How To Eat Healthy During Winter Months

Holiday season is just around the corner- and we all know what that means: uncontrollable amounts of food! So how do we stay on track with our healthy lifestyles during these winter months? I have chosen a few recipes that will be family favorites but figure-friendly (without anyone else in the family knowing that we are being healthy, because trust me as soon as they know it's good for you- it's all over).

Lets start with this fun Halloween recipe:

Spicy Fall Stew Baked In a Pumpkin

This recipe is fun for kids and has only 221 calories per serving!

What you'll need:

• 1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. chili powder, preferably New Mexican
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered (1½ cups)
• 1 15-oz. can hominy, rinsed and drained
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 3- to 4-lb. pumpkin, either sugar pie, cheese, red kuri, kabocha, or buttercup squash
• 2 oz. grated sharp Cheddar cheese (½ cup packed)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté 7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook 3 minutes more, or until spices darken.

2. Add tomatillos, hominy, 1/2 cup water, and salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatillos are softened. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew, if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, cut top of pumpkin around stem to make lid. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Rub inside of pumpkin with remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.

4. Fill pumpkin with stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet and bake 1ı/2 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork-tender. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

5. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot, topped with Poblano-Cucumber Salsa.

In case you are a visual learner (like me) here is the original recipe: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10829

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Another great Halloween recipe: Caramelized Apples and Cranberries

What you'll need:

• 1 Tbs. butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple juice or cider
• 6 medium apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• Peel of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbs. diced crystallized ginger

• DIRECTIONS

  1. In large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar, and cook, stirring often, until sugar is melted and starts to caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in apple juice. Cook, stirring often, until liquid starts to thicken.
  2. Add apples, and cook, stirring every few minutes, until soft and coated with caramel, about 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in allspice, cinnamon, cranberries and lemon peel. Once cranberries begin to pop, stir in ginger. Cook until no liquid remains, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand at least 15 minutes.
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  Thanksgiving
  
  
  This great thanksgiving recipe is a great alternative to mashed potatoes. Eliminating the butter and milk from the mashed potatoes and brining in healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil is a MUST this thanksgiving!
  
  
  Rosemary Potatoes
  
  
  What You'll Need:
  
  
  1 lb. baby red potatoes, halved
  1 rosemary sprig (remove greens and minced
  1/2 clove garlic minced
  salt and pepper to taste
  coat with extra virgin olive oil
  
  
  Directions
  
  
  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, up to 400 for 10, then up to broil til brown n crispy
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  Another staple for the holidays should be lots and lots of homemade soup! When you make your own soup from scratch you can control everything that goes into it! (This means sodium). Canned soup has tons and tons of sodium- so try this delicious soup recipe from my dear friend Laura Evrard!
  
  
  French Onion Soup
  
  6 medium onions, coarsely chopped
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 bay leaf
  2 sprigs fresh thyme
  1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
  1/4 cup dry red wine
  1/2 cup dry white wine
  1 cup water
  1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  
  Put the olive oil over low heat in the bottom of a Medium stock-pot or a 5-qt sauce pan with tall sides. Add the onions, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and salt, stir together. Cook for two hours or until the onions are very soft and caramel colored. Add the thyme, wine and water. Cook for another 25-30 minute until the soup is reduced. Add the pepper and adjust the seasonings. Take out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and serve hot.
  This soup is really good with toasted, crusty bread covered with melted gruyere cheese.
  
  
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  More recipes will be coming soon! Happy Holiday Season!