No that's not French or even Southern "slang", it's the brand name of my favorite waffles!  

Now, I'm not one for sweets early in the morning, but sometimes toast gets, well let's say, a bit "stale". I mostly have given up my morning cereal routine for egg, and eggs just need waffles! 

Now, what I do like is variety and de Wafelbakkers has the right idea.  De Waflebakkers waffles, pancakes and french toast come in several different mouthwatering varieties including, blueberry, apple flaxseed, whole grain oat bran spelt, sweet potato cinnamon, and whole wheat cinnamon.  

And the best part they are healthy and a 1/2 serving is within my carb budget! Yummmm....

Three waffles is a serving, which means I can have 1 or 1 1/2 waffles, got to reserve a few carbs the topping.  Topping, you ask, range from nut butters, to apples and blueberries and walnuts to a drizzle of agave nectar. I just pop them in the toaster or under the broiler for just a few seconds and breakfast is served!

Here's the nutritional info for 3 sweet potato waffles: 190 calories, 9 grams of fat, 24 carbs, 3 grams fiber, 10 grams sugar, and 3 grams of protein.  The oat bran and apple flaxseed both have 4 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. High fiber means you're longer satiety for us, de wafel-eatters.  

These waffles are made with whole wheat flour, and whole grain spelt.  

De Wafelbakkers waffles can be found at Fresh Market Foods in the frozen section.

So rise and shine, life is sweeter than ever, thanks to De Wafelbakkers...and we have many more "meals" to go!

One thing, at least, has come out of my hypoglycemic research.  I've also been trying to switch to a more natural unrefined or processed chemical sweetner that doesn't raise my blood sugar levels and at the same time is a healthy alternative to cane sugar.

I have tried honey and molasses which are natural, they do raise blood sugar levels, but I use them sparingly and rarely. My main use for sweetners is for tea and coffee. I do drink a lot of tea and although I'm trying to cut down on the sweetness, I would like to find a safe product. 

No one seems to agree on the safety of artificial sweetners, and also there are some concerns about Agave. One source says that raw organic agave is better or less refined, which changes it's properties.  I'll have to do more research.  

But in my search i did come across Sweet Tree products. Although I haven't found coconut sugar locally, I did find a similar product from Sweet Tree, called Palm Sugar.

Palm Sugar is made from the nector of the palm tree and coconut sugar is made from the coconut tree, both begin made from the sap of the flower buds.

 You may also see palm sugar sold as “coconut sugar,” which can be a bit confusing, since coconut fruits themselves are not actually involved. It is also sometimes marketed as “palm honey."   

Here's the scoop: "SweetTree Organic Coconut Sugar is a 100% organic, minimally processed, unfiltered, and unbleached natural sweetener. And contains no preservatives.

SweetTree organic coconut sugar is naturally low on the Glycemic Index (GI), which has benefits for weight control and improving glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2).  SweetTree is rated at a GI-35.  By comparison, most commercial agaves are GI-42, honeys are GI-55 and cane sugars are GI-68.

Coconut sugar produces a slow energy release, which sustains the human body through your daily activities without regular sugar “highs” and “lows”.  The major component of SweetTree organic coconut sugar is sucrose (70-79%) followed by glucose and fructose (3-9%) each.  Minor variations will occur, due to differences in primary processing, raw material source, tree age and variety of coconut.  Agave syrup, another popular alternative sweetener, is primarily made of fructose making it a high fructose syrup, similar to high fructose corn syrup.  Many studies have been conducted on sucrose vs. fructose and we suggest you educate yourself to discover which best suits your personal dietary wants and/or needs.

Coconut sugar has a nutritional content far richer than all other commercially available sweeteners.  SweetTree is especially high in Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc and Iron and is a natural source of the vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and C.

* Please note that some palm sugar on the market, in particular coconut palm sugar from Thailand, is also mixed with cane sugar and other malt-based ingredients… which isn’t a bad thing if you don’t mind or don't worry about insulin levels.   SweetTree is PURE coconut palm sugar.  No cane sugar added.  No chemical inputs.  Just pure, unadulterated palm sugar made from 100% coconut nectar from Coco Nucifera. "

The glycemic index is based on a scale of high and low with 50 and below being low.  This is not the glycemia load which is based on a scale of 1-20 and has more to do with food combinations.  This product does have calories, measured spoon for spoon like cane sugar, Sweet Tree Palm sugar as 15 calories per teaspoon.  4 carbs and and 3grams of sugar. But because it has a slower release, it doesn't affect your blood sugar.  Right now that is the most important thing for me. Once I get my blood sugars under control I can work off the extra few calories.

Locally, Sweet Tree organic palm sugar can be found at Tital Creek Co-op.  I'm playing the guinea pig, I'll let you know how it goes. 

 Spring is in full bloom.  All that warm weather calls for extra activity.  With all that extra activity you'll need lots of energy. Where do you get extra energy... Spinach is a good source...

Spinach is high in iron...but did you know that iron is an integral component of hemoglobin? Hemoglobin transports oxygen from your lungs to your body's cells and is also key in energy production and metabolism. Don't know about you, but I vote for oxygen! 

Iron promotes heart health, brain health, vision health and is an excellent source of folic acid and B vitamins. It supplies minerals that are essential in keeping blood pressure balanced and researches have identified over 13 compounds in spinach that function as antioxidant that prevent cancer cell replication.

Spinach supplies our body with bone-building calcium, muscle-building protein, inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acids, and contains sleep promoting tryptophan.

Spinach contains a powerhouse of nutrition for health and weight control. Weight loss surgery is not just about losing weight, but about regaining our health so...

Be sure to remove the stems, which can be stringy and hard to digest.  

This week I've been adding spinach to everything from breakfast omelets in the morning to stuffed chicken at dinner.  So as things greening up outside, green up inside with spinach...

Without pickles, life just wouldn't be the same.  And that goes for canned tuna...It is just the perfect match for pickles.

Early in the process, after my surgery, I got this thing for pickles and tuna. I though I had eaten enough tuna in my dieting career to last a life time, but there it was again...tuna and pickles. 

Pickles have become a staple for me and yeah you guessed it...I'm going to tell you more than you wanted to know about pickles.  So here goes...my love affair with pickles...

Pickles aren't just for condiments:  They make a good snack and believe it or not, this little non-calorie version of the cucumber is full of more than just water.  Pickles are a good source of vitamin A, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and antioxidants. 

The recommendation by most health professionals is to eat five servings of vegetables and fruit each day. Eating pickles is a great way to get a daily serving or two of your five-a-day! Yep...it's a vegetable!

The spices with which pickles are made are healthy additions such as dill and garlic, which have the ability to regulate bacterial growth. Dill and other spices also contain flavonoids, which is a healing addition to your diet. Mustard seeds are known to be good for digesting foods and even turmeric powder has medicinal properties and is believed to lower rates of Alzheimer's disease. All right!

Fermented pickles also have good bacteria that can control harmful intestinal microbes. When pickles are fermented, lactic acid is created. This acid helps to lower fat in the bloodstream, improve circulation, and lower high blood pressure.  This also brings health to your digestive system, reintroduces good bacteria into the intestines, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, and is beneficial for diabetics. In fact, one study even found that eating fermented products regularly contributed to lower rates of skin problems, asthma, and auto-immune disorders.

My Grandmother used to say a bath could cure anything, and so it is with pickles,  These little green beauties are swimming in a healthy vinegar bath.  This healthy liquid bath has several positive properties.. Vinegar cleans more than windows...Vinegar is known to boost the immune systems, ease digestive disorders, and can break down calcium deposits in a person's joints. In addition, vinegar is known to decrease high blood pressure, and help treat urinary infections. It is even said to re-mineralize your bones, balance your blood pH, and fight infection. Vinegar is an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It inhibits the growth of the E.coli bacteria, and when used in conjunction with salt, which is common in pickling, the anti-bacterial properties are amplified.

Another common item used for pickling is apple cider vinegar. It has several additional health benefits as well. Not only does it contain several minerals, thirty-plus nutrients, and pectin, which is good for your heart, it also contains several essential amino acids, all of which are a great addition to your diet.

My favorite pickles are the Mt Olive Splenda Bread and Butter pickles.  And for an extra spicy kick, I enjoy Wickles brand pickles, they are "wickedly delicious".  Maybe vinegar is another reason I like pickles, I have been known to drink it...ok...just a little!  

So...go ahead and have a pickle...or two...it's good for ya! It's a "yes" food....Yes, you can...

Green beans are not just about going green, but this long slender green-a-licious veggie has a lot of green going on. 

Green beans just happen to be one of my staple foods, and have been for a long time. However, lately they seem to be the ticket to managing my blood sugar. Why? Several reasons:

First, I like them.  But not just any ole green bean will do. I prefer the frozen ones and the thinner the better. My favorites are the French variety. Not French cut, but French beans! I don't like them in a can, or cut.  However, I do like them "minced" or chopped into little pieces.  Go figure!

I like them steamed in the skillet, just until they are slightly al-dente. They should be firm, not limp or soggy, but not taste "green".  I also love them chopped and topped with cucumber and vinegar!

I also like them because they have just the right amount of carbs for me if I pair them with another low carb veggie, my favorite, sun-dried tomatoes! Green beans are a great addition to any meal. You can spice them up a bit by adding a little caramelized onion, or garlic, or almonds, or pecans...get creative!

Also green beans have lots of fiber and they make you feel fuller and what can I say...I just like them!

Here are a few healthy fact about green beans...just in case you ever need to know...

Health benefits of Green beans

• Fresh green beans are very low in calories (31 kcal per 100 g of raw beans) and contain no saturated fat; but are very good source of vitamins, minerals and plant derived micro-nutrients. Which basically means, they're good for you.

• They are very rich source of dietary fiber (9% per100g RDA) which acts as bulk laxative that helps to protect the mucous membrane of the colon by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon. Dietary fiber has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing re-absorption of cholesterol binding bile acids in the colon.

• Green beans contain excellent levels of vitamin A, and many health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin and beta carotene in good amounts. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process. Oxygen is good!

• Zea xanthin, an important dietary carotenoid in the beans, selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea in the eyes where it thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions. Therefore, it is helpful in preventing age related macular disease (ARMD) of the eyes in old age.

• Fresh snap beans are good source of folates. Folates diet during preconception periods and during pregnancy helps prevent from neural-tube defects in the  offsprings.

• It is also contain good amounts of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin (vitamin B-1), vitamin-C. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals.

• Green Beans , while very low in calories, are an excellent source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, riboflavin, magnesium, calcium, protein and Omega 3 fatty acids. Vitamin K provided is important for maintaining strong bones and is known to maintain proper bone density and coagulate blood.

• They also contain good amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and potassium which are very essential for body metabolism. Manganese is a co-factor for the enzyme superoxide dismutase, which is a very powerful free radical scavenger. Potassium is important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. I'll vote for heart rate and metabolism for sure!

  Yes, we can, we have many more "meals" to go!