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.

Pumpkin and Broccoli - the tastes of Fall.

As you know, I enjoy buying new products and giving them a shot. My two recent purchases were no disappointment!

They have pumpkin flavored everything from yogurt, to cream cheese, to bagels, to granola, to English muffins, to beer, to donuts, etc. You either love pumpkin or you hate it. I am one of those that love it! Therefore I had to test these out. And they are super yummy!

110 calories

1g fat

5g fiber

3g sugar

5g protein

AMAZING!

topping suggestion: 2 tbsp. whipped cream cheese! (only 60 calories!)

Next up! Veggies!

Green Giant has come out with seasoned steamers. I looked at some of the stats on all of them and these seemed to be the most reasonable. 

Of course you can season broccoli yourself and come up with even better calorie stats but most of us are busy and need something quick. This broccoli has a delicious Tuscan inspired flavor with Parmesan cheese, garlic, peppers and onion. 

60 calories, 2g protein, 2g fiber, 2g sugar and 4g fat per serving

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Arrabiata Sauce

I've been hearing for months about this spaghetti squash and how amazing it works as a swap for spaghetti. After being ultra intrigued by all the hype I finally gave in and bought one. For a week it's been sitting on my counter, staring longingly in my direction and tonight I put it to good use.

First, you have to cut it in half lengthwise but it's a bit more tricky than you might expect. The only issue I have with hard winter squash is just that... they are hard! So, what you can do is poke a few holes in it with a fork or a knife and put the whole squash in the microwave for 2-4 minutes. This will cause it to soften up enough to cut it in half. Before baking scoop out all the extra seeds and strings. Place both halves with the skin side up on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until done (depending on size). Let cool then easily shred with a fork. Take shredded squash and place in a colander while cooking the rest of the dish. The squash will have quite a bit of water in it so you might also pat it with a clean tea towel or paper towels.

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Arrabiata Sauce

4 cups cooked, shredded spaghetti squash

2 - 6 oz. chicken breasts*

1/2 pkg. sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 c. Arrabiata sauce (or sauce of your choice 70 cal or less per serving)

Serves 2 - 345 calories each

In a large nonstick skillet cook chicken breast, mushrooms, garlic, onions and peppers until done. You can either add your sauce to the chicken and veggies in the skillet or heat it up and add it on your plate. Top with shredded Parmesan or pecorino romano. *If you're a vegetarian you can easily omit the chicken and add garbanzo beans or a  faux meat product. Enjoy!

Workout Music!

I'm a big, big, BIG, fan of music. All kinds. And I've searched all over for great workout mixes... even tried to make a few of my own. While looking for a streaming radio app for my Android I stumbled upon this FITRadio app... it sounded promising - music to keep you motivated... even listing the BPM (beats per minute) in the mixes... so I thought, hey, it's FREE, why not?!

The results? I FREAKIN' LOVE IT!

So... go ahead. Download it. Choose a Genre. And get your body movin'!

FITRadio

Cabbage & Cannellini Bean Soup

My family was in town visiting from Kentucky and naturally we went on a few food related adventures. Had some amazing seafood. Went to a brewery in Salem. Went to a winery in Amherst. And of course, had to go to a large farmer's market. :)

We we're incredibly impressed by the ridiculously huge cabbages at Atkin's Farm. And... did I mention they we're only $1.49 a head!? So of course we had to buy one...

What exactly does one do with a massive cabbage? Well... make soup of course! Here's what happened... I Googled a bunch of soup recipes and then did my own variation... you know, what I normally do. It turned out delicious! Here's what fell together:

CABBAGE AND CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP

4-5 cups of chopped cabbage (1/2" strips essentially)

1 medium yellow sweet onion, diced

7 oz. carrots (about 2 medium carrots)

3 garlic cloves, grated or minced (you can use less if you like)

1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 - 5.5 oz. can V8

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 1/2 c. rinsed cannellini beans

6 c. water (or vegetable stock)

2 bouillon cubes (if not using stock) (use veggie, chicken or beef)

salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Makes 12 - 1 cup servings - 50 calories each

In a Dutch oven or soup pot bring water or stock to a boil. Add in cabbage, carrots, onion, and garlic, bring to rolling boil and continue to cook on high for 10 minutes. Next bring to medium heat and add in remaining ingredients. Cover and let simmer (but not boil) for another 45-60 minutes. You could certainly cook low and slow for longer and have a deeper flavor. Or you could cook for less time and have your veggies more al dente. Depends on what you prefer. However you prepare it this soup will be satisfying, hearty and warm on a cold fall night. Perfect with grilled cheese!