This summer CIM is producing a cooking show, “Cooking in Motion,” a series of video tutorials on how to cook a variety of recipes while camping in the outdoors. Each episode of the show features Sarah, the CIM Adventure Coordinator, and a CIM community member “guest chef,” cooking together in the outdoors while having open conversations about diabetes, as well as other topics near & dear to their hearts! Follow along on the CIM socials and blog to watch each episode and find the recipes we try!
On episode 6 of Cooking in Motion, I was joined by CIM Communications Coordinator and my pal, Kendra Dempsey. Kendra invited us back to Mono, Ontario where we tested out four different variations of the classic North American campfire dessert: s’mores! The four variations we decided to try were: 1. Classic S’mores, 2. Caramel Banana S’mores, 3. Chocolate Peanut butter S’mores and 4. Strawberry S’mores. Once we had the perfect marshmallow roasting fire made, we dialled in our insulin pumps and got to work crafting our s’mores!
To make the four different variations of s’mores we used a variety of cookies and toppings, including regular graham crackers and milk chocolate for our Classic S’mores; chocolate cookies, banana, and caramel chocolate for our Caramel Banana S’mores; Celebration chocolate cookies and Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups for our Chocolate Peanut Butter S’mores; and giant Lady Finger cookies and strawberries for our Strawberry S’mores – and of course, marshmallows!
The first step was to toast our marshmallows over the fire. This can be a topic of great debate but there is NO wrong way to toast a marshmallow! Some people like them barely toasted or “raw” as I call them, while others like their marshmallows flaming to the point of being charred black, or “well-done”. I personally prefer my marshmallows to be a deep, well-toasted golden brown, but not burnt. That being said, accidents happen and the marshmallows I toasted for our s’mores in this episode did catch on fire a few times! If you also find yourself with a charred black marshmallow and that’s not how you like them, you can always remove the outer burnt layer of the marshmallow- the inside will still be fine and will be perfectly ooey and gooey and delicious!
While we were toasting our marshmallows, I chatted with Kendra about her family’s diabetes story, her academic career, and the stigma surrounding certain foods and diabetes.
S: So Kendra, how long have you had type one diabetes and when were you diagnosed?
K: So I actually just celebrated my 20th diaversary in January, very exciting! I was diagnosed a couple months before my fourth birthday. So, you know all the usual kinds of symptoms we associate with our diagnosis; losing weight, having to pee a lot, drinking a lot of water, and my parents were like ‘something is not right here.’ They rushed me to the doctors who said that I needed to get to the hospital right away. So, that was that.
S: Wow, and you’re not the only person in your family with type one diabetes? Your mother was recently diagnosed and you’ve had two dogs with diabetes, right?
K: Yeah, so I don’t know, it’s something in the drinking water out here, I guess. But yeah, we had a dog named Teddy with diabetes who lived to the ripe old age of 15. And, we have a miniature pinscher right now named Bambi who also has diabetes. She’s actually wearing a FreeStyle Libre sensor to figure out some of her insulin doses right now.
S: That’s so cool!
K: Then in 2018, after I was diagnosed by quite a few years, my mom was actually diagnosed with type one diabetes, which really threw us all for a loop. So, it’s kind of adding an interesting different layer to our relationship now to be able to kind of bond over that. And me being in the position now where I’m helping her, where for so long she was the one helping me. So it’s pretty interesting!
S: Wow, that’s incredible! And you just recently finished your Masters degree in Medical Sciences, congratulations!
K: Thank you, yes it was a labor of love.
S: I’m sure. And this year you are going to Ireland to do your second Masters Degree in Public Health? Has having type one diabetes influenced you or made you want to go into the medical field?
K: I think a bit. I think especially as a kid, obviously when you have type one diabetes for so long, you spend a lot more time in doctors offices and hospitals than the average person and you get a bit more of the behind the scenes as to what goes on there. And it’s definitely always been something that interests me. And, I think I was also really fortunate to have really awesome doctors and members of my diabetes care team which I think made a really huge difference in my perception of the disease and working forward with it. But, not everybody is that fortunate. Not only with diabetes, but with a whole host of other conditions that they are dealing with. And in my mind I was like wow I really want to get into this field and be someone who can make a difference for someone else at some point.
S: Yeah, that is so cool. Very inspiring!
S: Ok so, it is time to talk about stigma. We are 2 type one diabetics about to indulge in some delicious sugary dessert and there is so much misinformation and stigma surrounding both type one and type two diabetes. And, it is confusing. But, I think the biggest stigma that we face is surrounding food and what foods are good or bad and what people sometimes tell us that we can or can’t eat. So, what are your thoughts on this Kendra?
K: Yeah, and I think a lot of the stigma we face comes from misinformation in terms of what all the kinds of diabetes are and what they mean, which is really unfortunate. And quite often, you have people who just tell you right off the bat that no you can’t have sugar and you shouldn’t have sugar, these people who have no idea about you and how you manage your diabetes or diabetes in general in any form. And I mean, it’s easy enough to tell ourselves that we know that’s not true, you can eat what you want and live a normal life, the things we often tell people. But, when that’s kind of your everyday life and you deal with the struggles of dealing with your blood sugars and giving yourself insulin, sometimes you do tell yourself that you can’t have that and avoid some stuff.
I remember being a kid with diabetes and being at a birthday party and questioning, well why can’t I have a really big slice and not understanding at the time, and it’s difficult. But it’s kind of a relationship between food and yourself that you have to try to figure out so you can move forward and have a pretty normal existence, if normal is anything.
S: Yeah absolutely, and I think what you said is true. It is entirely different for every person. So, these generalizations make it really difficult for everyone to find their own way and live their own life, and eat the foods they want to eat.
This obviously is not something I have every day. But, my method of diabetes is that I like to find balance. So, I love dessert and I love trip dessert but this certainly is not something I eat all the time. With my own diabetes, I like to manage it the best I can with balance and everything in moderation, and that includes dessert!
K: Yeah definitely! Like Sarah said, this isn’t going to be an everyday thing but sometimes you just really want to have a treat and that is something you feel you can manage with your diabetes and you are excited about it, you should be able to without feeling some sort of shame or worrying about what someone is going to say.
It was time for the taste test! Kendra tried the Strawberry and Classic s’mores while I tried the Banana Caramel and Chocolate Peanut Butter s’mores. The verdict? VERY sweet, VERY sticky, and so delicious.
I have rated this recipe in a few different categories to give an overall assessment of it for cooking while camping:
Level of Difficulty
Rated on a scale from 1-3 with 1 being very easy (beginner camp chef), and 3 being difficult (advanced camp chef).
Verdict
I rate each of these s’mores variations as a 1 out of 3 for level of difficulty. S’mores are incredibly simple to make and you can customize them however you like.
Tastiness
Rated on a scale from 1-10 with 1 being not so delicious, and 10 being AMAAZING.
Verdict:
This might be my nostalgia talking but I give each of these s’mores an 11/10 for tastiness.
Camping Convenience Factor
Rated on a scale from 1-5 with 1 meaning the recipe is very inconvenient for camping (for example ingredients are not easy to pack, difficult to cook over a camp stove/fire, time consuming, etc.) and 5 meaning the recipe is very convenient for camping (ingredients are lightweight/easy to pack, easy to cook on a camp stove/fire, etc.)
Verdict:
I rate these s’mores as a 5 out of 5 for camping convenience. The simplest version for lightweight and easy packing would be the Classic s’more as it doesn’t involve packing fresh fruit and doesn’t require a cutting board to make. That being said, the Strawberry and Caramel Banana s’mores are still very easy to make and pack with a little preparation.
Final Verdict
I’m probably biased but I think s’mores are one of the best summer treats while camping and these Top 4 s’mores did not disappoint!
Check out the recipes below!
Kendra’s Top Four S’mores
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 5 min
Total Time: 10 min
Equipment Needed:
- A campfire
- A marshmallow roasting stick
- A cutting board and knife for slicing the fruit
Ingredients
Classic S’mores:
2 Graham crackers or Celebration cookies
1 marshmallow, toasted
1-2 squares of milk chocolate of your choice
Chocolate Peanut Butter S’mores:
2 Chocolate graham crackers or chocolate cookies
1 marshmallow, toasted
2 mini Reese’s chocolates
Caramel Banana S’mores
2 graham crackers or Celebration cookies
1 marshmallow, toasted
1-2 squares of your choice of caramel chocolate bar
1 banana, sliced
Strawberry S’mores
2 Lady Finger cookies
1 marshmallow, toasted
1-2 squares of your choice of chocolate bar
1 Strawberry, sliced
Directions
Slice the banana and strawberries on a cutting board and set aside. Toast your marshmallows over a fire to your liking. Once the marshmallows are toasted, assemble your s’mores with whichever toppings you like, to taste!
Pro Tip: Place one graham cracker/cookie with the chocolate on it on one of the stones around the fire so that the chocolate melts while you’re toasting the marshmallows. Yum!
Dietary Options
Below we have linked some low carb/ketogenic, and gluten-free alternatives to the ingredients we used.
Marshmallows:
- La Nouba Marshmallows– sugar free, gluten free!
- No brainer max mallow lightning vanilla ketogenic and gluten free
- Marshmallow fluff– Gluten free
- Walden farms calorie free dip marshmallows (sugar free)
Chocolate
- Rusell Stover no sugar added (there are also many other brands at Walmart)
- Consider using nut butter (peanut, almond or cashew) instead of chocolate if you feel it is too high in sugar:
- Great value natural smooth almond butter
- Kraft only peanuts all natural smooth peanut butter
- WOW butter: peanut free, tree nut free, gluten free
- Peanut Butter & Co Dark chocolate dreams peanut butter (chocolate spread, but it’s actually peanut butter!)
- La nouba sugar free chocolate spread
Cookies/Graham Crackers
- Celebration cookies (dark chocolate) – Chocolate included! 20g of carbs for 2 cookies
- Gluten free- ENJOY LIFE vanilla honey graham cookies
- Murray sugar free shortbread cookies or Murray sugar free sandwich cookies (only need 1 per s’more!)
- Quest cookies
Websites to check out for other low carb options:
- The low carb grocery (canadian- BC, ON-Toronto and Newmarket)
- Low carb Canada (keto and diabetes friendly!)
For Bolusing
Here is a list of the carb counts for the ingredients we used for each type of s’more:
Cookies/Graham Crackers:
Irresistibles Chocolate Brownie cookie: 18g net carbs per 2 cookies
Milano Giant Lady Finger cookies: 21g net carbs per 2 cookies
Graham Cracker cookies: 23g net carbs per 2 wafers
Celebration cookies: 21g of net carbs per 2 cookies
Marshmallow:
Selection Jumbo Marshmallows: 23g net carbs per 1 marshmallow, or 11.5g per half.
Fruit:
1 Banana sliced: 35g net carb total, or for 1/12th of a banana: ~3g carbs
1 Strawberry, sliced: 1g net carb
Chocolate:
Neilson’s Jersey Milk chocolate bar: ~6g net carb per 2 pieces
Reese’s chocolate: 24g net carb per 5 pieces, or ~12g for 2-3 pieces
Hershey’s milk chocolate bar with caramel: ~5g net carb per piece
Classic S’more: 40.5g of net carb per 1 s’more
Chocolate Peanut Butter S’more: 41.5g net carbs per 1 s’more
Banana Caramel S’more: 47.5g net carbs per 1 s’more
Strawberry S’more: 39.5g net carbs per 1 s’more
*If you are making these while camping/being active in the outdoors, keep in mind that you may need to reduce your basal or bolus insulin.
A Word on Covid-19
In the making of this series our CIM staff and wonderful “guest chefs” were very cautious in regards to COVID-19. All of the participants in these videos and our film team had been carefully isolating at home with minimal contact with others prior to filming, and we felt safe expanding our small social circles to include the few individuals involved in making Cooking in Motion. All participants took precautions before, during, and after cooking/filming, including hand washing and sanitizing, using separate cooking/eating plates and utensils, and maintaining 6 ft social distancing when possible. CIM staff have continued to remain at home and away from others as much as possible, and wear masks whenever in public places. We take our staff and community members’ health seriously and we will continue to monitor the situation, and take precautions throughout the production of this series.
