Hello Friends,

Sorry about that, I fell a little behind today, so for Saturday, we'll update the traditional BLT sandwich with this scrumptious stacker. The grocery deli will slice the prosciutto into very thin pieces, making three ounces of the good stuff more than enough for four sandwiches. For a zesty and pretty garnish, attach 1 small sweet gherkin pickle to the top of each sandwich with a toothpick.

Prosciutto, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwiches

• 8 (1-ounce) slices 100% whole-grain bread
• 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup baby romaine lettuce leaves
• 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
• 3 ounces very thin slices prosciutto

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil bread 2 minutes on each side or until toasted.
3. Combine mayonnaise, basil, mustard, and garlic; spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over 4 bread slices. Layer 1/4 cup lettuce and 2 tomato slices over each serving; top evenly with prosciutto and remaining bread.

A toss-together fruit salad makes a speedy side to complete your lunch.

Fruit Salad

For your fruit salad simply combine 1 teaspoon fresh lime rind, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey, and a dash of salt; drizzle over 4 cups mixed of your favorite precut fruit.

Enjoy, my Friends.

Have A Bright & Beautiful Weekend,

Phil

Hello Friends,

Here's one that I borrowed from the Sugar Free Mom, and I absolutely love it! But, then again, who doesn’t love a delicious creamy chicken salad? How about if it’s made without mayo, even better right. Now don’t get me wrong I LOVE mayo, unfortunately I LOVE mayonnaise TOO much and I really have to watch how much I use. Making it without mayo and a healthier substitute allows me to use more in this recipe than I would if made with mayo. Win, win don’t you think?

Adding some really good seasoning and a tiny amount of extra virgin olive oilreally make this a success. Having already cooked chicken breast in your freezer also makes this a pretty fast recipe. If you decide you aren’t crazy about raw peppers, place it in a scooped out tomato instead. Feel like having it in bread? Sure but make a healthy whole grain choice.

Either way, it's a real treat!

Mayo Free Cilantro Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 6 ounces cooked chicken breast, chopped
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 red or yellow peppers, tops cut off* or use large tomatoes, insides scooped out

Dressing

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, nonfat
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

In a small bowl mix your dressing ingredients together. In a large bowl add all other ingredients, combine with dressing. Add one cup of chicken salad to each pepper or tomato half. Serves 4.

Calories per serving: 149, Fat: 5, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 66mg, Carbs: 8g, Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 5g, Protein: 17g

Have A Blessed Evening,

Phil

Hi Phil,

Never herd of the The Sugar Free Mom before, but I like it. Cause I am not using sugar anymore.
This recipe you just posted looks so good. Can't wait to try it. Got to wait until my pepper gets red. yummy.

Hi Myrna,

Speaking of "Sugar" or lack thereof, I just had to mention this to you. My friends over at Miracle Noodles seem agree with you about Stevia. Just got this Article today...

What’s the best sweetener for diabetics?

Hi Phil,

For someone trying to live a low-carb life in hopes of improving diabetes, it’s imperative to pick a sweetener for your tea or coffee, favorite dessert, homemade yogurt and ice cream, iced tea or once-in-a-blue-moon soda.

Which sweetener is the best for diabetics? There are several options, including popular artificial sweetener brands like Splenda®, Sweet-N-Low®, Equal® and others which also contain synthetically-sweet additives such as aspartame, xylitol, erythritol, maltitol, sorbitol and saccharine.

Any green thumbs out there? Love to plant chrysanthemums? One herb in the family of these perennial flowering plants is perhaps the best sugar alternative for diabetics. Botanists know the plant as ‘Stevia Rebaudiana,’ but around the world,the shorter appellation ‘stevia’ has become synonymous with “natural zero-calorie sweetener.” There are about 300 species of stevia, but stevia rebaudiana has unique compounds that make this plant several times sweeter than regular sugar.

Don’t like the taste of stevia? Get over it!

Some people who have been regularly consuming white table sugar for several decades and developed a favorable palette to regular sugar find stevia either too metallic or too sweet in taste. There’s something just not right about the taste at first for some people who have tried it.

If you’d like to lose weight (especially body fat) and improve your diabetes and have tried stevia as a sugar substitute but didn’t like it the first time you tried it, consider this analogy: The first time you tried beer or wine or blue cheese, did you immediately love it? Chances are, probably not. You most likely developed
an affinity over time.

Replacing high-carb pasta with Miracle Noodle and high-starch rice (which quickly converts into sugar) with Miracle Rice are two of the biggest changes you can make if you want to drastically improve your diabetes. The other third component of the holy low-carb trinity is to use healthy sugar alternatives when baking or eating desserts or drinking your favorite beverages.

Artificial sweeteners are bad for your brain

The Miracle Noodle team believes that stevia, especially raw stevia, is among the best sweeteners for those with diabetes. Stevia will not raise your blood sugar levels nor does it contain any neurotoxins that are found in many synthetic, artificial sweeteners. To be fair to artificial sweeteners, neurotoxins are also found in nature; they are not only the result of how synthetic chemicals interact with our brain’s wiring. Snake venom, certain fungi (mushrooms), lead and other natural compounds contain neurotoxins but we usually don’t knowingly sprinkle lead or other natural neurotoxins into our morning coffee.

Our bodies are constantly at work eliminating toxins but continued use of artificial sweeteners that have neurotoxins (such as aspartame) can create a backlog. The liver can become overworked and sluggish. If you have diabetes, your liver is already overtaxed. A sluggish liver contributes to sluggish metabolism; losing weight will be difficult with an overburdened liver and colon.

So. American Plant Gone Global Won’t Create Toxic Overload

Stevia, which originally was cultivated by indigenous tribes in what is now the South American nation of Paraguay, is now being used around the globe as a safe alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. The Japanese not only discovered calorie-free shirataki noodles centuries ago, long before coming to American markets, they also have been using stevia sweetener for several decades now.

Take it from the Japanese when it comes to low-carb living. How many obese Japanese have you seen? Probably not many, besides the occasional sumo wrestler.

Stevia can be used in any dessert that features Miracle Rice so, if you want to sweeten any Miracle Noodle recipe by adding stevia. Need some recipe ideas?

Download the Miracle Noodle Recipe book for free.

To You and Yours in Health,

The Miracle Noodle Team

Hi Phil,

I am so thankful you wrote to them about Stevia. I have read it so many times on Dr Merola's site about stevia and how good it is for you and no calories, no chemicals. Dr Mercola said it is the way stevia is processed that effects the taste. I have grown it and dried it, tastes great, no odd flavor at all. Dr Mercola also had an article on other artificial sweeteners.He said people gain weight on artificial sweetener Stevia is a natural sweetener, just like honey is natural.

I have made up my mind that I am getting away from white sugar. Especially after the article Luella had just a few days ago. White processed sugar is poison for the body.

I downloaded the Miracle Recipes. Looking forward to getting some of these noodles. Grain is not good for us either. That is another thing I am working on getting out of my diet. I love multi grain bread.

I am telling people I know who has diabetes, about the Miracle Noodles.