STEPS TO A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER THANKSGIVING

For those of you preparing to indulge in your Thanksgiving Day feast by bringing out your stretchy sweaters and fat jeans, STOP! You can eat healthy during this holiday season without over doing it and eating everything you enjoy.

 Source: Here

Here are three simple steps to a healthier and happier Thanksgiving dinner:

1. Eat your usual breakfast.
Do not skip any meals to save calories for later in the day. This will only make you overeat and will end up working to your disadvantage by making you consume more calories than if you were to eat all of your other meals like normal. Eating a breakfast and snack that is rich in protein and fiber will keep you full and satisfied until your big meal. (If your "big meal" is dinner, eat a healthy lunch and protein rich snack).

2. Chat up your friends and relatives to burn extra calories.
Nothing is worse than sitting around like a couch potato at holiday parties. Getting up and walking around burns more calories than sitting, which will help to offset the extra calories that you are going to consume. And, no matter your age, don't be afraid to participate in that game of pick-up football outside. If you can't throw a football to save your life and are the farthest thing from a social butterfly (like me!!) plan an exercise earlier in the day, or go Black Friday Shopping! You can burn about 180 calories per hour while shopping. If you shop for four hours, you could burn 720 calories. That could burn off my whole Thanksgiving meal!


3. Choose your food wisely and with moderation in mind.
Is sweet-potato casserole your favorite Thanksgiving side dish while you eat mashed potatoes just for tradition sake? Great! Instead of indulging in two fattening dishes just get one serving of your favorite and savor every bite. If there is a relish plate or fresh salad bowl fill half of your plate with these veggies to reduce the amount of unhealthy food you pile on. Next comes the meat. Should you choose turkey or ham? It doesn't matter, as long as you choose your slice wisely. Get white, skinless turkey breast to get the leanest cut. Watch your serving size for both meats however. Remember that a 3 oz serving is the size of a deck of cards. And as for dessert? Well, I can't tell you to just eat fruit like I am doing, so I will advise you to pick two desserts only. Maybe its one small slice of pumpkin pie and one cookie. Eat them until you are satisfied and don't be afraid to leave some crumbs (or whole cookies... whatever floats your boat).


If you prefer stricter guidelines, here is a good healthy example of some things you can eat for Thanksgiving without breaking the calorie bank:
- skinless turkey breast (120 calories, 1 gram fat) vs. ham slice (140 calories, 7 grams fat)
- mashed potatoes and gravy (125 calories, 5 grams fat) vs. sweet potato casserole (190 calories, 4 grams fat)

I also found a helpful link HERE for all of you dieters out there to easily count up your Thanksgiving Dinner in one big swoop (Plus it tells you how much to exercise to burn it all off... Awesome, no?)

Then, after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I will be posting a revision on the classic...

Apple pie.

Of course, Healthy Apple pie!

Meanwhile, here is a sample meal plan for Thanksgiving Day:

Breakfast: Fruit Parfait

Snack: Sugar-Free Apple Date Bread

 Lunch: THANKSGIVING FEAST!

Snack: Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins 

(or other high-fiber snack)

Dinner: Chicken Wrap with apple slices

Dessert: Chocolate "Chick" Blondies

 

MY THOUGHTS ON SUGAR-FREE

I just recently finished a Sugar Free Challenge, hosted by Alex over at her sugar free blog.

Here were the rules of the Challenge:

Don’t eat any sugar for 10 days. This includes honey, molasses, syrups, artificial sweeteners (like Splenda), sugar alcohols (like maltitol or xylitol), and no refined sugar.

After reading this long list of don'ts, you may be asking yourself why anyone would ever give up sugar, but actually it's pretty easy when you have a great archive of sugar free recipes at your disposal from Alex. (It also helps that I've done this before for Lent...)

If you are still wondering: Why Sugar-Free? Here are a few facts about sugar that I have learned from my searches on Yahoo!

The average American consumes 180 pounds of sugar in a year.

Uhh.... wow! If that number is not staggering enough, think about this: There are two cups of sugar in a pound. Now do your mental math.

In case your mental math isn't the greatest, I'll help: 2 cups x 180 pounds = 360 cups of sugar per year.

That is almost a cup of sugar per day! And do you know how many calories are in a cup of sugar? Almost 800.

Now, let's move on to another statistic that may shock you. Approximately 32 percent of Americans are obese, which is up from the estimated 5 percent who were obese in the year 1890.

Guess how many pounds of sugar those people ate?

90.

Still not great, but much more manageable with a 1/2 cup of sugar per day and only 400 calories. This shows that an increase of added sugar in our diets can definitely be considered as a cause of weight gain.

That is why I am doing this sugar-free challenge. Besides being totally fun, and of course A CHALLENGE, I wanted to go sugar-free so that I can improve my lifestyle. After this challenge was over I didn't stick with it, but I will definitely never go back to the huge amounts of sugar I used to eat a couple of years ago.

Before I tell you what I DID eat, I'll leave you with one more fact about sugar:

According to some of the leading nutritionists in America, the average person should consume no more than 40 grams of added sugar per day. This does not include sugars that come from fruit, veggies, grains or occur naturally in dairy products however. Added sugar simply means sugar that is not found in your whole foods from day one. To me, these sugars are white sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave syrup and molasses. (I don't count artificial sweeteners as sugars, but they are STILL not healthy).

So, after my ramblings of what I haven't been eating, here are some examples of what you can enjoy while staying sugar free:

Microwave spaghetti squash dinner!

Low-Fat Chicken and Dumplings

I plan on posting the recipes for the spaghetti squash and dumplings soon, but time seems to always get away from me, and I have found that my attention span is sometimes very short :) These recipes are worth the wait though.

And don't fear...

There is a recipe that I AM going to post tonight. It took many tries to perfect, but I am extremely happy with the final result. 

Sugar-Free Apple Date Bread

Servings: 16 slices

Adapted from my One Bowl Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 60 grams pitted dates (or 1/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup egg beaters (or egg replacement)
• 1 Tbsp canola oil (can be ommitted)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 200 grams diced apples (or 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1. Dice the apples and set aside.
2. Place the pitted dates and water in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on medium heat for 2 minutes.
3. While the dates are soaking, measure out the applesauce, egg beaters and canola oil in a medium bowl.
4. Place dates (without excess water) in a food processor and blend with skim milk. Then combine with other liquid ingredients.
5. Place one cup of flour in the bowl of liquids. Measure out the baking soda and salt on top. Add the second cup of flour and mix slightly.
6. Next add the diced apple and mix the batter until all flour lumps are gone.
7. Spray a large loaf pan with nonstick spray and pour in batter. Even out with spoon or spatula.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Thoughts:
At only 86 calories a slice, this apple date bread would be great for breakfast, accompanying a meal or just as a snack. My favorite way to eat this bread is with of course, peanut butter!

NATIONAL FOOD DAY

Did you know that today is National Food Day? Yea, neither did I until I looked at today's Hungry Girl Newsletter...

October 24 marks the first National Food Day EVER and to celebrate I am going to post  recipe by the best foodie in the whole world. My Great-Grandma Sigler. She was an original foodie before the term "foodie" even existed.

She passed away this Spring, but in no way has her influence on me ceased. Her overwhelming kindness and love have been passed down to my grandma, to my mother and then to me. She will not be remembered just for that though, but something else that she left behind... Cookbooks!

Full of delicious delicacies that she gathered from decades of old newspapers and magazines, shared desserts between families and friends and of course those from her own creation, these cookbooks entitled: Recipes of Mildred Sigler are a staple in my kitchen.

And today's recipe was one of her most requested recipes of all time. Banana Nut-Bread.

Now, the original recipe was wonderful, sweet and moist, full of delicious bananas, nuts and... Shortening?

Okay. Obviously some adaptions had to be made before I could post it on my "healthy" blog, right?

Not to worry though, because this healthified recipe still maintains the same moistness and flavor of the full fat version.

Also, to make things even better, it can be made in one single bowl (thus its title).


One Bowl Banana Bread

Adapted from Mildred Sigler's Banana Nut Bread

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 bananas (400 grams)
• 1/2 cup egg beaters (2 eggs or egg replacements)
• 5/8 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup all purpose flour (120 grams)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt (I use salt sense)
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (120 grams)
• 1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mash the bananas in a bowl and the combine with the egg beaters, sugar and oil.
3. Measure in the white flour, baking soda, salt then the second cup of flour. Mix together. Add optional nuts if desired.
4. Bake for 1 hour in a large (9x5) loaf pan.

I hope you enjoy this banana bread as much as my family has over the years. This is the first, but definitely not the last post that I dedicate to her, as I hope to share many more of her awesome recipes with you in the future.

Happy FOOD DAY!

Note: I will post the nutrition facts tomorrow. Think about this- A slice of banana nut-bread from Starbucks is 490 calories!

NO LONGER JUST FOR LUNCH BOXES!

While my last blog post has been almost two months ago, don't think for a minute that I have stopped baking and cooking. On the contrary, I have been in my kitchen whipping up so many recipes that I really haven't had time (or been able to choose) which recipes to post. And, instead of picking one of those to blog about, I will procrastinate even more and do a feature post on my favorite combination of all things peanut butter:

It's no longer just for lunch boxes...

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY!

Don't fret though, this post will still be full of healthy (and a few not so healthy) PB & J packed recipes, it's just that most of them will not be mine! (Hard to say, but easy to do with hyperlinks!)

To start off Part 1 of a surely many part series of all things PB & J, I will give my most recent and simplest recreation of the classic lunch box sandwich:

1. Peanut Butter and Strawberry Minis from Me

• What They Are: Strawberry Slices smothered with my favorite natural peanut butter and stuck together like sandwiches
• Classic Taste Rating: 7 . . . These taste very similar to the classic sandwich, are much healthier, and are made of all natural ingredients!

2. Peanut Butter, Jam and Banana Breakfast Pizzas from OhSheGlows

• What They Are: A sweet crust made from spelt flour, spread with jam and baked. Then it is topped with banana slices and piped with peanut butter.
• Classic Taste Rating: 8 . . . How can you go wrong when you add in the words PIZZA AND BANANAS?

3. Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream from MAC & CHEESE 

• What It Is: A simple peanut butter ice cream made with coconut milk and swirled with jam.
• Classic Taste Rating: 6 . . .  Points for simplicity and originality! It would have gotten a higher rating if it resembled more of a hand-holdable, sandwich-type creation like the original. (Future banana ice cream sandwich recipe?)

4.  Peanut-Butter Strawberry Wraps from Babble.com

• What They Are: Basically a peanut butter jelly in wrap form!
• Classic Taste Rating: 10 . . . Tastes just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but it lacks the added sugars in the jam, and it's in a wrap! 

 5. Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes from Active Life Cooking 

• What They Are: Whole wheat pancakes made with peanut butter, greek yogurt, oats and whole wheat flour. Then they are topped with a fruit spread.
• Classic Taste Rating: 10 . . . Anything having to do with breakfast is an A in my book. Plus the ingredients are so healthful and guilt free!

For now, this is the end of part 1 PB&J... Please leave a comment if you have any more ideas or if you tried any of these recipes!

Stay tuned... Next will be another PB&J post with edible and non-edible items...?

GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN

You would think when temperatures max out at 105 degrees, that one would not want to add additional heat, but... not me! 

Yes, you read that correctly. While others sipped chilled smoothies, ate crisp, cold salads and even placed ice cubes directly to their foreheads, I was baking in the kitchen. Rest assured though, it was all worth it in the end. 

And what, you may ask, was I baking? Well, to go along with the theme of Going-Against-The-Grain, I made muffins with...

PUMPKINS AND APPLES

The recipe was originally from a Better Homes and Garden cookbook (affectionately known in my house as "The Red Checkered Cookbook"). I twisted it and made a healthy version of my own however, adding apples, replacing the oil, and a whole lot else that I won't even go into now...

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Servings: 12 Muffins

Dry Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dry oatmeal (I used quick oats)
• 1 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 5 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking powder

 Wet Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• 6 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 apple, peeled and shredded or chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine all dry ingredients except for the baking powder in a bowl. Remove 3 Tbsp of the dry mixture and put in a separate, small bowl. Then add the 2 tsp baking powder to the larger amount of dry ingredients.
3. Combine the egg whites, 4 Tbsp applesauce, pumpkin puree and milk in a bowl. 
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Then add the shredded apple and mix.
5. In the small bowl with the separated flour mixture, cut in the 2 Tbsp of applesauce. (This will act like a low fat streusel topping).
6. Divide the batter between 12 muffin tins (I used 1/4 cup for each).
7. Top with the streusel topping and place in the oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until done.

Enjoy now, OR save this recipe until Thanksgiving when pumpkin and apple are SUPPOSED to be used in baking. Either way, this guilt free recipe is a must-have with awesome nutritional stats:

Nutrition Facts:
Calories- 99
Fat- 1g
Carbs- 21g
Fiber- 3g
Sugar- 8g ( Approximately 4.5 grams added sugar)
Protein- 3g
Sodium- 142mg

LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF... GOOD FOOD?

"We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable right; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." (Thomas Jefferson)

This quote, although long, is actually quite short in retrospect of the long expanse that is the Declaration of Independence. And today's post will be no different. Short and sweet!

I eat parfaits for breakfast almost everyday, and for a snack every other. Using greek yogurt gives a great protein boost and, combined with the high-protein kashi cereal and sliced almonds, comes to about 26 grams of protein for the strawberry parfait (and about 230 calories) and about 19 grams of protein for the blueberry parfait (with 180 calories). You'll notice that the blueberry yogurt parfait is smaller. Mainly because I made it on a different day, and because I ate it for a snack instead of breakfast.

I picked parfaits for today because they can be red, white and blue. I've included two separate recipes, but feel free to combine blueberries and strawberries with your parfait. Can't go wrong with double berries!

Strawberry Parfait

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup diced strawberries
• 1/4 cup kashi cereal (or other high fiber cereal)
• 2 Tbsp sliced almonds (approx. 12 grams)

Directions:

1. Top yogurt with strawberries, cereal and sliced almonds. Enjoy!

* For a variation layer the ingredients for a true parfait-like look.

Blueberry Parfait

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup greek yogurt 
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup kashi cereal
• 2 Tbsp sliced almonds (approx. 12 grams)

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients and eat up...

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

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More info about the cereal I use:

I used to use Fiber One Cereal in all of my recipes, until I discovered that it is sweetened by aspartame. Aspartame is thought to be carcinogenic and has been proven to cause cancer in lab animals. While Kashi Go Lean's nutrition facts aren't nearly as impressive, it is still high in fiber, low in sugar and boasts a low calorie count, high protein and aspartame-free! 

Nutrition Facts:

(1 cup serving)

Calories- 140

Fat- 1g

Carbs- 30g

Fiber- 10g

Sugar- 6g

Protein- 13g

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH ICE CREAM

Have I ever mentioned how much I love cookie dough?

My favorite summertime activities used to be getting a small cookie dough blizzard from Dairy Queen or to stop by the local Dairy Bar to get a large cone of cookie dough ice cream. And what do you think I listed as my favorite food in elementary school (you remember those "All About Me" projects, right?)...


Because I eat healthier now, I have not been able to enjoy my favorite treat in such a long time. Finally, I decided that I needed to make my own "healthified" version. It turned out so well that I decided to share it with all of you!


To make this ice cream recipe, there are 3 smaller (and super easy) recipes that you have to make first.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1/2 serving of banana ice cream
• 1/10 (or small piece) of homemade banana chocolate
• 4 or more pieces of cookie dough

Directions:
1. Keep the banana ice cream and the cookie dough in the freezer until the banana chocolate has hardened (you may have to wait a day).
2. When the chocolate is frozen solid, break off a small piece and gather up your banana ice cream and desired amount of cookie dough balls.
3. Break the chocolate into tiny (chocolate-chunk size) pieces and place in the bowl with the banana ice cream. Break the cookie dough balls into even smaller spheres (can you tell I took the Math portion of the ACT yesterday? Fractions and geometry all in one post...). Add the cookie dough to the ice cream as well.
4. Using a spoon or fork, break apart the banana ice cream and mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
5. Serve in a bowl, add some extra milk and cocoa to make a blizzard, or eat it in a cone like me (because cookie dough ice cream is MEANT to be in a cone)


Banana Ice Cream

Serving size: 2 (Makes enough for two cookie dough ice cream recipes)


Ingredients:

• Frozen banana slices (ripe)
• 1/4 to 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 Tbsp skim milk 
• Vanilla extract (optional)
• Other desired flavorings (cocoa powder, strawberries, etc.)

Directions:
1. Place banana slices in food processor. Blend until the pieces are broken up.
2. Add the vanilla protein powder and blend for another minute, scraping the sides so it is all combined.
3. Add the skim milk as needed to get a creamy texture.
4. Continue to blend for another 2 minutes. The ice cream will continue to get fluffier and grow. (More bang for your calorie- buck)
5. Enjoy now, or divide into 2 separate container and place in the freezer for later.


Cookie Dough


Adapted from OhSheGlows!

Serving size: 40 cookie dough balls (or 120 smaller balls)
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (or other nut)
• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 Tbsp sugar (fructose or splenda would work fine here as well)
• 1/8 tsp salt (I used salt sense)
• 1/4 cup smashed banana (or 2 Tbsp maple syrup/agave nectar/honey)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a food processor, add the almonds and oatmeal and process until they turn into a fine crumble.
2. Add the flour, sugar and salt and do the same.
3. Add in the banana or syrup and vanilla extract. Process until combined.
4. Make into 40 cookie dough balls or 120 smaller balls (its easier to break the larger ones up later though)


*Store in the freezer until ready to use.


Tip: Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray so that the cookie dough won't stick to your fingers.



Homemade Banana Chocolate


Ingredients: 

• 1 ripe banana
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

 Directions:
1. Break up the banana and puree in a food processor until smooth.
2. Add the cocoa powder and mix in the food processor until completely combined.
3. Place a piece of wax paper or aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Scoop the chocolate mixture out onto the paper/foil. Place another piece of paper/foil sprayed with nonstick spray on top. Using a rolling pin, roll out the chocolate mixture until thin.
4. Freeze until hard. 


*Store in the freezer until ready to use.


Here is a picture of the cookie dough ice cream BEFORE it is combined:

 Now, scoop out a big chunk of your cookie dough ice cream... 

and put it on an ice cream cone! (I WILL REPEAT: Ice cream is meant to be on a cone and this recipe will not live up to its full potential if you put it in a bowl.... CONELESS!)