Battle of the Holiday Bulge

Well one holiday meal down.  A day of too many appetizers, too many drinks, force feeding of dinner and somehow still finding a square inch of space to fit dessert.

Who would have thought how wonderful elastic waist pants could be!

For my family (and I am sure many of you as well), now continues a month of gatherings with family far and near, friends, and coworkers every weekend until January.

Without having to set the scale back 10 pounds so that I don't feel quite so horrible about all these gatherings, it's time to implement some strategies to fight the Battle of the Bulge!  Here are 5 steps to help you and me!

Step 1:  On those non-gathering days, focus on super healthy meals.  What the hell does that mean?  It boils down to a few simple steps.  No take out.  LOTS of leafy greens (not just as salads but steamed or braised as well).  Eat a rainbow of color at your meals - carrots, peppers, tomatoes, red cabbage, etc.  Minimal consumption of processed carbs (talking crackers, bread, pasta).  LOTS of water (shooting for half your body weight in ounces of water consumed each day).

Step 2:  Increase exercise time. 20 minutes.  That's all it takes.  20 minutes of increasing your heart rate will help to keep you sane, increase your metabolism, and decrease the desire to reach for those cravings of junk and wine.  My 20 minutes will be in the form of a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout -do a search for this to find out it's benefits.  Though even starting my day, or finding time at lunch for a 20-30 minute walk will also help.

Step 3:  Keep yourself stocked with healthy snacks.  To avoid the pumpkin cakes, donut holes, chips and candy that seems to pop up everywhere this time of year, keep an ample supply of the good stuff

nearby.  Walnuts/almonds/pistachios, edemame, apples, clementines, hard boiled eggs, avocados.  All of these will help you stay away from those blood sugar boosting, fat storage inducing snacks indicative of the holiday season.

Step 4: Pre-party Plan.  On the day of the party, make sure you are drinking all your water!  Staying hydrated during the day can help keep you more full and decrease the effects of too much alcohol. Sneak in a workout.  20 minutes.  Just move your body more than normal that day.  Have a salad before you leave the house (or company shows up).  This doesn't have to be an elaborate salad with lots of veggie chopping.  Simply grab a couple of handfuls of greens and place them in a bowl.  Use a simple dressing of olive oil and vinegar rather than a heavy, processed, calorie laden dressing.  The goal is to simply put some roughage in your belly to help fill you up.  Finally, if your party is a potluck, make sure your offering is a healthy choice.  Bring a big salad.  Roast some veggies in olive oil with a touch of sea salt.  Bring hummus and a platter of veggie sticks.

Step 5: Party time. I think an important thing to keep in mind is that you don't have to eat everything you see!  Though tempting as this always is, it's important to remember that people will generally not think you rude for staying away from some of the items on the buffet table.  Another strategy is to use a small plate - for snacks and the main meal.  Place some of the snacks you really want on the small

plate and then DON'T refill it.  Be content with the ample serving you already consumed.  Save that small plate for dinner and then make sure half that plate is loaded with veggies.  When dessert rolls around, find a friend with whom to share the bounty.  Gorging on half a cup cake and half a piece of chocolate pie will make you feel better than inhaling full servings of each.  Finally, when enjoying your cocktails and wine, mix in a glass of water between each glass to help counteract the effects of the alcohol and to fill you up!

Enjoy what the holiday season is all about - family, friends, gratitude and love.  Remember to take time to love yourself too! Take charge of the calories you consume this month and you will enjoy all those gatherings even more!

Guiding you towards Your Sensational Self,

Shelley, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and MS OTR/L
www.yoursensationalself.com
www.facebook.com/yoursensationalself

Shop Local this Holiday Season

This Saturday is the official day to support local, mom and pop businesses for the holiday season.  I think of these small businesses often throughout the year, but especially during peak seasons, such as the holidays.

My husband and I have had the privilege of owning and operating a home based business for over 10 years now, and are in the process of starting another one.  I have seen first hand the benefits we receive from those who also think about supporting and buying local.  I think about the impact our dollars make when we support our friends, neighbors and our local economy.  

So much of what is produced today comes from away, and so much of our money goes the same way.  In a time when families and communities are struggling, spending money locally can have an enormous impact.

Here is an example.  My husband, Mark, has been intensively farming our small piece of land for over 10 years.  While we have enjoyed a tremendous amount of local support from our small community of 3000 people, there have been times, like with most businesses, that we have had more product than we seem to be able to sell.  If those 3000 people decided to spend just 10% of their food budget on local food through us, we would sell out of all we picked pretty much every day.  We would be looking to buy more land, hire more local kids (which is where we get our summer help), and would be buying even more from other Maine based businesses.  We would not be able to keep up with demand, and the other small farms in our town would also have to dramatically increase production just to keep us all fed.  We literally dream about such scenarios.  Now imagine if this happened in many other businesses.  It is amazing how little we need to spend locally to have an unreal effect collectively.  

If you take the time to look, you will be amazed at what you can find being produced not far from where you live.  In my own town and those surrounding me there are amazing pieces of artwork, beautiful and delicate jewelry, gorgeous felted and knitted products, locally produced wines and wine products, delightful soaps, locally raised and prepared food items, gourmet teas, antiques, local bookstores, restaurants, and so many other incredible things that I would need a page just to list them all.   

With the holiday seasons approaching, this is an excellent time to start thinking about supporting your friends, neighbors and local economy.  Enjoy seeing what your fellow community members can create and display, build new friendships over that cup of coffee and a chat with an invested owner, realize who you are supporting when you take the time to walk and shop through your downtown instead of clicking the computer or hitting the box stores.

Most of all, have an amazing adventure on Small Business Saturday and share what you found for amazing items that helped to support your community!

Helping you to embrace Your Sensational Self,

Shelley Allen, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, MS OTR/L

www.facebook.com/yoursensationalself
www.yoursensationalself.com

Homemade Knock Off Power Bars

I am constantly looking for some sort of quick, easy snack.

Finished Homemade Knock Off Power Bars

My criteria are that it isn't full of too much processed crap, not through the roof on sugar content, and that it will not leave my kids feeling hungry 5 minutes later.

For a couple of years my solution was Clif Bars.  They worked great in a pinch on the way to sports practice, or road trips, or even if I knew dinner was going to be much later than we were accustomed too.

However, I am tired of spending $6 a box.  I dislike the number of ingredients with which I just don't feel super comfortable.  And 1 bar is way to big of a serving size for my 10 year old.

So this year I have started making homemade snacks.  My kids are a royal pain in the butt somewhat picky about the texture and shape of said homemade snacks and will not eat them if they look like a ball of poo do not resemble something with which they are familiar. So though my husband and I have enjoyed them, I am still searching for the recipe that will become my quick, easy snack for everyone.

Enter my newly purchased cookbook Power Hungry, The Ultimate Energy Bar Cookbook by Camilla Saulsbury. The author gives great recipes for knock off brand name bars (including Clif, Kind, Fiber One and Nature's Valley).

The first bar I made is called a Nick Bar and it compares to Clif Bars.  Camilla gives a ton of different ways to modify the basic recipe to create new flavors, and it seems to be one of the easiest to throw together.

Ingredients for Homemade Knock Off Power Bars

I have made them twice, once with sunflower seed butter and once with peanut butter.  My kids will tolerate them in small squares (no round balls with this recipe), and they are a great snack for my husband and I as well.

Perhaps the best parts of this recipe are that I can readily identify all of the ingredients, I can make them as organic as I like, and I can throw it all together in 15 minutes.  The recipe makes 12 full sized bars, however, they are so sweet with the dates that I find a quarter to a half a bar is plenty for a serving.  These natural sugars (with the bonus of their added fiber) make a great snack to curb those processed sugar/crap cravings.

So here is Camilla's recipe for Nick Bars.  I hope that you enjoy them and if you are looking for more power bar recipes check out her book.

1 cup packed pitted, soft dates
1 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups crisp brown rice cereal
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted or toasted nuts or seeds (peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds)
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup natural, unsweetened nut or seed butter (peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower)
1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. fine sea salt
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment or wax paper.
2. Combine the dates and warm water in a small bowl.  Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until the dates are soft (time will vary according to the dryness of the dates).  Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Stir together the cereal, oats, nuts or seeds, flaxseed meal, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

4. Place the dates in a food processor.  Using pulses, process until finely chopped.  Add to the bowl with the cereal.

5. In a small saucepan, combine the nut or seed butter and honey.  Heat over medium-low heat, stirring, for 2 to 4 minutes until the mixture is melted and bubbly.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
6. Immediately pour the honey mixture over the cereal mixture, mixing with a spatula until coated.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.  Place a large piece of parchment or wax paper atop the bar mixture and use it to spread, flatten, and very firmly compact the mixture evenly in the pan.  Cool at least 1 hour till firmly set.
8. Using the liner, lift the mixture from the pan and transfer to to a cutting board.  Cut into 12 bars.

Per full size bar:  Calories 195, Fat 7.5, Cholesterol 1 mg, Sodium 41 mg, Carbs 29.8 g (Fiber 3.2 g, Sugars 19.8 g), Protein 4.9 grams


Helping you embrace Your Sensational Self

Shelley Allen, Health Coach
www.yoursensationalself.com
www.facebook.com/yoursensationalself
yoursensationalself@gmail.com
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