Visions of Sugar plum fairies and Christmas cookies dancing in your head. The Holiday season is here and is filled with plenty of Hustle, bustle, and Holiday Cheer! While the holidays are a time to rejoice, celebrate and share fond memories, it also a time for eating, eating and more eating. Wherever you go, whatever you do, food always seems to be the central focus. The Holiday season is also one of the hardest times of the year for those trying to lose or maintain their weight and the average person gains 5-12 pounds during the Holidays! Don't let yourself be included in that statistic this year and stick to a game plan for tackling this Holiday Season! Be sure to include healthy snacks and meals in your plan and try to find time to exercise to avoid being mistaken for a jelly belly Santa Claus come New Years!
Venturing out this year on Black Friday to jumpstart your Holiday Shopping? You never know how long you may be shopping those Holiday deals or what time you may get home. Going hours without eating will guarantee starvation, little willpower to make healthy decisions, and gorging on everything in sight when you finally sit down to eat. The key to healthy eating during the Holidays is planning! Plan dinner and prepare a nourishing slow cooked meal using the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Also, make sure to pack nutritious snacks to keep those midday hunger pains at bay and help you avoid the Food Court diet disasters. Don't go shopping without healthy snacks or forget to start the slow cooker. You will save money and eat healthy and when you return, you will be welcomed by the inviting aroma of a hearty soup to warm you up!
Lara Veazey's On-the-Go Snack List to keep in your purse, car, or office:
• Emerald and Blue Diamond Almonds 100 calorie packs (Cocoa roasted, dry roasted)
• Trail Mix-make your own using a high Fiber cereal, dried fruit, nuts such as walnuts or almonds)
• Granola Bars- (Kashi Pumpkin Spice and other varieties, Fiber One Chewy Chocolate Chip
• Protein bars- Zone Bars, Kashi Go Lean Bars, Luna Bars, Muscle Milk Light Bars
• Justin's Nut Butter Individual packets (Honey roasted peanut butter, Maple Almond butter
• Good Sense Honey Roasted Soy nuts or Farmers mix trail mix
• High Fiber crackers >3g fiber ( Kashi, All Bran, Triscuits)
• String Cheese
• Individual pretzel packs
• 1/2 peanut butter and honey sandwich
• Grab-N-Go Fruit - pears, plums, Clementine's, apples, bananas, grapes
Not sure what to make with all of the leftover Turkey from Thanksgiving? Make a delicious and nutritious soup using light turkey shavings.
Healthy and Easy Crockpot Turkey Soup RecipeBy: Lara Veazey, MA, RD/LD, NSCA-CPT, Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer
Ingredients:
• 1 can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes with diced chiles
• 2 cups shredded boneless, skinless light turkey meat,
• 3-4 cups Reduced Sodium chicken broth
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 medium poblano pepper, chopped
• 1 medium green or yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 can of Kidney beans or Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin,
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1-2 tsp minced garlic
Directions:
1. Place all prepared ingredients in crockpot and cover.
2. Cook on low setting for about 5 to 5 1/2 hours.
3. When ready to serve, add your favorite multi-grain crackers and enjoy! This soup is delicious and sure to be a crowd favorite! Full of Flavor and filled with fiber!
**Makes 8 (1 cup servings)
Nutrition Information per serving: 155 Calories, 1.5 g Total Fat, 0.4g Sat Fat, 19g Carbohydrate, 17g protein, 7g Dietary Fiber, 1g Sugar, 344mg Potassium, 24mg Cholesterol, 400mg Sodium
Posts
