Festive Feasting: 4 healthy recipes for a diabetes-friendly holiday table
Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Festive Feasting: 4 healthy recipes for a diabetes-friendly holiday table

While the holidays are about so much more than eating, there’s no denying that food plays a major part in every gathering. For people with diabetes, navigating the table can be challenging and, at times, frustrating. Nobody likes to feel like they’re missing out on the good stuff.

Fortunately, there are options for crafting holiday staples that are full of flavor and won’t play games with your numbers. Here are just a few recipes you can use to plan a feast that will bring joy to your table and keep your sugar levels in check.

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Serves 6

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon sage

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 6-7 pound turkey breast

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle setting and preheat oven to 325° F.
  2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl and mix make a wet rub. 
  3. Place turkey breast in roasting pan and apply rub evenly over both sides of the breast.
  4. Bake for 1.5 hours or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
  5. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Cranberry-Mandarin Orange Relish

Serves 6

1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries

1 8-ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoon sugar

  1. Chop cranberries by hand or use food processor. 
  2. Place in a medium-sized bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Stir to mix well and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld. 

Cauliflower Mash

Serves 6

2 medium head of fresh cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets

6 ounces of cream cheese

½ cup skim milk

Dash of black pepper

½ cup chopped chives or scallions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil water. 
  2. Add cauliflower florets and boil until fork-tender, roughly 10 minutes.
  3. Drain cauliflower and press out all extra water. Don’t worry about crushing it as you’ll be mashing it in the next step.
  4. Return drained cauliflower to the pot and mash with potato masher. 
  5. Stir in cream cheese, milk and black pepper.
  6. Fold in chives or scallions and blend to distribute the greens evenly.

Apple Crisp

Serves 6

6-8 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced

3 cups frozen Hubbard squash drained

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 egg

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup brown sugar

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Lightly coat an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
  3. Place prepared apples in an even layer across the bottom of the pan.
  4. Drizzle apples with honey.
  5. Place remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use a hand blender to whip to a soft, even consistency. This can also be done in a food processor.
  6. Spread mixture over apples.
  7. Bake for 35 minutes and serve warm.

For more diabetes-friendly holiday recipes, visit the Diabetes Food Hub sponsored by the American Diabetes Association.

Kristin Irace, RD, LDN, is a registered dietitian in in-patient, renal dialysis, oncology, and cardiac rehab services at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

 

 

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SVMC Creates Virtual Waiting Room to Encourage Distancing

BENNINGTON, VT—May 29, 2020—Starting Monday, many people who need in-person appointments at Southwestern Vermont Health Care's (SVHC) hospital and clinics will no longer need to use traditional waiting rooms. A virtual system created by the hospital allows patients to call 802-447-5000 when they arrive in the parking lot and receive a text message when their provider is ready to see them.

SVMC's outpatient and inpatient surgeries and diagnostic services, like those for imaging and laboratory work, have resumed with enhanced safety protocols per the directive of Governor Phil Scott. The health system's emergency department, ExpressCare, emergency surgical services, and most of its primary and specialty practices remained open during the pandemic.

"SVHC has provided safe, high-quality care throughout the pandemic." Said Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) president and CEO. "Innovation has been an important part of providing care during these extraordinary times and this new program decreases the number of people in our waiting rooms and allows them to stay the recommended 6 feet apart or more."

In order to use the virtual waiting room, patients must be able to wait in their vehicle and have a charged cell phone with them. They will receive the virtual waiting room telephone number during their appointment-reminder telephone call. Signs outside the building and at the respiratory check-in stations inside the main hospital and medical office building entrances will also include the number to call.

Patients simply call the number when they arrive in the parking lot and wait in their cars. When the provider is ready to see them, they will receive a text message alert to indicate that they should come in.

"We love that we can use the same technology that most people carry with them to help people stay socially distanced," said Gail Balch, RN, who directs information technology at SVMC. "It's through innovations like this one that we are able to resume services safely and ensure patients receive the care they need."

Hospital and clinic staff anticipate that the new program will allow greater distance between people who must use traditional waiting rooms, including those who walked or took public transportation to their appointment and those who do not have a cell phone.

Additional safety protocols indicate that all patients should arrive to the hospital or clinic with their own cloth face covering. Face coverings must be worn over the mouth and nose for the entire duration of patients' visits. Patients should also come alone, unless they absolutely need assistance from a loved one.

For questions about how to resume or initiate elective care, call your primary care provider or the specialist directly. For a list of providers, visit svhealthcare.org/physician-directory.

Patients with cough or shortness of breath or any two of the following—fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell—should contact their primary care provider or the COVID-19 Informational Hotline at 802-440-8844 before arriving to either their provider’s office or the hospital. For a detailed list of safety protocols, frequently asked questions, visitor guidelines, and COVID-19 information, visit svhealthcare.org.

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