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Healthy Baking Swaps for the Holidays

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Got a cookie exchange or holiday party to attend soon? December is practically cookie month with all of the cookie trays going around. I know members of my family love to bake tons of cookies to give away as gifts for the holidays. You know those delicious plates filled with several kinds of cookies. How can one resist!
 What if you could swap out ingredients to make your cookies and baked goods a little bit healthier without sacrificing taste? It IS possible. Check out my tips to clean up your cookies yet still taste decadent.

 

Healthy Baking Swaps:
  • Instead of 1 cup sugar use ¾ cup sugar, no one will even notice, that is 4 tablespoons less sugar right there!
  • Use less processed sugars like raw honey, maple syrup, turbinado sugar in place of refined white sugar. This is a 1:1 swap.
  • Use fresh or frozen berries in recipes instead of dried fruit to cut back on added sugars.
  • Instead of 1 whole egg, use 1 tablespoon ground flax plus 3 tablespoons water. Mix and set aside 5 minutes to allow flax egg to gel. This adds extra fiber and cuts down on fat.
  • Instead of 1 cup oil use ½ cup oil and ½ cup applesauce or mashed banana or cooked pumpkin.
  • Replace ½ cup of baking flour with rolled oats or quinoa flakes for extra nutrition, protein, and fiber.
  • Use gluten free all-purpose baking flour with 3 grams fiber per serving instead of all-purpose white flour.
  • Use ½ cup of mini chocolate chips instead of 1 cup of regular size chocolate chips to reduce sugar and fat.
What are your best baking swaps? I’d love to hear from you.

What’s On My Thanksgiving Table This Year

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Happy Thanksgiving this week! We will be celebrating with family and looking forward to some fun and relaxation.

I wanted to share with you what we’ll be enjoying this year.

Thanksgiving Menu:

*Greenwise Turkey (humanely raised without hormones or antibiotics, fed a vegetarian diet)

*Traditional dressing (Southern dish made with cornbread, breadcrumbs, eggs, butter, turkey broth)

*Sweet Potato Soufflé (you know the one made with sweet potato and marshmallows on top)

*Garlic Lime Broccoli (garlic and broccoli sautéed with a squeeze of fresh lime and pinch of salt)

*Roasted delicata squash (roasted whole, then sliced)

*Citrus Cranberry Sauce

*Wild Rice (healthy recipe below!!) Or you can make this other version of mine featured on Vitacost.com

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Sweet & Savory Wild Rice (proudly featured on SloBody.com/blog!)

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice blend (or wild rice if you prefer) soak in water 30 min to 4 hours to remove phytic acid

2 medium carrots, diced

1 medium apple, diced (leave peel on)

1 organic zucchini, diced

1 organic yellow squash, diced

Spices:

1/2 tsp each cumin + coriander

1/4 tsp. each ground cinnamon, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Method:

1. Soak rice 30 minutes to 4 hours to remove phytic acid, rinse rice and set aside before cooking.

2. Wash apples and veggies well then dice.

3. Heat medium-sized sauté pan (4 quart) to medium heat, add apple and veggies to cook about 10 minutes. Stir often.

4. Measure out spices then add to sauté pan.

5. Add wild rice and 2 cups of filtered water to pan, bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer

6. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is done.

7. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

8. Serve warm or at room temp.

 

Yield: 5 cups

Dish can be prepared a day or 2 in advance.

 

What is going on your Thanksgiving table this year?

Stress Busting Tips For The Holidays!

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The holidays are a wonderful time of year filled with exciting events, holiday parties, gatherings, family, friends, food and fun! So much going on, it can be overwhelming as much as it is enjoyable. What if you could fully enjoy the holidays and stress less?

Here’s a few of my favorite tips to enjoy this time of the year to the fullest and ditch the stress:

The Freedom of No

As women we care for and nurture others around us. Saying Yes to all that is asked of us, can leave us feeling overloaded and stressed. Saying NO to others is a YES to yourself! Give yourself the time to nourish and care for yourself. In order to continue to enjoy life with those you love, you have to learn to make more careful choices to nourish and sustain yourself.

Nourishing Relationships

Everything we take in is food for our body, mind, and spirit – relationships can either feed us or deplete us. Finding the right balance for ourselves is the key to good health. Think about relationships that nurture you. Compare to the stress related to toxic relationships. Find ways to crowd out toxic relationships.

Have Fun Move More

Increasing daily movement increases serotonin and feel good endorphins. Taking regular walk breaks at work instead of coffee breaks. Add exercise routine to your week: M/W/F/S. Toning up boosts confidence and makes you feel good = lower stress.

  • Zoomba – go to a local class, check out YouTube videos or a DVD
  • Vinyasa Yoga – Breath, flow, and move stress out
  • Brisk Walking or Running
  • Strength Training
  • Exercise Ball or Bosu Ball routines
  • Exercise with a motivated buddy!

Importance of Hydration

About two-thirds of our body is water. Maintaining adequate levels is important for vital body functions, clear thinking, and energy. First signs of dehydration are lightheadedness, muscle cramping, dry mouth. Reach for filtered water instead of coffee, juices, and soda. Spike your filtered water with fresh squeezed lemon, lime, or cucumber slices or make beauty water….Smile

I love this website for it’s recipes: http://blenditandmendit.com/category/bimi-beauty-water/

Crowd Out Foods That Increase Stress

Processed foods, excess sugar, salt, and saturated fats deplete your body of nutrients because your body uses its nutrient stores to break them down. Aim for a ratio of 80/20 – with 80% nutrient dense foods and 20% other.

Limit intake of (crowd out):

  • Processed foods
  • Refined grains
  • Refined sugars
  • Sugar laden beverages: soda, juices, caffeinated beverages
  • Fried foods
  • Saturated fats

Eat More Foods That Decrease Stress

Whole foods: fruit, vegetables (esp. greens), nuts/seeds, lean proteins, healthy fats. Unprocessed in their most natural state, containing high quality nutrients, fiber, and water. Processed foods lack many beneficial elements. Superfoods have high levels of nutrients: leafy greens, kale, collards, swiss chard. Also sea plants and seaweeds: dulse, kelp, nori, kombu

Stress Less About Food

Clean Eating = Consume mostly whole, unprocessed foods, i.e., food in its most natural state. This includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, seeds, beans, some dairy, unsaturated vegetable oils. Drink plenty of water, this should be your primary beverage of choice. Eat meals at regular intervals – that means eating every 3-4hrs. Increase intake of fruits and veggies.

Less Stress = Less Inflammation!!

Snack on these Stress Busting Snacks

  1. ¼ cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
  2. ¼ or half small avocado with crunchy celery sticks
  3. 1 sliced cucumber with pinch of sea salt and dash of cayenne pepper
  4. Baby carrots with bell pepper strips dipped in ¼ cup hummus
  5. Apple with small handful almonds or walnuts
  6. 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) with 1 T. coconut oil
  7. Small salad drizzled with olive oil and raw apple cider vinegar
  8. Plain Greek yogurt mixed with salsa. Eat with baked tortilla chips or Triscuits
  9. Half whole wheat pita topped with peanut butter and sliced banana
  10. Green smoothie or juice made with leafy greens, fruit, fresh squeezed lemon

Happy Holidays!! Enjoy the season with wonderment and fill up your heart with good times and celebrate Smile