into the pan; cover the ham with an aluminum foil tent.  Bake1 and 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the Splenda, orange juice, marmalade, and Dijon mustard.  Set mixture aside.

Remove the ham from oven and remove the foil tent.  Liberally brush the glaze mixture over the surface of the ham using 3/4 cup.  Leave the foil off and return ham to the oven for another half hour or until internal temperature is 140 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Place quartered oranges around ham to garnish, if desired.

Serves approximately 25.

BREAKFAST PANINI

4 slices whole-grain bread (or low-carb bread) of your choice

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1 thinly sliced green onion

1/3 cup cooked ham, chopped

2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute

freshly ground black pepper to suit taste

2 slices reduced-fat cheese of your choice

nonstick cooking spray

Spray a small skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion; cooking while stirring until veggies begin to soften. Stir in the ham.

In a small bowl beat the eggs with the black pepper and pour over the ham mixture in skillet. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until the eggs are almost set.

Heat grill pan (or a medium skillet). Spray 1 side of each bread slice with the nonstick cooking spray (I like to use the butter flavored spray.) On the unsprayed side of two of the slices, place a slice of the cheese topped with half the egg mixture. Place the unsprayed side of the remaining bread slices over the egg mixture.

Grill the sandwiches approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side, using a spatula to press down lightly, until light brown.

To serve, cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately while still hot.

Yield: 2 sandwiches 1 sandwich per serving.

Per sandwich: Approximately 270 calories, 24 g protein, 30 g carbs. Perfect carb to protein ratio for us diabetics. Nutritional info based on whole-grain bread.

Note: File Photo

GROUND POULTRY

Poultry is a good lean protein and a good source of necessary minerals.  It should be a part of a diabetic's healthy diet.  Having said that, let me add this; beware of ground poultry.  Read the fine print before you purchase packages of ground chicken or turkey!  They often contain skin which can really push the fat into an unhealthy level.  You don't have to avoid it, just beware of what you are buying!

GIFT JAR OF TUSCAN MARKET SOUP MIX

If you enjoy giving food gift jars as gifts or make them to sell at craft shows, etc, this is a good one for diabetics as well as the general public.

Layer the ingredients in a quart jar:

1/2 cup barley

1/2 cup split peas

1/2 cup brown rice

1/2 cup lentils

2 tbsp dried minced onion

2 tbsp dried parsley

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp beef bouillon granules

1 tsp dried cumin

1 pkg dehydrated onion soup mix

Attach recipe for TUSCAN MARKET SOUP

1 jar Tuscan Market Soup Mix

3 quarts water

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 can (28-oz) crushed tomatoes

Combine ingredients and place in a soup pot; cover. Cook over medium heat and simmer 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender.

YOGURT: GREEK VS REGULAR

I have had several ask me if they should eat regular yogurt or Greek yogurt. As with all things, there are pluses and minuses on each side. It all depends on your nutritional needs. For us diabetics, Greek is probably better but only if you go for the low-fat or fat-free versions. Greek yogurt goes through an extensive straining process that removes much of the liqud whey, lactose, and sugar. This is the process that gives it its thick consistency. In basically the same number of calories, Greek yogurt can cut the sugar content to half that of regular yogurt. This straining process also makes Greek yogurt better for the lactose-intolerent.

This chart offers you a general nutritional value of the two types:

Greek - (5.3 ounces, nonfat, plain)

Calories: 80

Total fat: 0 grams

Cholesterol: 10 milligrams

Sodium: 50 milligrams

Sugar: 6 grams

Protein: 15 grams

Calcium: 15 percent on a 2,000-calorie diet

Regular (6 ounces, nonfat, plain)

Calories: 80

Total fat: 0 grams

Cholesterol 5 milligrams

Sodium: 120 milligrams

Sugar: 12 grams

Protein: 9 grams

Calcium: 30 percent on a 2,000-calorie diet.