Antioxidant Monsters

Today I celebrated National Nutrition Month with 4-year olds, making antioxidant rich monsters: cookie monster, elmo, and oscar! The photos were made by little hands. Below are the instructions so you can make your own fun monsters out of fruit and vegetables!

While they were making the snacks, we talking about the health benefits from colorful fruits and vegetables:

Red: lycopene, helps the heart!

Orange/ Yellow: beta-carotene, help the eyes!

Green: colored by chlorphyll, broccoli has indoles which prevent certain types of cancer!

Blue/Purple: Anthocyanins, help promote memory!


Cookie Monster
For the face: Blueberries
For the mouth: Blackberries
For the eyes: Two small cups with vanilla yogurt and a blueberry for the center

Elmo
For the face: Watermelon
For the nose: Cantaloupe
For the mouth: Blackberries
For the eyes: Two small cups with vanilla yogurt and a blueberry for the center


Oscar the Grouch
For the face: Broccoli
For the mouth: Sliced black olives (pits removed)
For the eyebrows: Yellow and red pepper strips
For the eyes: Two small cups with ranch dressing and an olive for the center


Then after the snacks were made all of the little ones snacked! YUM!

Eat, Drink, and Still Shrink

The rush of the holidays has ended, yet there are more parties around the bend, first up... Super Bowl! Then onto Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, and the list goes on. Try these strategies to allow yourself to eat, drink, and still shrink!

• Snack first: Going to a party hungry can wind up being a recipe for disaster, before heading out, grab a quick snack. Aim for about 200 calories or less. Quick ideas: a cup of low fat Greek yogurt, an apple and piece of 50% reduced fat cheddar cheese, or a fruit and nut bar.
  



• Game Plan: Upon arriving at the party, check out the food line-up and create a game plan. Where do you want to spend your calories? If you're a sweet lover, take it easy on the appetizers and save some wiggle room to enjoy a dessert or two!




• Balance: If you're planning the party when preparing your menu, think about balance. A mix of splurge items with plenty of lighter options too like: fruit kabobs, hummus and fresh vegetables, a roasted vegetable platter, or mini cups of trail mix.




• Water: After each alcohol containing drink, have a glass of water. This will help to keep you hydrated and lessen the number of drinks you have. Or better yet, volunteer to be the designated driver!

Healthy Holiday Appetizers

As you're gearing up for the holiday season, here are some healthy holiday appetizers that taste great to get you started with your party planning!

- Bruschetta with whole-wheat toast (See recipe below)
- Hummus with sliced veggies like red, orange, and yellow peppers
- Shrimp cocktail
- Popcorn
- Chicken fingers with Maple BBQ Sauce (See recipes below)


Skinny Bruschetta
4 Servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups diced tomatoes (with juice)
4 basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup olives, chopped
whole-wheat bread or baguettes

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine all the ingredients together.
2. Serve over slices of grilled/ toasted whole-wheat bread or baguette.
Only 100 calories per serving! From page 149 of The Skinny Rules

Skinny Chicken Fingers
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1-pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 cup panko bread crumbs
4 egg whites (whip with a fork)
non-stick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place whipped egg whites in a dish and the bread crumb s in a separate dish.
3. Spray a skillet with the nonstick cooking spray and warm over medium heat.
4. Dip the chicken fingers into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumbs.
5. Place in the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
6. Serve with a barbecue dipping sauce.

Only 130 calories per serving! From page 151 in The Skinny Rules

Maple Barbecue Sauce
Yield about 1.5 cups

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and simmer for about 20 minutes.

My Website has a delicious Wasabi Avocado Dip recipe! Click here to grab the recipe.

Oscars Party Planning

Are you hosting or going to an Oscars party? Here are some simple party planning strategies.

1. Strategically place light party foods throughout the house like: fruit platters, shrimp cocktail, air popped popcorn, trail mix.
2. Put away the candy dishes. One ounce of m & m's has 140 calories, mindless snacking from candy dishes can pile up the calories in a hurry!
3. Have a 90/10 rule: 90 percent healthy items, 10 percent splurge! This will still allow for plenty of delicious goodies.
4. Lighten-up party heavy weights. For example: instead of chicken wings, make baked chicken fingers and serve with hot sauce, barbecue sauce, or light ranch dressing. And have plenty of sliced carrots and celery on the side for dipping!
5. Try a new recipe! Grab my Wasabi Avocado Dip with Crispy Wonton Chips recipe.

Last but not least, focus more on spending time with your guests and take some of the emphasis off of food!

Lucky Day 13 Mono Orange Juice diet ♥

Day 13 was a good one,

I had lots of jobs to do which all got accomplished successfully.

Then in the evening I went to the Fruit Club's Christmas party which was lovely ♥

There was lots of lovely fruit on the tables, including Green Sapote, Lychees, Mangoes, Cherries, Watermelons, and Kiwis, but I was not tempted, just enjoyed looking at the fine fruit display.

Fruity Fare:

Morning— 11 small biodynamic Valencias, juiced in mouth.

Midday — 9 small biodynamic Valencias, juiced in mouth.

Exercise:

 40 minute workout

30 minutes walking.

Have beautiful days ♥

Love and Peaches XX.