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!