OH I made this and it's so good words can't even do it justice!! You gotta make it. I did not make the full recipe; just made one box of spinach and added what I thought to be enough of all the rest of the ingredients; here's the recipe: SPINACH GRATIN 50 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, thawed 4 tablespoons butter 2 small onions, chopped, 5 ounces 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup heavy cream 2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Pinch nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Spicy Seasoning Salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded, 1/2 cup 2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup In a medium skillet, sauté the onion in the butter 15 minutes. Blend in the cream cheese on medium-low heat. Gradually blend in the cream until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the garlic powder and nutmeg. Squeeze all of the liquid from the spinach and place in a greased 11x7" baking pan. Pour in the sauce mixture and mix well (I found that using 2 forks to do the mixing worked well). Mix in the salt, seasoning salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread evenly in the pan, then top with the Swiss cheese and remaining 1/2 cup parmesan. Bake at 425º 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Makes 10-12 servings Can be frozen Per 1/10 recipe: 295 Calories; 25g Fat; 13g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs Per 1/12 recipe: 246 Calories; 20g Fat; 11g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

As previously mentioned any recipe can be made without added salt but, you do have a challenge. As people age they tend not to taste foods as they once did. Then they make up for it by salting the food. You need to start with foods where you can 'kick it up a notch'. Things like chili with the hot peppers and onions. Saute fresh veggies and then deglaze with white wine making sure the water and alcohol are completely evaporated. When you make chicken soup you would make the broth of course (No canned! Not even "low sodium"), but add lemon rind. The oils bring out the flavor of the meat and veggies. Consider buying organic fresh foods that have more taste than factory farmed foods. So many people nowdays salt fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe because they have no flavor. Introduce him to new veggie and fruits that he has never had before so he has no "memory" of what they taste like. Try using snowpeas instead of the common peas for instance. Depending on how strict his diet must be, you may be able to buy low sodium versions of some items he loves. You can get things like soy sauce in a low sodium version. That way he can 'taper down' with some dishes until he can love eating them with no sodium at all. They key is using quality ingredients. Making French style dressing using balsamic vinegar and olive oil and then customizing with fresh garlic, dried red peppers, dill, and other things, beats out those bottled dressings. Use goat yogourt as a base for creamy dressing. Canned condensed soups at the store have so much filler in them - usually flour. That is why they salt them up. Making you own soups with lots of flavorful veggies you will wonder why you ever bought canned soups in the first place. Condiments and garnishes are going to be hard to substitute with no sodium version. Unsalted butter for instance tastes just awful on its own on top of mashed potatoes. It just gives one a greasy mouth feel. Try making the mashed potatoes adding garlic or using yogourt, sour cream or buttermilk to make them flavorful. Stir in some herbs too. So many people buy canned and jarred items loaded with salt and HFCS they themselves for got how foods are suppose to taste. Once you get to making your own sauces and salsas you will want to make them in huge batches for the whole family. It he is one who is used to salting meats try marinad or meat rubs. Make your own from dried spices. By making your own salt free dishes from raw basic ingredients you will notice a drop in your grocery bills too. Ka-ching!

Sol, I've found through Dad's doctor that anything can be a diabetic friendly food if it's factored into their daily allowance of sugars and carbs and if portion sizes are kept realistic. That said, a jar of homemade salsa and some homemade wheat or corn tortillas, baked, is much healthier as a snack than a sweet. Dad, however, loves his sugared up, highly sweetened and super-refined food and he's not going to give it up, no matter the health ramifications. So I make things like pecan halves, tossed with a beaten egg white, then sprinkled with a mix of a teaspoonful of cinnamon and artificial sweetener to equal half a cup. I think I used about 3 cups of pecan halves, last time. A handful is a relatively healthy snack, given some other choices. He also likes carrot cake, so I make carrot cake muffins with whole wheat flour and keep the raisins to a reasonable level, no frosting. Zucchini muffins or bread are another possibility because the zucchini and spices "hide" the whole wheat a bit and the sugar can be reduced without noticing it a lot. Now, if I could get him to eat those things without a bunch of butter.... anyway, here are a couple of recipes: CHIPPETY DO DAH! 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 6 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) 2 1/2 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp. brown sugar, not packed 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/8 tsp. salt Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips (flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt). Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together all wet ingredients (applesauce, pumpkin, egg substitute, and vanilla extract). Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until completely blended. Then, fold in the chocolate chips. Spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray, and spoon batter into 8 evenly spaced circles. Place pan in the oven for about 10 minutes (until cookies appear done and feel firm). Remove pan from the oven and allow cookies to cool slightly. For best results, enjoy while the cookies are still warm and the chips are still melty! MAKES 8 SERVINGS Serving Size: 1 medium-sized cookie (about 1.5 oz.) Calories: 88 Fat: 1.5g Sodium: 93mg Carbs: 17g Fiber: 2g Sugars: 6g Protein: 3g Succulent Zucchini Bread (makes 2 loaves, 10 servings each) butter-flavored cooking spray 3 large eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute 1/3 cup canola oil 7 packets DiabetiSweet 1 tablespoon natural vanilla 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, packed in natural juice, well drained 2 cups grated zucchini 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt (optional) 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat two 8-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs; add the oil, DiabetiSweet, vanilla, pineapple, and zucchini. 3. In a second large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt (if using). If using, add the walnuts and toss. 4. Mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Spoon into the prepared loaf pans. 5. Bake for 40 minutes or until a tester inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on wire racks. Note: This fantastic loaf freezes well. You can top it with frozen fat-free, sugar-free vanilla yogurt, if desired. Per serving (bread only): 118 calories (35% calories from fat), 3 g protein, 5 g total fat (0.6 g saturated fat), 16 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 32 mg cholesterol,149 mg sodium Diabetic exchanges: 1 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch), 1 fat Hmmm, where is RobinKate? We can all say whatever we want, but she LIVES with it. I'll bet she has some good recipes. Annie

I don't make my own hummus, we have a grocer here (Wegman's) that makes great hummus so I buy theirs. I know Sabre makes a huge variety, but I don't think it would be hard to make your own, if you can get all the ingredients. Then you can add seasonings that you and your husband like. I like the avocado hummus and the spinach and artichoke hummus on my sandwich. Try some middle eastern or kosher markets, they should have some good stuff, too. They might have a good selection of low fat/low salt foods too, since heart disease and high blood pressure afflict all of us! I found some great low fat/low sodium hot dogs at the kosher grocer here in Baltimore. Good luck