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Healthy Eating With Diabetes: Your Menu Plan

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Sample Daily Menu Options continued...

Bean-based lunch such as:

  • Bean burrito
  • Hummus with whole grain bread or veggie dippers
  • Chili with lean meat or vegetarian, or stew featuring beans

Entrée salad made with:

  • Dark green lettuce
  • Lots of vegetables
  • Lean meat or fish or beans or cheese plus avocado and nuts if desired
  • Dressing made with extra virgin olive oil or canola oil or yogurt.

Dinner

High-fiber carb choices:

  • Cooked grains like brown rice, quinoa, barley, bulgur, amaranth, etc.
  • Whole wheat breads -- tortilla, pita, buns, etc.
  • Colorful vegetables on the side or with the entrée
  • Dark green lettuce for side or dinner salad
  • Fresh fruit on the side or with the entrée

Lean protein (low in saturated fat):

  • Grilled or baked fish, by itself or in a mixed dish such as tacos
  • Skinless poultry -- grilled, baked or stir-fried
  • Lean beef or pork -- sirloin, tenderloin -- with no visible fat
  • Part skim cheese in entrees such as eggplant parmesan, vegetarian pizza on whole wheat crust, vegetable lasagna, enchiladas, etc.

Smart fats:

  • Extra virgin olive oil or canola used in sensible amounts to cook the above
  • Nuts added to entrée or side dishes
  • Avocado or olives with entrée or side dishes

Sample Recipes

Homemade Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich

To add a couple servings of higher-fiber and nutrient-rich whole grains, serve the chicken salad on 2 slices of 100% whole grain bread or in a whole wheat pita pocket. You can even make a wrap sandwich using a whole wheat flour tortilla.

3 cups shredded roasted or rotisserie chicken, without skin

1 cup red grapes cut in half

2/3 cup finely chopped celery

1/3 cup sliced almonds, honey roasted or plain roasted

Dressing:

1/2 cup lowfat or light mayonnaise (or nonfat Greek plain yogurt)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish (optional):

8 leaves romaine lettuce

8 slices of tomato

  1. In medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, grapes, celery, and almonds.
  2. In small bowl, combine dressing ingredients (light mayonnaise, honey, mustard, and pepper with whisk or spoon until smooth and blended. Drizzle dressing over the chicken and grape mixture and stir to blend.
  3. Spoon chicken mixture onto bread of choice to make at least 4 sandwiches, garnish with lettuce and tomato if desired and serve!

Makes at least 4 sandwiches.

Per serving, including bread (if 4 per recipe): 500 calories, 42 g protein, 51 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat, 2.6 g saturated fat, 6 g monounsaturated fat, 5 g polyunsaturated fat, 96 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 764 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 25 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .4 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = 4.5 grams.

Spinach & Mushroom Bagel Pizza

Compared to a personal pan pizza at a popular pizza chain, a serving of these spinach & mushroom bagel pizzas has about half of the calories, fat, and sodium and two-thirds less saturated fat and cholesterol and three times the fiber.