Garlic lovers rejoice! Grilling the eggplant and adding loads of garlic and onion give this dip a real bite. Serve with pita crisps or warmed whole wheat pita and you have a real Middle Eastern delight. Fill up on this party appetizer and not on the heavier fare and you’ll surely be leaner and fitter on New Year’s Day!

 

Food weight: 1.0

 

Yield: 14 servings (serving size: 102 grams or ~ 3.5 ounces)

 

 Ingredients:

 

• 2 large eggplants
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Dash of freshly ground pepper
• Pinch of ground cumin

 

DirectionsCut the ends off the eggplant and slice lengthwise, cutting almost all the way through so that eggplant halves fan open. Place each eggplant on enough aluminum foil so that you can close the foil around the eggplant and create a closed cooking pouch. Spread ½ a tablespoon olive oil on each eggplant half. Add half the onion and 2 minced garlic to each eggplant. Seal the aluminum foil and place on a grill, cooking over medium high heat for approximately 40 minutes until the flesh of the eggplant is soft. Remove from grill and aluminum foil and cool. Scoop out cooked eggplant flesh, cooked onions and garlic and place in a food processor. Add in remaining ingredients (garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, yogurt, salt, pepper and cumin) and process until smooth. Serve with pita chips or warmed whole wheat pita, either at room temperature or chilled.

 

Nutritional Information per Serving (1/14thof recipe, 102 grams):
Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 67, Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 88 mg,
Carbohydrate: 7 g, Dietary Fiber: 0 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 1 g

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Recipe Source: An excerpt from the book Cholesterol Down by Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN; Published by Three Rivers Press; December 2006; $13.95US/$17.95CAN; 978-0-307-33911-9 Copyright © 2006 Janet Brill, Ph.D. To learn more about this book please visit CholesterolDownBook.com

Recipe: Grilled Tuna

Food weight: 3.5


Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 tuna steak)

Ingredients:

• 2 tuna steaks (6 ounces each)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Fresh lemon wedges, for garnish

 

DirectionsPreheat grill (medium-high heat) or broiler. Season tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Combine jam and mustard in a small bowl. Baste fish with half the jam mixture. Place tuna on grill. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, and spread with remaining jam mixture. Grill on the other side until center is slightly pink, about 5 more minutes. Garnish with fresh lemon slices.

 

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 tuna steak):
Food Weight: 3.5, Calories: 343, Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 64 mg, Sodium: 760 mg,
Carbohydrate: 26 g, Dietary Fiber: 0 g, Sugars: 25 g, Protein: 40 g

 

Recipe Source: An excerpt from the book Cholesterol Down by Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN; Published by Three Rivers Press; December 2006;$13.95US/$17.95CAN; 978-0-307-33911-9 Copyright © 2006 Janet Brill, Ph.D. To learn more about this book please visit CholesterolDownBook.com.

Tips on shoe type

Next time you are at the gym look around at the different shoes that people choose to wear. You will see construction boots, slippers, slip ons, shoes that look and probably are 10 years old and then the occassional brand new pair of shoes appropriate for exercise.


I just want to point out why this is so wrong! Everybody has a different foot some wide, narrow, high arch, flat foot, feet that turn in and feet that turn out. The type of shoe that you choose to workout in should be specifically designed for your foot type. You can seek the advice of your chiropractor about what type of shoe you should be wearing or go to a specialty store and they will analyze the way that you walk, take into consideration your activity and fit you with a shoe that meets your needs. These shoes are not going to cost you any more that the shoes you pick out on your own. They can, however, save you alot of problems down the road. I have seen it many times when clients do not take this advice and end up with knee, foot, back or hip pain. Yes, your shoe can negatively affect all of those joints when wearing the wrong shoe.

My advice is to spend your money on the right shoe instead of the cute workout outfit and save yourself the hassle of an injury. One last thing when you do buy those new shoes carry them to the gym and only wear them there. This will make them last longer and will make the gym managers happy : )

Lighter, yet still creamy & cheesy warm spinach dip

This traditional holiday appetizer can wreck your lightened up holiday plate due to the huge amount of saturated fat and calories (coming from the full-fat cheese, mayo and sour cream). Substituting lower calorie versions and adding in artichokes and lots of spinach will help lighten this dish yet still preserve the flavor. Serve with baked tortilla chips, or whole grain pita crisps or better yet, raw veggies!

Food weight: 1.0

Yield: 5 ½ cups (serving size: ¼ cup)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup fat-free sour cream
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 fresh garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 can (14 oz) water-packed artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
• 8 oz. block light cream cheese
• 8 oz. block fat-free cream cheese
• 16 oz. bag frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 8 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

DirectionsPreheat oven to 350 ºF. Combine all ingredients listed above mozzarella cheese and stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into 1 ½ qt. casserole dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Nutritional Information per Serving (1/4 cup):

Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 90, Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 10 mg, Sodium: 330 mg,
Carbohydrate: 5 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 8 g

Is it bad to eat before bed?

A calorie is still a calorie no matter if it's eaten at 11AM or 11PM. That said, it is often helpful for many people to curb their daily calorie intake (if they are interested in weight management) by setting a cut-off time at night to stop eating. It is also much healthier and in your best interest to eat small frequent meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar steady and give a boost to your metabolism. So try not to eat most of your calories at dinnertime or before bed.

I think it's great that you take a nap when you can. Napping is a wonderful way to de-stress and re-energize yourself during a hectic day. Eating before napping is perfectly fine as long as it falls into your daily food weight budget.

And remember: The holidays are a joyous time of year but can also be a source of major stress for many people. Stress can harm your health, which is why it’s important now more than ever to prioritize taking care of you too. Focus on eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Learn to say no, and avoid pressures from others’ expectations—as often as you can.

FT’s salmon in parchment paper

Food Weight: 4.0


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 salmon filet)

Ingredients

4 skinless salmon filets (6 oz. each)

¾ pound fresh green beans, trimmed

12 strips of lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

4 tsp. capers (rinsed and drained)

Coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

4 tsp. Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Tear off four 1 ½ foot long pieces of parchment paper (available at the supermarket next to the aluminum foil). Place salmon filets in the center of each parchment paper. Top each filet with green beans, capers and lemon zest. Season each filet with salt and pepper and drizzle each with 1 tsp. olive oil. Fold parchment paper into an envelope shaped packet. Place packets on a baking sheet and cook for approximately 15 minutes until salmon is cooked.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 salmon filet):

Food Weight: 4.0, Calories: 420, Fat: 28 g, Cholesterol: 95 mg, Sodium: 540 mg, Carbohydrate: 6 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 2 g, Protein: 36

Keeping your get-fit resolutions

One of the best ways to stick to your workout plan is to have a workout buddy - somebody who will be counting on you to show up. You might decide to carpool with a friend to a yoga or aerobics class, or maybe you make a new friend at the gym, or find a fellow runner in your neighborhood who you can keep pace with. When your own personal motivation to get fit (or keep your resolution) isn't enough to get you out the door, knowing that you've made a commitment to your workout buddy probably will. You can encourage each other when you're not feeling it, and celebrate your triumphs and successes together.


Set goals that you know you can obtain. You won't be able to lose 30 pounds in one month, and you probably won't be able to hit the gym everyday. Instead, set a goal for something you know you can achieve, such as signing up for and taking a new class at your gym, working up to a higher number of reps or higher weights in your workout. You could also find new ways to incorporate exercise into your daily life- such as taking the stairs at work, or doing ab exercises while waiting in the line at the grocery store or while sitting in your chair at work. Tell people about your goals. Not only will this create an expectation for you to achieve them, but it will help keep those goals on your mind. Don't be afraid to ask for support from your family and friends.

Recipe: Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Food weight: 2.0

Ingredients

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: ~ 2/3 cup)

· 5 pound bag of organic russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
· 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

· 1 cup half & half

· 1 Tbsp. butter
· ½ tsp garlic salt

· ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper

· Chopped fresh chives (optional)

DirectionsPlace potatoes into a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 15 minutes or so until potatoes are tender. Drain in colander and return potatoes to Dutch oven. Add the cheese and the rest of the ingredients (except for chives), mash with a potato masher and mix until smooth. Garnish with chives if desired.