Living with diabetes is difficult enough without having to come up with fresh meal ideas to keep dining boredom at bay. Linda Gassenheimer bills her new book, Mix ‘n Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes as “a no-brainer solution to meal preparation” and this book lives up to that description.
Gassenheimer is a radio host, syndicated food columnist and author of several cookbooks. She specializes in developing recipes that are quick, healthy and won’t break the bank. Mix ‘n Match is conveniently organized into breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals with a thorough index in the back. All recipes feature diabetic food exchanges as well as information on calories, fat, sodium and carbs. Each recipe also offers helpful cooking hints, suggestions for side dishes, and shopping lists for meals that involve more than three or four ingredients.
Perhaps the most useful feature of Mix ‘n Match is the “Month of Meals” Gassenheimer has assembled into a handy chart at the beginning of the book. She even arranged for recipes that take longer to make to fall on weekends and quicker meals for the middle of the week. Each recipe is designed to serve two people but can be easily doubled or tripled to accommodate more diners.
Gassenheimer excels at putting a unique twist on standard meals that are delicious and satisfying. Instead of plain scrambled eggs for breakfast, she suggests making an omelet with Gorgonzola cheese and a pinch of cayenne pepper. A plain turkey sandwich becomes a quick turkey wrap served with a side of tangerines. Gassenheimer has a gift for assembling common ingredients in exciting ways.
Mix ‘n Match offers dinner recipes that will appeal to any diner, diabetic or not. Meals like Baked Shrimp take less than 15 minutes to make but taste like a quality restaurant meal. Ethnic dishes like Chinese Chicken with Cashews, Mediterranean Meatloaf and Middle Eastern Meatballs prove that Gassenheimer took a universal approach in creating healthy meals that please the taste buds yet offer originality and creativity.
Mix ‘n Match has been guaranteed by the American Diabetes Association and approved by leading dieticians to ensure that it offers correct portion sizes and complete nutritional information. Mealtime doesn’t have to be a stressful time for diabetics since following the grocery lists, recipes and meal plans really is a “no-brainer.” Furthermore, Gassenheimer proves that diabetic meals don’t have to be boring but rather are something to be enjoyed from initial preparation to right down to the best part – eating.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Sounds useful and interesting!
Now between insulin shots, diabetic sufferers can devour their gorgonzola-filled meatballs with Chinese cashews:)
2 - Justene
Most diabetics in the US aren't insulin-dependent.
I like the idea of shopping lists in the book.,