Holiday Series: Lighter, Yet Still Creamy & Cheesy 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

Ingredients

Yield: 5 ½ cups (serving size: ¼ cup)

• 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

Directions

Preheat 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

Talking Turkey!

Did you know that ninety-five percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving? Skinless, white meat turkey is a superb lean and light protein source, so here are some turkey tips:

• Consider purchasing a fresh turkey from your grocery store. It’s defrosted and there is no added fat or sodium! (Fresh turkey should be firm to the touch.)
• Plan on a half-pound serving per person.
• Roast your turkey at a minimum oven temp of 325 ºF. A whole turkey is done when the internal temp reaches 180 ºF.
• Leave the skin on while roasting, remove before serving.
• For added color and nutrition in your gravy, roast with added carrots, celery, onion and garlic. (Baste turkey but try to keep the opening of the oven door to a minimum.)
• Lighter gravy recipe: 
• Strain broth from roasting pan and pour into a shallow pan and freeze for a few minutes. 
• Remove fat layer (fat rises to the top and can be removed with a kitchen spoon). You can also use a gravy fat separator cup available at most cooking supply stores. 
• Bring 2 cups of strained and defatted broth to a boil. Dissolve 1 Tbsp corn starch in 2 Tbsp water and add slowly to broth. Bring back to a boil, remove from stove and serve hot.

  A HAPPY and HEALTHY Thanksgiving from all of us at Fitness Together!

Recipe: Holiday Series- THREE Light Green Bean Recipes

Green beans, another traditional holiday favorite, are naturally low in calories and fat-free. Just be sure not to ruin a perfectly light and healthy side dish with creamy soup and fried onions! Instead…try steaming the green beans and then top with this delicious vinaigrette that will both please your palette and curb your holiday weight gain. Remember…double up on the green beans and cranberries and eat smaller portions of the “heavier” holiday foods!

1. Light & Healthy Green Beans with Vinaigrette

Food weight: 2.0

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: ~ 1 cup)
        ·    2 pounds trimmed fresh green beans
        ·    2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
        ·    ¼ cup minced shallots
        ·    3 Tbsp coarsely chopped almonds
        ·    2 Tbsp brown sugar
        ·    ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

Steam green beans for ~5 minutes or until done. Drain and set aside. In a small skillet, sauté shallots in olive oil for ~ one minute until lightly browned. Add almonds, sauté one minute. Remove from heat, let cool then add sugar and vinegar—stirring until sugar dissolves.
Pour vinaigrette over beans, tossing gently to coat.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Food weight: 2.0, Calories: 210, Fat: 10 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 15 mg,
Carbohydrate: 28 g, Dietary Fiber: 7 g, Protein: 6 g

2.  Roasted Green beans with Shallots

Food weight: 1.5

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: ~ 1 cup)
        ·    2 pounds fresh trimmed green beans
        ·    2 shallots, minced
        ·    2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
        ·    Salt & pepper to taste
        ·    2 Tbsp sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 ºF.

In a large bowl, toss green beans, shallots, oil and salt and pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet. Roast at 400 ºF for ~ 20 minutes until beans are lightly browned (stir halfway). Put in a serving bowl and toss with almonds.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Food weight: 1.5, Calories: 160, Fat: 9 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 15 mg,
Carbohydrate: 19 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 5 g

   
3. EZ and Delicious Green Beans

Food Weight: 1.5

Yield: 4 Servings

·    2 pounds trimmed fresh green beans

·    2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

·    4 teaspoons Dijon or stone ground mustard

·    Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste, optional

Cook beans in a large pot of boiling water until tender crisp (approximately three to four minutes). Drain beans and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well and pat dry. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté green beans with mustard and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until heated (approximately four minutes). Serve hot.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (approximately 1 cup):
Food weight: 1.5, Calories: 140, Fat: 7 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 135 mg, Carbohydrate: 17 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 4 g

It's the Holiday Series Makeover Tips Time of Year Again!

Unfortunately, 'tis the season for holiday stress -- between financial woes, endless parties and simply trying to make everyone happy, November and December can oftentimes bring more anxiety than joy. These months are also nutrition land mines for many people. Take action now to plan out your healthy eating and exercise strategies so that you give yourself the gift of better health this hectic, stress-filled time of year.

Recipe: Holiday Series - Light Pumpkin Pudding

Packed with vitamins, this seasonal treat is fabulous!

Food weight: 1.0

Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)
•1 cup canned pumpkin
•1 package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
•1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
•1 ¼ cups fat-free milk

Directions
Mix all ingredients together and place in individual bowls. Chill until set. Serve with nonfat whipped topping.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 77, Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 2 mg, Sodium: 380 mg, Carbohydrate: 15 g, Dietary Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 4 g

Eat More Plants, Live Longer and Better!

For better health, try to eat a more plant-based diet. Tap into Mother Nature’s exquisite rainbow-colored cornucopia of fruits and vegetables--truly the class of foods that keeps our arteries healthy and clean. Head for your green grocer and harness the phenomenal medicinal power of natural plant compounds. Buy them fresh, buy them often, and fill your body with a spectrum of healthy colors, nature’s medicine chest. Dig into this week's delicious and light salad recipe made with an array of medicinal plant compounds: arugula (an anti-cancer cruciferous green); radicchio and tomatoes (plant antioxidant powerhouses); basil and garlic (herbs that are virtual phytochemical factories); extra virgin olive oil (packed with powerful plant antioxidants called “polyphenols,” known to soothe inflammation); lemon juice (adding vitamin C and potassium—a mineral superstar when it comes to helping you attain a healthy blood pressure reading.

Recipe: Arugula Salad with Garlic Tomato Vinaigrette

If you like Italian, then you’ll love this simple yet elegant salad!


Food weight: 1.5

Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: ¼ salad recipe plus ~ ¼ cup dressing)

Dressing:
•Two fresh basil leaves, shredded
•2 tablespoons chopped garlic
•4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
•4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
•Juice from a fresh lemon
•¼ teaspoons salt
•¼ teaspoon pepper
•3 plum tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

For the dressing: In a bowl, combine all dressing ingredients (except tomatoes) and whisk until blended. Add tomatoes and blend with vinaigrette. Chill dressing until serving salad.

Salad:

Yield: 4 servings
•3 cups arugula
•1 small head of radicchio, chopped into bite size pieces
•1 Belgian endive, end cut off and leaves separated

DirectionsFor the salad: Place greens in salad bowl and toss. Add desired amount of salad dressing and serve.

Nutritional Information (¼ of the salad greens with ~ ¼ cup dressing):

Food weight: 1.5, Calories: 145, Fat: 10 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 149 mg, Carbohydrate: 11 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 4 g, Protein: 2 g

PACK Training!

We are introducing PACK training!  We are combining the energy of up to four people with coaching from a certified trainer, all in a private setting!  From swinging battle ropes at full speed to using suspension trainers to conduct pull-ups, PACK training participants engage in total body movements designed for maximum results - a similar approach to a professional athlete's training, yet scaled to meet each person's fitness level.  There isn't anything comparable!  Come check it out!

An Apple A Day...

No doubt about it, apples are a truly a miracle health food, especially for the heart. Apples contain a wealth of cholesterol-fighting compounds, most notably pectin, but also many antioxidants and dietary fiber. In addition to lowering cholesterol, they have been shown to reduce the risk of lung and prostate cancer, as well as these health benefits:

-The pectin fiber in apples helps diabetics maintain a steady blood sugar level.
-Apples are an excellent addition to any weight-loss plan. Low calorie and nutrient dense, they are a filling and portable sweet treat, ideal for curbing hunger pains.
-Apples are healthful for maintaining lung function and have even been shown to ameliorate asthma symptoms.
-Called “nature’s toothbrush,” apples work the gums and clean the teeth.
The tannins in apples help to ward off urinary tract infections.

So follow that old adage and eat your apple a day!