Once a person gets their diabetes diagnosis, there are many “do’s” when it comes to food. Well, today we want to be positive and talk about the food which is good for our blood glucose levels.
This food is underestimated, and usually, we only eat it at Thanksgiving dinner. We are talking about turkey.
Turkey is a safe food for those with diabetes since it’s lean, healthy, delicious, and versatile. The great thing about turkey is that we can easily include it in our diabetes management plan.
If someone is preparing lunch from home in order to make sure to eat healthily, the turkey will come in very handy. Why? Since they can freeze it and have extra meals at any time.
Below are 3 different creative ways to include turkey in your usual diet.
Recipe #1 – Lemon Sage Turkey
This recipe makes 12 servings.
Necessary Ingredients
- Fresh lemon juice – ¼ cup
- Grated lemon rind – 3 tablespoons
- Cracked black pepper – 1 tablespoon
- Rubbed or ground sage – 2 tablespoons
- Ground thyme – 3 tablespoons
- Cooking spray – 1
- Salt – 1 tablespoon
- Thawed, frozen or fresh turkey – from 1 to 12 pounds
- Low-sodium chicken broth – 4 cups (From 2 to 16 oz cans)
How to Prepare This Dish
First, preheat the oven to around 350 degrees F. Mix together the lemon juice, thyme, lemon rind, salt, sage, and pepper, and reserve. Take out the neck and giblets from the turkey; feel free to discard them or save them for another use.
Remove extra fat from the turkey. Starting at the neck, insert the fingers between the meat and skin and slowly separate. Then, tuck the wing tips under the turkey.
Take the already-made lemon mixture and massage it on the surface and underneath the skin. After that, add one can of the chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. On a coated rack with cooking spray arrange the turkey with its breast up.
Move the rack to the pan and put a meat thermometer on the thigh. Put it in the thickest part of the thigh at the same time making sure not to touch the bone.
Cook the turkey for 1 ½ hours. After that, put another can of chicken broth into the pan and cook it for another 1 ½ hours. The meat thermometer should say 180 degrees F.
Remove the turkey from the oven, use foil to cover it, and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to remove the skin before serving the turkey.
Nutritional Facts
- Servings – 1
- Total Carbs – 2 grams
- Calories – 265.1
- Protein – 9.2 grams
- Dietary Fiber – 0.7 grams
- Sodium – 418 grams
- Sugars – 0.5 grams
- Potassium – 85.2 mg
- Total Fat – 24.3 grams
- Unsaturated fat – 18 grams
- Saturated fat – 6.3. grams
Recipe #2 – Southwestern Turkey Burger
As a gluten-free, low-carb meal serve turkey burgers in lettuce.
Necessary Ingredients
- Ground turkey – 12 ounces
- Ground cumin – ½ teaspoon
- Green lettuce – 4 leaves
- Garlic powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Canola oil spray – 1 tsp.
- Sliced tomato – ½
- Medium avocado – ½ in 6 slices
- Sour cream – 2 tablespoons – optional
How to Prepare This Dish
First, preheat the oven to around 350 degrees F. After that in a bowl combine the garlic, cumin, and turkey. Make sure to mix all ingredients well.
Make two patties. Take a non-stick skillet and heat it over medium heat. Then, mist the sides of the burger with the canola oil spray. Take the skillet and cook it for 3 to ½ minutes. Then, transfer the burger to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until it’s ready.
After 5 minutes, remove it from the oven and let it cool down for a couple of minutes. Then, put each burger on one leaf of lettuce and top it with one tablespoon of sour cream, tomato, and 3 slices of avocado. On top put the remaining slices of the lettuce.
Nutritional Facts
- Servings – 2
- Total fat – 25 grams
- Calories – 384
- Protein – 35 grams
- Saturated fat – 6 grams
- Sugars – 1 gram
- Fiber – 4 grams
- Carbs – 6 grams
- Sodium – 111 mg
Recipe #3 – Grilled Turkey Breast with Mozzarella and Basil
Necessary Ingredients
- Cayenne pepper – 1/8 teaspoon
- Turkey breast – 1 package
- Minced garlic – 1 big clove
- Mozzarella cheese – 4 slices
- Olive oil for coating
- Salted butter – ¼ cup
- Freshly ground pepper
- Salt
- Fresh basil leaves – 1 small bunch
How to Prepare This Dish
First, prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct heat grilling. Also, oil the grill rack.
Then, start preparing the turkey. When it comes to food first, butterfly the package of turkey breast with the help of a sharp, long, and thin knife.
Cut the turkey breast horizontally into its thickest part; it should look like an open book. Cut it in half, so one split of the turkey breast is enough for 2 portions.
Open the tenderloin to appear like a book and put it in between plastic wraps. With the help of a meat mallet, pound the turkey breast lightly in order to even out its thickness.
After removing the top plastic wrap, add one slice of cheese and a couple of basil leaves to one part of the chicken breast. Sprinkle it with pepper and salt and fold or roll it in half.
Coat it with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle it again with a small amount of pepper and salt. In a bowl, add the remaining three ingredients, take a fork and mix them together.
Form a log-in waxed pepper and let it in the fridge until it’s ready for use. Grill the turkey breasts for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or grill the turkey breasts until they are ready. Top each breast with garlic butter. Serve and enjoy.
Nutritional Facts
- Servings – 4
- Protein – 42 grams
- Calories – 350
- Carbs – 1 gram
- Sodium – 200 mg
- Total Fat – 18 grams
- Cholesterol – 146 mg
- Saturated Fat – 12 grams
These recipes above mentioned are a creative way to include turkey in our diet and make a healthy change once in a while. Eating different healthy meals lowers the possibility to reach for unhealthy food which will be bad for our blood glucose levels.
