Packing a Tasty Snack for the Road

Since I was not fortunate enough to travel to a tropical paradise this spring break, I decided to bring the tropics home by making a yummy fruit salad.  Instead of jetting off to the beach, I spent a weekend at Union College in Schenectady, New York with my two sisters that go there.  Since the drive is 3 hours, I decided to pack a healthy snack.  Since the weather is getting warmer and fruit is now in season, when I went to the grocery store, I picked up 4 kiwis, a container of strawberries and a container of blueberries all totaling under $10, which is  great deal for lots of fruit!  I put together a fruit salad with my 3 favorite fruits for my car trip snack and it was delicious!

 
Some Interesting Health Facts

Kiwis:  This fruit is very high in vitamins and minerals.  Kiwis contain more vitamin C than oranges do and just as much potassium as bananas contain.  Studies have show that eating kiwi helps your respiratory system immensely.

Strawberries: they are a great source of vitamin C, K, and B6, as well as fibers and flavonoids.  These flavonoids that strawberries contain help to protect against inflammations, heart disease and cancer.

Blueberries:  they contain flavonoids and anthocyanidins, which are antioxidants.  They have the highest content of antioxidants, which may protect against Alzheimer's disease and prevent stress and age related diseases, as well as improve people's vision.


(information found on http://www.everynutrient.com)

Put a Stop to Your Sugar Cravings

Decadent Desserts That Don't Cramp Your Style

I admit, I have a sweet tooth!  One thing that I always crave is desserts.  I am a huge chocolate fan and love anything that is sweet.  I like to bake and I really love simple and easy to make recipes.  Many people when they are trying to lose weight feel that they need to cut out dessert completely from their diets.  This is not entirely true.  In order to maintain a healthy diet and to put a stop to your sugar cravings, you should still include some form of sugar or dessert in your diet, the key is to just eat it in moderation and to cut the amount of calories and fat by choosing healthier desserts.  One of my favorite dessert to make is oatmeal raisin cookies! They are not only very tasty, but they are low in calories and are a great example of a dessert that still satisfies your cravings but doesn't load on the fat.  This recipe below is for cookies that are only 225 calories!

 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

• Boiling water
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1. In a bowl, add the raisins and cover with boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes. Once plumped, drain the raisins and set aside to cool completely.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

3. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat the apple butter, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the oats and raisins.

5. Using a rounded tablespoon, drop the cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart (12 per sheet). Bake until the cookies are no longer wet-looking in the center, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

(Recipe found on FoodNetwork.com)

Healthy and Hearty Meals

Say Goodbye to Seasonal Depression

Personally, I am not a fan of winter.  I really don't like the snow and I hate being cold.  During the winter people tend to eat more, consuming approximately 6 to 7 percent more calories then when it is warm out.  One of the reasons people tend to consume more is because many people are inside their homes more in winter and cooking and eating gives them something to do with their time.  Another reason is that some people experience winter or seasonal depression.  This causes them to eat more and normally leads to a significant weight gain.  Ways to avoid this is to cook up healthy, hearty meals that are low in calories and are nutritionally balanced!

A recipe that is one of my families favorites is:

Homemade Chicken Soup

Directions:

1. Top chicken with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and basil flakes

2. Place the chicken in the oven to bake

3. When half way cooked add in mixture and let heat up on the stove.

Mixture Ingredients:

-can of chicken broth

-2 teaspoons of minced garlic

-chopped up red onion

-can of artichoke hearts chopped

-package of sun-dried tomatoes

-olives

(Recipe courtesy of my mom, Joanna Flanagan)

Healthy Snacking

Snacks:

To ward off that hunger in between meals snacks are key.  Many dieters look down upon snacks thinking it is just extra calories and ones to lead to extra pounds, this notion however is false.  Snacks not only keep our stomachs full and minds alert, but they keep us from over indulging at meals.  As with everything there are healthy snacks and not so healthy snacks. Instead of sugar filled, chemically altered, and packed with fat, focus on snacks that provide us with fiber, whole wheat carbohydrates, and of course protein to give us that energy boost.  One easy snack to make is a trail mix.  This trail mix provides us with healthy fats, lots of protein and those essential carbohydrates.  This snack is portable and easy to make on a Sunday and have for the week ahead.  Feel free to substitute your favorite nuts in place of my choices, here is my favorite trail mix recipe:

Almond Lover Trail Mix

Ingredients

•   1 cup cocoa-dusted almonds

•   1 cup dry-roasted almonds

•   1 cup pitted dried dates, chopped

•   1 cup raisins (golden or regular)

•   1 cup prunes, chopped

•   1 cup dried apricots, chopped

Directions

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Store in an air tight container.