Monthly Archives: November 2012
My Cranberry Sauce Was A Hit!
I hope everyone in the states had a lovely Thanksgiving! Are you still in a food coma? Or are you fighting fellow shoppers over Black Friday deals? Did you have leftover pie for breakfast?
Good spread! Our dinner was full of color, and it was as tasty as it was bright! Our family is small, so it was just my mom, dad, and I (and Missy – who enjoyed a “Frosty Paws” doggie ice cream!) for our Thanksgiving meal. We had the traditional turkey, which my dad cooked to perfection, along with all NEW sides that we made for the first time this year.
Including…my Cranberry Sauce! I found a recipe for a homemade cranberry sauce that did not include “sugar” on it’s ingredients list.
I’m sorry if you are a fan of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce, but that dense goo in a can is hardly the sort of condiment I want to put on my beautifully cooked turkey meat. To me, it is a strange texture with loads of refined sugars and a barely palatable after-taste.
My mom has always had an aversion to cranberry sauce, but she had only been exposed to the aforementioned canned variety and was pleasantly surprised by the fresh, homemade batch I made bright and early yesterday morning.
Low-Sugar Cranberry Sauce:
- 1 (12 oz) package of whole cranberries
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup crushed pineapple + 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3 Tbs Honey or Agave Necter
1.) Wash and rinse cranberries; combine cranberries, applesauce, pineapple and pineapple juice, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2.) Allow cranberry mixture to simmer, stirring constantly, for 10-15 minutes while the cranberries explode (Yes, EXPLODE. You will hear them pop and sizzle while they burst open and thicken up. Fun!)
3.) Add in ginger and honey; allow to simmer over medium heat for another 10-15 minutes until it thickens into a crimson sauce.
4.) Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Another motivating factor to make your own cranberry sauce: it contains nearly 1/2 of the calories and sugar of the canned jellied kind. One quarter cup of this homemade sauce is 65 calories, 10 grams of sugar, and 1.5 grams of fiber.
*Canned jellied sauces are 110 calories per 1/4 cup with 21 grams of sugar (most of which come from refined cane sugar) and only .5 grams of fiber. Little adjustments really count!
Later I will have to share our stuffing recipe. (There’s bacon…)
In a few minutes, I will be heading out for a loooong hike with my family. We’ll be making some turkey-cranberry sandwiches for dinner when we get back! (And we can’t let that pumpkin pie go to waste ;) ) What do you do with your leftovers?
Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving
I’m happy to be home with my family for Thanksgiving this beautiful morning! I arrived bright and early yesterday morning (by train!) and was reunited with my mom, my Missy, and less than an hour later I was reunited with LA Fitness. What can I say, we gotta pre-burn every Thanksgiving calorie we can!
This is my first time home in three months, and I’m so happy to get to spend a long weekend with my mom & dad! There’s a mighty long list I can construct of all the things I am thankful for. Among them are: my parents. The ability to run and compete. Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Lattes. The “Undo” button. The snooze button. And this love bug:
The agenda for today includes a nice long run with some quick pick-ups while my dad rides his bike with me. Then some “quality time” in the kitchen as we cook up our turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and vegetables. I’m really lucky that my parents have adopted a healthy lifestyle along with me. We are all very conscious about the nutrition of our food; while the holidays are a time of celebration, it’s still not an excuse to gorge your body with thousands of extra calories.
SO, with that said, our menu includes:
Lean Turkey Breast
Homemade Reduced-Sugar Cranberry Sauce
Homemade Veggie & Fruit-loaded Stuffing
Roasted Vegetable Medley
& Pumpkin Pie!
Of course recipes and pictures will be on their way! There are several ways to reduce the massive-caloric intake that is associated with the Thanksgiving Dinner. I will be making sure to get in a sweaty workout in the morning, and eating light and healthfully before the dinner.
Other obvious “strategies” for having a healthy holiday are eating in moderation and stop eating BEFORE you are uncomfortably stuffed.
Now ENJOY yourself :)
Who is braving the midnight crowds for Black Friday shopping?? I will be warm and snuggly in my bed. Can’t say there are any deals so unbeatable that I am compelled to wake up before the sun.
What healthy tips do you use for the holidays?
Social Sweets and Snacks
I had one of those weekends. Those weekends where your healthy diet is sacrificed for social activities that leave you praying the scale will be nice to you Monday morning. The kind of weekend that was FILLED with friends and fun, and lots of extra indulgences. Sometimes, (okay most of the time) “social” activities include going out to eat or cooking/baking and inevitably eating. This weekend’s social agenda included lots of “extras”. Needless to say, I’m craving my fruits and veggies this morning!
Friday Night: Dinner out at a sports bar. Loved catching up with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while; what the heck, I never eat this kind of food, I can splurge. After dinner I met up with my friend Kerri. She had a sore throat…..better get some ice cream!
Saturday morning: post-run brunch with fellow runner and recent birthday girl Alyssa at a Frozen Yogurt & Waffle joint:
Yes it was every bit as delicious as it looked. And Yes this was the first time I ever had FROZEN YOGURT for breakfast :D
Sunday Funday started out healthy with a weight-lifting session with my roommate and a beautiful run. Then the BAKING began with our friends across the hall. We wanted to make some thanksgiving-esque Turkey Rice Krispie Treats:
But apparently stores quit selling candy corn after Halloween. How are we supposed to make the feathers? We did some quick thinking and came up with another festive treat:
Not sure if more chocolate chips made their way onto the actual pretzels or in our mouths.
White chocolate Candy Cane Pretzels (majority ruled these the favorites.)
& Dark Chocolate Mint-Drizzled Mini Marshmallow Pretzels (cute concept; strange looking.)
Unpictured: Reese’s PB Cup Pretzels (utterly unappetizing looking. still delicious)
It was a fun afternoon decorating and listening to Christmas tunes. Plenty to share!
No doubt I enjoyed every last bite of this weekend’s treats but the fact that it is so FAR from my normal, regimented diet leaves me ready to get on a health streak. Particularly because Thanksgiving is this week and I don’t want any extra guilt when I go for that potato casserole!
SO. What to do after a weekend of indulgences?
- Drink plenty of water. Make sure your body is still hydrated!
- Get back to routine. (Healthy and simple breakfast; sliced fruit for snacks; balanced plates)
- Limit sodium, excess sugar, and refined carbs (which will reduce bloating)
- Add in 10 extra minutes of cardio each day (burning around 500 extra calories between Monday & Friday will help off-set the weekend damage)
- Move on. Don’t dwell on the extra calories; they are already there. Keep up your workouts and you will get back on track.
In other news – 2 more days til I am reunited with my parents, my home, and my Missy!!!
