Turkey day is now over and I feel sluggish from all the food we ate.  Thanksgiving day lasts in my home for several days.  My mother in law makes lots of tasty food and my nephew makes several amazing desserts.  There is always enough for us to take home so that we can continue eating the Thanksgiving meal through Sunday.  Well, today, I am throwing the leftover cakeballs away.  As much as I really would like to keep them (they are my absolute favorite), I cannot control myself around them and need to just throw them away.  I typically do the right thing when it comes to eating – but I am not perfect.  So, I am reviewing the Dos and Dont’s of holiday eating for myself and hopefully it will help you as well. 

1. Don’t eat out – reserve eating out only for special occasions.

2. Don’t accept leftovers or goodies to take home — enjoy them out, but keep your house “clean and pure” to avoid unecessary temptations — (I need to work on this one).

3. Don’t overeat — eat healthy before attending a party, use small plates for your holiday meals and goodies, and avoid going back for seconds.

4. Do eat lots of fruits and veggies — make sure to have plenty of fruits and veggies available and visible throughout the day.

5. Do focus on healthy eating in between social occasions — go online and find low fat and nutrient-rich recipes and foods.  Some examples include — beans (make without fat), sweet potatoes, spinach and kale salads, Wild Alaskan salmon, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc.

6. Do be picky about what you eat — only eat the goodies that you really, really like, don’t waste the calories on treats that do not “move you!”

Tags: baby fat diet, diet, healthy eating, holiday eating, losing weight, nutrition, weight loss

As we approach the eatingfest of all eatingfests - I’m already full just thinking about it - here’s a simple recipe to use up some of the leftover turkey, that’s also easy on the waistline. 

Turkey Day Tip: there’s no need to “stuff” yourself next Thursday - enjoy small portions and focus on the togetherness, not the food. Use your salad plate for your main meal and you’ll be sure to take less.

Turkey Potpie, Light

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, cut-up turkey

16 oz frozen mixed vegetables (any kind you like)

10.75 oz can condensed lowfat cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups Reduced fat Bisquick

1/2 cup milk

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl mix the turkey, vegetables and cream of chicken soup. Pour into a casserole dish. In a smaller bowl stir together the Bisquick and milk until doughy; drop spoonfuls onto the turkey mixture and spread around. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is brown.

Tags: leftovers, lower calorie, recipe, Thanksgiving, turkey potpie

Have you ever stopped to think about how many processed foods you eat versus natural foods?  Most people rely on the convenience and availability of packaged and fast foods.  Think back to when there were not as many packaged foods and how people had to eat back then and how that impacted their health.  For starters, they were definitely thinner and more active since many worked and lived off of the land.  I read the other day that in the recent past we have moved from 50% of the population making their money off the land to now 2% of the population relying on the land for their livelihood.  (This may also explain why we have such issues with preserving and taking care of our earth and livestock.)  With all this in mind, I want you to challenge yourself to eat as they did back when convenience and packaged foods were not as readily available.  You may find that wholesome and natural foods are not that cumbersome and ultimately end up adding several to your diet and doing away with some of your processed staples.  So, here is the challenge - 1. Think about what you will eat today and replace two packaged foods with natural foods. For example, instead of eating a granola bar, energy bar or crackers for a snack eat about 1/4 cup of raw nuts (no roasting or salt added) and a piece of fruit. Some other great examples include switching - ready to eat breakfast cereals for oats, canned vegetables for frozen or fresh, white bread for whole wheat,  white rice for brown (try the brown Jasmine rice), whole wheat pasta for white, etc. (make sure to add a little more water and about 4 more minutes of cooking time to whole grain rice and pasta)

2. Continue to do this for a week.  Everyday think of the foods you will eat and try and switch two other foods to all natural, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, raw nuts, bagged beans and lentils and whole grain carbs.

3. At the end of the week evaluate your changes and see what you can live with and continue to try and make changes to eat more natural and unprocessed foods.

4.  See if you can get down to no more than two processed and refined foods a day.

After your challenge, let us know the changes you made.

Tags: all natural, baby fat diet, health, healthy eating, weight loss

Here’s a great tip for adding more nutrition while saving you money (and it’s better for the environment too): next time you cook with ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, chicken, etc) add in a can of beans (any kind will work).  You stretch the meat further so you’re saving money, while getting a big boost of fiber and cutting down on the saturated fat in each serving.  Eating more plant based protein and less meat is better for the environment, too, because it takes a lot more resources to raise a pound of cattle than it does to grow a pound of beans.  

Earlier this week I made sloppy joes with ground turkey and while I was cooking the meat, my 6 year old said “why don’t you add in some of those yummy black things,” meaning beans. I had almost forgotten to follow my own advice! I was so proud of him. I love it when I’m reminded by my kids a tidbit here or there so we eat healthier (though often they just think it tastes better). Those are the times I know I’m doing something right.  

Here’s the recipe: Healthier Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped small

2 stalks celery, chopped small

1 red or green pepper, chopped small

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 1/3 pounds ground turkey

15 oz can beans (any kind)

1/2 cup chili sauce

8 whole-wheat sandwich rolls

Directions:

Saute the vegetables in the oil over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Take out of the pan and set aside. Place the ground turkey in the pan and cook until no longer pink. Rinse the beans with water to get rid of the salt. Add the vegetable mixture, beans and chili sauce to the cooked ground turkey in the pan. Serve meat mix on rolls alongside a tossed salad. Makes 8 servings.

Tags: beans, environment, healthy eating, meat, save money, sloppy joes