Holiday Treats

How about some easy and nutritious Chocolate Mousse for your next Holiday gathering? You'll need to make it a couple hours before your guests arrive.

Here's all you'll need:

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 1/4 cup cold soy milk
1 package (10.5 ounce) silken tofu

How to make this tasty treat:

1. Blend the chocolate pudding mix and the soy milk on medium speed for about 15 seconds until the mixture is very smooth.

2. Add the silken tofu and blend again. Scrape the the sides to be sure it’s all mixed in. Blend and scrape until well mixed and very smooth.

3. Pour mixture into 4 small serving dishes.

4. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Who says eating healthy has to be boring? Enjoy your Holiday gatherings with lots of good healthy treats! And keep making healthy eating choices!

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Party Time! Eat Healthy and Lose Weight!

Let the Holiday parties begin. These last few weeks before Christmas are filled with fun Holiday gatherings. And these Holiday parties are usually filled with great foods to enjoy! Here are a few tips to help keep your Christmas parties a little healthier:

Start with a lean choice:

The leanest beef cuts include round steaks and roasts (round eye, top round, bottom round, round tip), top loin, top sirloin, and chuck shoulder and arm roasts. If you're serving beef - try to stay with one of these leaner choices. Your waistline will thank you!

The leanest pork choices include pork loin, tenderloin, center loin, and ham. Trim the fat and keep your weight in check!

Choose extra lean ground beef. The label should say at least “90% lean”. You may be able to find ground beef that is 93% or 95% lean.

Buy skinless chicken parts, or take off the skin before cooking.

Choose lean turkey, roast beef, ham, or low-fat luncheon meats for sandwiches instead of luncheon meats with more fat, such as regular bologna or salami.

Enjoy the Holidays with your friends and loved ones. And, if you want to keep your slim waist - or even lose a few pounds before the New Year rolls around - watch what you eat! Remember - the quickest way to lose weight is eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise!

The Joy of

Right now, someone is probably making a nice big sandwich piled high with delicious turkey leftover from yesterday's big feast! Bread slathered with mayo and maybe a little lettuce. But mostly turkey! They - whoever "they" are - say that turkey is actually good for you! Good source of protein or something - without a bunch of fat! Please pass the mayo....

I'm more into beef. Roast beef. Any beef. I love rib eyes and filets and TBones! And ribs and links and a great big, juicy hamburger now and then. Who knew that eating such delights would further global warming and the ruin of our environment.

A recent study, undoubtedly funded by government grants, reports that methane gas emitted by cattle is causing harm to our environment. The folks who offer these findings suggest that reducing the number of cattle raised for beef consumption will result in less harm to the ozone layer.

In my quest towards eating healthy I guess eating less of those tasty meats I so enjoy will eventually help improve our Earth's fragile environment!

So why not make lunch today with some good old fashion peanut butter - undoubtedly derived from pesticide-laden peanuts grown in ultra fertilized soil shedding nitrogen into our streams and rivers. Or I could roll the dice and buy some organic spinach and hope it lacks any strains of salmonella. Or bite into a tasty apple chock full of pesticide residue.

Or, Maybe I'll just fast today!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are abundant this time of year. Most stores are even cutting their price some for the Thanksgiving Holiday in the states. An excellent source of vitamin A and rich in healthy fiber, sweet potatoes make healthy eating easy!

Try some healthy roasted sweet potatoes at your next family meal:

Here's all you need -

4 or 5 sweet potatoes
2 chopped carrots
1 red onion - chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Season with your favorite spices


Now, let's get cooking:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut sweet potatoes into large chunks.

3. Place in a medium bowl and pour oil over top. Add seasonings or Parmesan and mix well.

4. Spread an even layer on a baking sheet.

5. Bake for 1 hour.

For another tasty sweet potatoes dish - try these yummy sweet potatoes. Keep eating healthy and enjoy this wonderful time of year! To your Health and Wellness!

Eating More Healthy Fiber

Here's an easy way to get almost 1/3 of your daily fiber in one easy and tasty salad:

What you'll need:

4 cups fresh spinach
4 cups Romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped green pepper (or use red, yellow, or orange)
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup sliced yellow squash
2 cups sliced cucumber
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup sliced zucchini

Simply wash and chop. Then combine all the ingredients in a big salad bowl and serve with your favorite low-cal, low-fat dressing!

Read on for more about healthy fiber.

What to buy for your favorite cook ( or parents )

What do you get your parents who seem to have everything? Maybe this year we’ll get gifts they will actually use. Mom and Dad both love to cook. Their delightful culinary creations have warmed our tummies for years. The pleasing aroma upon entering Mom’s kitchen is always a treat.

Her spaghetti sauce is one of my favorites. The unmistakable aroma of Mom’s marinara simmering on the stove top signaled a delicious evening meal was in the works! She’d start her preparations early in the afternoon. Washing tomatoes and herbs. Making sure her large sauce pan and large stock pot were spotless. Move loved making spaghetti and it showed! We loved coming home from school to that pleasing aroma.

Growing up in a large, middle class family we weren’t even aware that spaghetti sauce came in a jar or can. It wasn’t until college that I discovered you could shell out a couple bucks and get a jar of pre-made sauce. I’m all for convenience and easy. And still nothing comes close to Mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce.

Dad’s pizza night was always a treat! He loved making Pizza and we loved eating it! Growing up we didn’t know the ease and convenience of pizza delivery! Luckily we have a Dad who loves pizza and knows how to make an incredibly delicious pizza pie!

Maybe this Christmas I’ll get Mom another piece of copper-core cookware. She might enjoy a new Chef’s pan or maybe even another saucier. Luckily we can still buy gourmet stainless steel cookware made right here in the USA!

Maybe I’ll get her to cook some spaghetti over the holidays!

Easy mashed sweet potatoes

Add a little fiber and a healthy full day's supply of vitamin A with this delicious and easy to make Sweet potato dish.

Here's all you'll need:
2 large sweet potatoes
2 Tablespoons yogurt, nonfat
1 Tablespoon maple syrup ( try real, Vermont Maple syrup! )
1 Tablespoon honey
a pinch or two of cinnamon

Now, all you need to do:
1. Prick potato skins with a fork. Microwave on high for 3 to 4 minute until soft and easily pierced with a knife.

2. Scoop out the soft, inner potato pulp into a bowl. Mash the potatoes and stir in the yogurt, maple syrup, and honey. Transfer to a microwave safe serving bowl and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through. sprinkle with cinnamon!

Autumn is a great time of year to enjoy the fruits of harvest. Sweet potatoes are abundant and inexpensive this time of year. Enjoy this delicious treat and get 10% of your daily fiber!

More healthy eating tips.

Here's another sweet potato recipe sure to please your family and guests this Thanksgiving!