Holiday Survival 101

There's something about big family/friend gatherings and lots of extremely yummy (but terribly fattening) food that brings us comfort. It's tradition to see how many plates we can eat. It's often the time of year when not only the turkey is stuffed. But how do we enjoy it without feeling deprived or like we immediately wish instead of dressing up we wore our fat pants? It can be tricky... but it can also be accomplished.

Holiday Survival 101:

1. You're not a kid anymore, you don't HAVE to finish every morsel of food on your plate. I'm not promoting wastefulness here, just saying, try to put small portions on your plate.

2. Yes! You can have some pumpkin pie! Just try not to eat the whole thing. If it's already sliced, cut one of those slices in half (that half slice is probably the actual serving of pie the recipe was talking about - we're constantly doubling and tripling portion sizes!)

3. Fill up two thirds of your plate with vegetables and lean proteins. Now, depending on your traditional Thanksgiving dinner this may be difficult. I grew up in a Southern household where the veggies were glossy with bacon grease or smothered in gravy.

4. If you're having the traditional turkey, don't eat the skin. It's just a lot of excess fat and calories. It's 60 calories for 1 ounce of meat with skin, 50 calories for 1 ounce of dark meat without skin and 30 calories for 1 ounce of breast meat without skin.

5. Usually holiday dinners come with lots of appetizers and everyone stands around the kitchen or dining room for a few hours before dinner while chatting with friends and family. This is the time where we mindlessly munch on chips, dips, cookies, etc. Try to socialize away from this area, it will keep you from grazing.

6. Chew gum or eat a mint. If you are trying not to indulge in the appetizers or desserts at all you can chew a piece of gum or eat a mint and then you will not want to eat anything.

7. Buddy up. If you are going to a holiday dinner with a friend or partner and you know your self control could be in question have them keep an eye on you and vice versa. Sometimes we don't feel strong enough to say no to the second round of stuffing and mashed potatoes and we need someone to keep us in check!

8. Don't get too overwhelmed and beat yourself up about it. Make sure you enjoy yourself! After all, the holidays aren't about the food (well, not entirely!) ... they're about spending quality time with people you may not get to see all the time. The food is just a bonus!

Armed with those survival tips you should be able to get through those food temptations without throwing healthy eating out the window.

Happy Holidays dear readers!

Pumpkin Bran Muffins!

I've been craving everything pumpkin flavored. Blame it on the time of year. But instead of buying cookies or muffins or cakes I decided to make my own. I figured I could probably make them lighter and healthier than buying them. So as usual I took a recipe I found on the net and "fit foodi-fied" it! Here it is!

PUMPKIN BRAN MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups King Arthur 100% whole wheat, unbleached, flour1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup Splenda granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 cups Bran Flakes

1 cup solid pack pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/3 cup Almond Breeze Almond Coconut Blend

2 egg whites

1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened

1/3 cup raisins, packed

1 1/2 tbsp. semi sweet chocolate chips

vegetable cooking spray

Makes 12 Muffins - 100 calories, 1g fat, 4g fiber, 4g protein per muffin

1) Stir together flour, Splenda, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.

2) Put Bran Flakes in a Ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin or pulse in a food processor, mix into dry ingredients bowl.

3) In large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, egg whites and applesauce. Beat well with hand mixer. Add raisins and semi sweet chocolate chips. Stir well. Mix in flour mixture, stirring only until combined (batter will be stiff). Portion batter evenly into 12 2/1/2 inch muffin pan coated with cooking or baking spray.

4) Bake at 400F about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Roasted Veggies...

It's that time of year again. Where we all want to hibernate in our caves and eat warm comfort food. This is your gentle reminder of the pure yumminess of roasted vegetables.

Here is a recipe from last January. 

Some good vegetables to roast are:

Root vegetables - sweet and white potatoes, carrots, turnips, rutabaga.

Winter squashes - acorn, spaghetti, butternut

Summer squashes - yellow and green (zucchini)

Brussels sprouts

Mushrooms of all kinds are also great to toss in for the last 20 minutes or so.

Most vegetables roast well at 375 or 400 degrees and for 40-45 minutes, flipping half way through.

Here is what I had for dinner tonight...

Olive oil and herb couscous topped with zima tomatoes.

Brussels sprouts, petite green beans and baby carrots.