15 Summer Recipes for Your Diabetic Diet Plan

Summer’s here, and with it come the treats: Trips for post-Little League ice cream, popsicles on the beach, funnel cakes at the fair, and that gelatin salad thing someone always brings to the barbecue. Often times, there are lack of diabetic recipes to enjoy in your favorite season and keep you on track with your plan.

These 15 diabetic recipes will help you enjoy the warm weather flavors you love while keeping your blood sugar steady and your weight loss on track.

1. Breakfast Quesadilla with Broccoli and Cheddar >

To kick off our list of diabetic recipes, we have a breakfast classic. You don’t have to wait for happy hour to enjoy the melty deliciousness of a quesadilla. With this simple recipe, you simply sauté some spinach and broccoli florets, scramble with egg whites, and then use the same pan to melt those ingredients with cheese in your tortilla for a gooey, stretchy meal that’s ready before you head out to conquer the day. And with one of your daily PowerFuels and 1.5 vegetable servings, it’s got protein and fiber that will help keep your blood sugar stable so you don’t crash (or get hangry) before lunch.

2. Tomato Basil Frittata: Instant Pot Recipe >

This isn’t your typical scrambled egg: Add some fresh, bright flavors into your morning meal all week long with the addition of tomato and basil in the eight servings of this fluffy, air-light frittata. And making it couldn’t be easier. Using the magic of the Instant Pot’s safe pressure cooking technology, you don’t have to watch a pan. Just pour the ingredients into a heat-proof bowl and press a button on the Instant Pot. While you get ready for your day, the machine will cook the frittata perfectly in just 20 minutes, giving you eight servings of this tasty, filling breakfast to share—or to keep in the fridge for grab-and-go morning meals all week.

3. Sweet Potato Hash Power Bowl > 

Did someone mention sweet potato hash?! And it’s one of our faves on our list of diabetic recipes. If you like a diner skillet, with runny egg coating vegetables and potatoes, you’ll love this homemade version. Combining sweet potato, onion, pepper and seasonings like chili powder and garlic powder makes a flavor-packed base that will fuel your morning with fiber and vegetable nutrition. Top it with a fried egg and avocado slices for protein and healthy fats to keep you full, and creamy flavor to tie it all together. You may not think of sweet potato as breakfast food—but this bowl has the power to change your mind … and power you straight through until lunch.

20 More Recipes for the BBQ

Read More

4. Roasted Red Pepper & Turkey Pinwheel Wraps >

Food is more delicious when it doesn’t just taste good, but looks great, too. And it can be healthier, too: Eating a rainbow of colorful foods is a great way to make sure your meals are packed with nutrients that your body needs to thrive. These pinwheel wraps check all three boxes: They’re popping with red and green colors from peppers and spinach. The simple-to-master pinwheel design makes them pretty enough to share at a barbecue or party. And, of course, they’re delicious: Creamy hummus helps bring together the veggie flavors with sliced turkey for a wrap that’s hard to resist. And at just 294 calories per serving, you won’t have to try to resist these tempting twirls.

5. Grapefruit Avocado Toast >

Avocado toast is a hit thanks to the creamy hit of that green wonder—and the healthy fats in avocado make it great for your weight loss goals, too. In one study published in Nutrition Journal, participants who ate avocado with a meal were less hungry over the three to five hours following the meal than other participants who went avo-free. Try topping it with grapefruit for a sweet, tart twist that’s a breakfast classic. At just 229 calories, this belly- and blood sugar-friendly toast is the kickstart you’ve been waiting for.

6. Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwich >

More avocado? Who could say no? This ingenious recipe swaps mayo in your normal chicken salad recipe for avocado—creating the same creamy texture you love, but with healthy, monounsaturated fats from the fruit replacing saturated fat. And according to Science Daily, that simple swap could be the key to dropping fat around your middle: Monounsaturated fats, like those found in nuts, seeds, olive oil and avocado have been found to help dieters lose belly fat.

7. Skinny Cheese Steak Sandwich >

Just by swapping in some lower-fat cheese and lean flank steak, you can have all the flavor of this Philly classic without all the calories. This sandwich isn’t “diet food.” It’s the real deal: Soft roll, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and peppers, and gooey cheese on tasty steak. And it’s all just 292 calories, counting as one SmartCarb, two PowerFuels and one Vegetable on your Nutrisystem D program. Make some to share, and you’ll be feeling the Brotherly Love.

How to Trim Hundreds of Empty Calories: Summer Edition

Read More

8. Pineapple Chicken Kebabs >

What says summer more than pineapple? How about pineapple that’s been made even sweeter by the fire of your backyard grill? These kebabs are a no-brainer to make: Just skewer onion, bell pepper, pineapple chunks and cubed chicken breast onto skewers, brush the veggies and meat with barbecue sauce, and grill. In a little less than 15 minutes, you’ve got a feast for the eyes and for your sweet tooth. And we do mean “feast”: Three skewers counts as one serving.

9. 10-Minute Shrimp Fajitas > 

Sizzling shrimp fajitas aren’t just for a night on the town—at just 10 minutes to prepare, these delicious, fajita-wrapped favorites can be your go-to weeknight meal. Spiced with cumin and onion powder, those little crustaceans are bursting with flavor, and all those veggies—three kinds of peppers, onions, cilantro garnish—are a slightly-sweet, filling kick that takes this dish from delicious to divine. And, a reminder: They’re ready in just 10 minutes! Whether you’re short on time or not, these should be on your short list for dinner tonight and may very well become a regular on your list of diabetic recipes.

10. Brussels Sprouts Skewers with Mustard Marinade >

These are Brussels sprouts that are fun to eat: Speared on a skewer, those tiny cabbages are a delight to pop off and munch. Grilling makes them crunchy, but it’s the marinade that really brings the heat: A simple mix of spicy brown mustard and olive oil coats those little green gems in flavor that is a perfect complement for your backyard barbecue favorites. Of course, you’re getting vegetable nutrition you need, and filling fiber that can help calm your cravings for some of the cookout’s richer, calorie-dense fare. But with the fun of grabbing them off the skewers, they’re a side that your guests will be happy you’re sharing and another delicious go-to on our list of diabetic recipes.

11. Oven Roasted Tomatoes >

If you’re sick of salad, these grape tomatoes are the cure. Simply by tossing them with olive oil and garlic before popping in the oven for 30 minutes, you’ve prepared a refreshing, slightly-sweet vegetable side that is a perfect, summery side when topped with thinly-sliced basil. The recipe makes six servings—but you may not want to share. And at just 42 calories per serving, you can pile them high while staying on plan.

Ready, Set, Summer! 5 Healthy Goals to Add to Your Warm Weather Bucket List

Read More

12. Honey Balsamic Glazed Carrots >

These sweet carrots are one of our favorite diabetic recipes for the season. When you think of cooked carrots, you might imagine mush. Just the thought of overcooked or canned carrots chunks or “coins” can be enough to make many people shudder at the memory of forcing them down at family dinner. These carrots are different: Baking them brings out sweetness from those orange spears which is amped up even more by the sticky, delicious honey balsamic glaze. Enjoy them as a brightly-colored, low-calorie side, or as a snack that improves on the tried-and-true carrot stick.

13. Skinny Spinach Dip >

This chain restaurant fave has all the creaminess, all the flavor, and all the dippable deliciousness of your favorite spinach app, but the use of Greek yogurt means it’s got far fewer calories. The yogurt doesn’t just take things away, though, it adds protein, meaning this “skinny” spinach dip is actually a super-powered, belly-filling, hunger-fighting powerhouse. With dill, lemon, scallions and red bell pepper, it’s a flavor hero, too. If you’re inviting friends, consider making double: The six guilt-free servings made by the recipe will go fast.

14. Skinny Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting >

When we say you can eat your favorite foods on Nutrisystem D while keeping your blood sugar in balance, we mean it, and we mean your real favorite diabetic recipes—like these brownies with creamy frosting. Mashing sweet potato into the batter helps keep the fast-acting carbohydrates down, but they don’t taste like vegetables: The flavor of the tubers is masked by cocoa powder, coconut oil and diabetes-friendly Stevia baking blend sweetener. The cheesecake filling is friendly, too: It uses Greek yogurt and Stevia sweetener to reduce the amount of cream cheese without reducing the flavor or creaminess you love.

15. Easy 3-Step Banana Pudding >

It doesn’t get much sweeter than banana pudding, and this creamy recipe doesn’t skimp. It’s got all the flavor of a dessert that takes a whole day of sweating in the kitchen, but without all that sweat—instead, you’re just three steps and a few minutes from a perfect dessert that’s topped with whipped cream for just 149 calories per serving. And because the recipe makes a big, healthy serving, you may even have some left over—perfect for a sweet snack tomorrow.

Get started with a Nutrisystem weight loss plan today!