Study shows that eating breakfast every day lowers your risk of Type 2 Diabetes

This is an excerpt from the article The surprising danger of skipping breakfast, from Women's Health.

You know that breakfast has plenty of benefits: It boosts your energy, curbs your midday cravings, and helps keep you at a healthy weight. But if you’re still skipping the first meal of the day, there’s another perk you’re passing up: Missing even one breakfast each week increases your risk of type 2 diabetes by 20 percent, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers from the Harvard University School of Public Health analyzed the eating habits and health outcomes of 46,289 women over the course of six years. At the end of the study, they found that women who skipped breakfast here and there had a 20 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than those who ate it on a daily basis. The risk is even higher for full-time working women who missed their morning meal sometimes: 54 percent. The importance of a daily breakfast held up after the researchers adjusted the results to account for the effects of age, BMI, carbohydrate consumption, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and working status.

Want a healthy breakfast option that you can eat on the run -- but that also tastes good? The photo above is from my low carb, sugar-free Pumpkin Pecan Muffins recipe. (Which is also gluten-free if you leave out the minimal flour.) Make them ahead of time, then pop one or two in the microwave in the morning.

Read the full article.

60-Second Strawberry "Shortcake"

We'll get to this easy peasy snack how-to in a minute, but first, let's talk strawberry shortcake.

If you think of strawberry shortcake as Twinkie-like spongecake topped with super-red strawberries in a goopy glaze, then I'm sorry, my friend, but you have been misled.

Imagine warm, fresh from the oven, slightly-sweet/slightly-salty biscuits: think scones. Perfectly crunchy on the outside, broken open so that the tender, steamy shortcake inside can soak up the sweet sauce that results from macerating berries in sugar for an hour or so. Drizzle over that a little half & half -- just enough to moisten the biscuits a bit more -- then top it with a generous blob or two of vanilla whipped cream! Mmm... the contrast of salty and sweet, crunchy and creamy. Seriously!

I live a pretty low-carb life, but this is the one food that I will never pass up, and will eat till the strawberries are all gone, or my stomach hurts, whichever comes first! Oh, who am I kidding?! If there are still strawberries and shortcake, I'll keep eating!

And for that very reason, I don't make it too often. 

But the other day, I had some lovely strawberries on hand -- just a few -- and was trying to figure out how I could make a satisfying snack out of them. Then, inspiration!

I had a few whole-wheat crackers on hand. Store-brand Wheat Thins, if you must know. That will stand in nicely for the shortcake, I thought. And some vanilla yogurt in the fridge. A dollop of that on a cracker, and a slice of strawberry on top. How easy is that?! And pretty healthy, really.

But easy and healthy are no good if it doesn't taste good. This does! The crunchiness of the cracker simulates the shortbread crust and flavor; the vanilla yogurt is a pretty good stand-in for its more fat-laden cousin.

It's also good with a sweetened cream cheese spread -- though that knocks the health factor down a notch.

Sure, in a head-to-head battle with real strawberry shortcake, it comes up short. (Ha! Sorry!) But for a 60-second snack, it'll do just fine. Just fine! And with a lot less guilt.

Recipe review: Key Lime Laraballs

Call them nut balls, energy bites, or no-bake cookies. No matter what you call them, I love 'em! First of all because I LOVE the flavor, but also because they are a totally guilt-free treat!

Let's just list all the things these have going for them:

• Quick and easy to make; no bake.
• Raw, vegan, gluten free.
• I'm not a paleo expert, but I think these might be paleo-friendly, too.

They are very dominantly lime-flavored. If you don't love lime or you're a wimp when it comes to sour things, you might want to make mix it up it as-is, then taste before you start rolling the dough into balls. I'm glad I did, because since I was using unsweetened coconut, and I had to add a little extra dates and a splash of vanilla to sweeten it up a bit.

Try them! YUM!

Here's the original recipe, from peasandcrayons: Key Lime Larabars.

And here are my tweaks:

1/2 cup chopped dates (pre-chopped; coated w/ dextrose)
1/4 cup raw, unsalted almonds

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (+ extra for coating)
1-2 Tablespoons raw, unsalted walnuts
2-3 Tablespoons  fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon real maple syrup

1 splash vanilla extract

Combine in food processor till it starts sticking together. You may need to stop a scrape things down a couple times. Taste and add more dates and/or syrup as needed. 

Put mixture in a small bowl and chill in the fridge for about five minutes. Remove, roll into balls, and roll the balls in shredded coconut. Place in a closed or plastic-wrapped container and store in the fridge.

Quick and easy avocado salad: the perfect last-minute potluck food

This is a repost, but it's worth it. This is the recipe I turn to every summer when tomatoes are ripe, and I need a quick, easy side dish. Also, my version has evolved, both in ingredients and method, so I'm including my up-to-date version in this post.

Looking for a quick, easy dish to take to a Fourth of July party today? This is it! You can whip it up in about 10 minutes, and although it might taste better if it sits for a bit, you can serve it right away. And because it has no mayo, you don't need to worry about it sitting at room temp for a few hours. Perfect for a potluck, barbeque or picnic! Plus, it's just chock full of healthy stuff, and has no sugar in the dressing! Just a minimal bit of honey -- which you could leave out, if you want.

The original recipe is from Ina Garten, although she calls it "Guacamole Salad".

I do make a few minor tweaks. Being the spice wimp I am, I leave out the jalapeno and cut back on the cayenne. But I also add in some chopped cilantro, and as I said, I've altered the method.

Avocado Salad

    2 limes

    1/2 t. honey

    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    1 clove garlic, minced

    1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

    1/4 cup good olive oil

---

    1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (or 1 lb. large tomatoes, chopped*)

    1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/4-inch diced

    1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

    1/2 cup diced red onion  

---

    2 (or more) ripe Hass avocados,  diced at the last minute

    chopped cilantro, to taste

    additional salt and pepper, to taste, if needed

Grate the zest of the two limes (just the green part!) into the large bowl you'll be using for your salad; set aside. 

Juice the limes and measure 1/4 cup of the juice. In a small bowl, whisk together the measured lime juice, honey, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper; then add the olive oil and set aside.

Place the tomatoes*, yellow pepper, black beans, and red onion into the large bowl with the lime zest. Re-whisk the dressing and pour it over the vegetables. Toss well, and store till ready to serve. Keep at room temp if you will be serving within an hour or so; refrigerate for longer storage. If refrigerating, remove about 30 minutes before serving time.

Just before you're ready to serve the salad, dice the avocados and chop the cilantro, and fold them both into the salad. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

*If using large tomatoes rather than grape tomatoes, don't include them at the beginning; add them with the avocado. You may chop the tomatoes ahead of time and store at room temperature.