4th of July Desserts Suitable For Diabetics

July 4 is not only the birthday of our great country, it is also a day synonymous with the 5Fs; family, friends, fun, fireworks and food. And we diabetics don't want to be cheated on the food part of the celebration! Following, I have pulled together some great recipes that are suitable for diabetics and I believe, excellent dessert ideas for your Fourth of July celebrations.

AMERICANA PARFAITS

Desserts

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh strawberries

1 small package strawberry-flavored sugar-free gelatin

3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water

ice cubes

3/4 cup frozen sugar-free whipped topping, thawed

Wash fruit and pat dry on a paper towel; set aside. Reserve 3 strawberries with leaves still attached. Reserve 6 blueberries and set aside with the 3 strawberries. Get six parfait glasses and divide the remaining fruit evenly between them. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir boiling water into gelatin. Stir at least two minutes to dissolve gelatin completely. Put cold water in a two-cup measuring cup and add ice cubes to make 1 1/4 cups. Add to the gelatin and stir until slightly thickened. Remove any remaining bits of the ice cubes. Pour out 3/4 cup of the gelatin and set aside. Pour the remaining gelatin evenly over the fruit in the six parfait glasses. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set but not firm. Using a wire whisk, stir whipped topping into the remaining gelatin until smooth. Spoon over gelatin in parfait glasses. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Before serving, top half the glasses with the reserved strawberries and half with the reserved blueberries.

OREO COOKIE DESSERT

2 small pkgs sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups low-fat milk

8-oz light cream cheese, softened

8-oz carton frozen sugar-free whipped topping, thawed

16 Oreo sugar-free cookies, broken into pieces

Mix together pudding mix and milk on low speed of electric mixer; add cream cheese and mix until well blended. Add whipped topping and mix well with a large spoon (do not use mixer). Add cookie pieces and mix in. Chill for several hours or overnight before serving.

SUNSHINE CUPS

3/4 cup boiling water

1 small pkg sugar-free orange gelatin

1/2 cup cold orange juice

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 small can mandarin oranges, rinsed and drained

Put dry gelatin into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in boiling water and still at least two minutes until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in juice and cold water. Refrigerate approximately 1 1/2 hours until thickened to the point that a spoon drawn through the mixture leaves a definite impression.

Take 3/4 cup of the thickened mixture out and set aside. Stir raspberries and orange segments into the remaining gelatin mixture. Pour into 6 serving dishes or into 1 larger bowl. Beat the reserved gelatin on high speed of electric mixer until fluffy and approximately doubled in volume. Spoon over gelatin. Refrigerate at least 3 hours until firm.

If you don't mind heating up the oven--I suggest doing this early in the day--try these apple dumplings. We all know Apple Pie is considered very American but why not show your family and friends how creative you are by changing things up a little and going with Apple Dumplings instead?

APPLE DUMPLINGS

2 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup low-fat milk

5 cups chopped apples

1 cup Equal Sugar-Lite

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut flour into shortening as if making a pie crust. Add milk. Make into a dough and roll out into a rectangle. Add Equal and cinnamon to apples and mix together. Spread apple mixture over dough. Roll up jelly-roll style and cut into slices. Place into a baking pan and pour sauce over all. Bake 1 hour.

To make sauce: Bring to boiling:

2/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup Splenda and 1 1/2 cups boiling water

NOTE: The sauce in this recipe uses 1/2 cup sugar. You can substitute 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or go with the sugar if you don't like the applesauce results. But be aware of this when fitting this recipe into your diet!

CHERRY DELIGHT

1 sugar-free angel food cake

1 pkg (8 oz) light cream cheese, softened

1 small pkg sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp Splenda

1 can lite cherry pie filling or no-sugar-added cherry pie filling

1 small carton sugar-free frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/3 cup chopped pecans, if desired for garnish

Tear cake into bite size pieces and lay on bottom of a 9x13-inch pan. Mix pudding according to package directions and refrigerate until set. Mix cream cheese, vanilla and Splenda into the pudding. Pour mixture over top of cake pieces. Spread pie filling over pudding mixture. Top with whipped topping. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the top. Refrigerate 1 hour before cutting to serve.

So whether you are diabetic or will be entertaining diabetics, try one of these easy, delicious recipes and enjoy dessert without feeling guilty or sabotaging your diet. Happy Holiday!

4th of July Desserts Suitable For Diabetics

For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com
For her other dessert recipes visit her at http://ladybugssweettreats.blogspot.com

Apple Crisp For Diabetics (Tasty For Anyone!)

If you have a diabetic among your family and/or friends, there is no need to worry about what to serve for dessert. There is also no need to make two desserts, one for the diabetic and one for everyone else. With this delicious Apple Crisp recipe, everyone can enjoy the same dessert and you won't hear one complaint. That is because this dessert doesn't taste like a "diabetic dessert". When you serve this recipe, no one will guess you just served them a diabetic crisp. If you and the diabetic don't tell, no one will ever know!

DIABETICS APPLE CRISP

Dessert

1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples (Rome recommended)

TOPPING:

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

3/4 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

To make the apple filling, combine brown sugar blend, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add apples, tossing to coat. Spoon into the prepared baking dish. Set aside.

To make topping, combine oats, flour, brown sugar blend and nuts in a bowl. Stir in butter. The mixture will be crumbly. Spoon over the apples mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the apples are bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Best when served warm.

NOTE: Yield: 9 servings at 310 calories, 38 carbs, 4 grams protein each. As with all fruits, there is the natural sugar of the apples and a high carb count. However, the oats and nuts counter balance most of that. Enjoy this dessert after a meal that has a good protein count. You would not want to serve this dessert after a pasta or vegetarian meal. And as with all desserts, it is not a good idea to over indulge!

Enjoy!

Apple Crisp For Diabetics (Tasty For Anyone!)

For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com For her vintage recipes, visit http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

Dessert for Diabetics - How To Make Good Low Carb Desserts

If you are diabetic, you may think that dessert is out of the question. But desert for diabetics exist. As you know, diabetics must limit their intake of sweet, but that does not mean you have to eliminate all sugar. You just need to make sure that you only eat sweet foods in moderation.

Eating high carbohydrate foods such as dessert should be done in the same meal protein and fiber to help balance your blood sugar. You also need to have just a small portion of sugar laden foods. Make sure that you limit the number of servings of dessert available if you are prone to eating too much sugar.

Desserts

Excellent desserts can be made from fruit. Basing your dessert recipes on fresh fruits is an excellent way to create a lower carbohydrate dessert that is still delicious in addition to being more nutritious than most other desserts available. Fruits are naturally sweet and the fiber in fruit helps to keep your blood sugar stable. Berries such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are delicious when topped with some low sugar whipped topping.

A substitute for pie can be some cooked fruit with a crumb topping. An excellent low-carb crumb topping can be made from crushed nuts. If you want more of a pastry feel, you can use low-carb Graham crackers. A high-fiber cereal can also be a good substitute for a crumb topping.

A smoothie is a great substitute for ice cream when it is made from whole fruit and ice cubes. Any fruit you like will work in a smoothie. You can also add milk for a better ice cream like feel. You can even sneak some vegetables into your smoothie by adding a carrot or even a few spinach leaves. You may want a high powered blender so that everything is as smooth as possible, but I can assure you from personal experience that a fruit and vegetable smoothie with plenty of ice is just as good as ice cream and much better for you.

An idea if you are diabetic and love chocolate, is to combine a small amount of sugar with cocoa powder and mix it with a banana for a substitute for chocolate pudding or chocolate mousse. The banana is more nutritious than any pudding you'll find, and also has fiber.

Dessert diabetics can be a challenge, but with some creativity you can adapt many regular desserts into diabetic friendly versions and be just as happy with the results.

For more information about diabetic diets, visit http://www.weightlossdiet411.com/type-2-diabetic-diet.html.

Dessert for Diabetics - How To Make Good Low Carb Desserts

Valerie has vast experience with her own weight loss journey and enjoys researching diets, supplements, and techniques that can assist in losing weight. A lifelong love of reading, writing, and research on weight loss has resulted in her site, http://www.weightlossdiet411.com, a growing resource for those seeking information on a variety of diets and dietary needs.