Recipe: HALLOWEEN BAKED APPLES (WITH WORMS)

Healthy, perfect for the holiday and a great way to get your kids to eat fruit and fiber!

Food weight: 1.5

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 6 servings

·         6 red baking apples, cored and sliced

·         ¼ cup raisins

·         1 Tbsp light Benecol or Promise Take Control margarine

·         Juice of 1 lemon

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         Pinch nutmeg

·         1 Tbsp brown sugar

·         6 candy gummy worms

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine apples, raisins, lemon juice, spices and sugar in a large baking dish. Cover and bake until apples are tender (about 35 minutes). Place in separate bowls and garnish with one gummy worm.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Food weight: 1.5, Calories: 137, Fat: 2.5 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 28 mg,
Carbohydrate 31 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Protein: 0.5 g

October Arm Shaping Workout

Arm Shaping Workout

Reverse Rows (x12)
Tricep Kickbacks (x15 per side)
Front Raises (x15)
Side Plank (30 seconds per side)
Concentration Curls (x15)
Lateral Raises (x15)

Repeat 3 times!

Dig into NIGHTSHADES this Halloween season!

It’s the season for magic spells, witches, ghosts and goblins. It is also a perfect time to get those nightshades into your diet. Nightshade fruits and vegetables include white potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, green, yellow or red bell peppers, hot peppers, and the tobacco plant.

Other less recognizable nightshade plants include belladonna, tomatillos, pimentos, ground cherries garden huckleberry and Morning Glory as well as the seasonings/spices are Tabasco sauce, Paprika, and Cayenne pepper.

Nightshades contain a group of substances called alkaloids. Alkaloids can adversely affect people with joint problems who are sensitive to these compounds. (Note that cooking nightshades can decrease the alkaloid content by up to 50 %.)

That said nightshades are actually nutrition powerhouses. Eggplant, for example, is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants. With its delicious taste and “meaty” texture, eggplant is a favorite among vegetarians and is extremely versatile in cooking. With zero fat and a mere 27 calories in a 1-cup serving, eggplant makes an excellent addition to any diet.

October Leg Burner Workout

Burn those legs!

Jump Squats (x15)
Side Kicks (x12 per leg)
Mountain Climbers (30 seconds)
Step Ups (x10 per leg)
Calf Raises (x50)
Single Leg Dead Lifts (x12 per leg)

Eat eggplant--the purple powerhouse!

For a mere 20 calories in an entire cup, it doesn't get any better than eggplant for “beefing up” your Italian dinner—the heart-healthy way. The rich meaty taste of eggplant is why vegetarians love this purple wonder food. Just like tomatoes and peppers, eggplant falls under the nightshade family of vegetables, which technically (botanically speaking) are really fruits because they are seed-bearing structures. Eggplants are simply perfect for whipping up simple, healthy and creative dishes. They contain loads of fiber as well as numerous vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (antioxidants helpful in warding off disease). A one-cup serving of eggplant provides 2.8 g of fiber, 189 mg of potassium and 18 mcg of folic acid to name but a few. Plus, the skin contains resveratrol—the same antioxidant found in red wine! To sum it all up, dig into eggplant whenever you can for a low-calorie fiber-boosting meal staple.