Month: November 2017

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Guide to a Healthy Holiday Mindset

We have all heard the statistics about unwanted weight gain during the holiday season and how we often struggle to lose this weight over the course of the rest of the year. Luckily, there are many easy, healthy swaps to help reduce excess calories and fat in holiday cooking. In addition, we also know that stress plays a role in unwanted weight gain. According to a study conducted by the CDC, higher perceived stress was associated with lower levels of physical activity, less mindful eating behaviors, and more energy-dense food choices. Therefore, even if you are using healthier techniques in your holiday baking this year, your weight may still continue to climb if you are bombarded with stress.

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, it’s important to start preparing your mindset in order to promote good health before, during, and after the holidays. Follow this guide to help formulate a strong and healthy holiday mindset.

  1. Identify what part of the holidays makes you happy. Is it catching up with friends or family, giving back to the community, making food for family, or even eating all the yummy traditional holiday foods? Make these things a priority. Even if enjoying all the yummy food is something you really look forward too, then do so without feeling guilty. But be sure to remember moderation and portion sizes. After all, it is not the select couple holidays that will cause significant weight gain. It is the lack of a consistent healthy lifestyle before, during, and after the holidays that makes the biggest impact long-term.
  2. Identify areas of your diet or fitness that need improving NOW. Not the day after Thanksgiving when the guilt sets in or January 1st when you decide to start a crash diet. Focus on 2 SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goals for your fitness level and diet now. Make these goals as realistic as possible so that it will be feasible to maintain throughout and after the holiday season.
  3. De-glorify certain “off-limit” foods. When we put pumpkin pie in a category of “should never eat” and salad in a category of “eat often”, which one do we tend to want more? That slice of pumpkin pie. When we stop hyper-focusing on foods that we can’t eat and focus on all foods in moderation, you start to form a positive relationship to food and your body.
  4. Find your zen time. Whether that’s taking more time for yourself or just feeling ok with saying “no” to parties or extra tasks. Allowing your mind to decompress will help facilitate a healthier mindset during the holidays. Try some of these relaxation tips:
    1. Read a book for 15 minutes every day.
    2. Meditate or yoga for 15-20 minutes daily.
    3. Journal in the morning or evenings before bed to remind yourself things you are grateful for.
    4. Go tech-free for an hour or two during the day. Don’t be afraid to unplug from the electronics for a while.

By following some of these easy tips to decompress your mind, you may find you will enjoy your holidays even more than previous years. The mind plays a large part in your health and it’s important to treat it as an equal to diet and exercise in your healthy lifestyle. Happy Holidays!

 

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2012/12_0001.htm

-EAW

 

 

 

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Easy Horseradish Sauce

As the weather is starting to get colder and drearier here in West Michigan, I find myself wanting to make more and more warm, comfort foods. My fiancé also recently purchased a smoker and has been making some really delicious smoked meat; it sure is yummy and incredibly low maintenance. He makes the proteins and I make the sides. It’s a nice little duo we have going on over here 🙂

My fiancé recently bought a ginormous piece of beef loin from Costco and it has been taking up the majority of our freezer space for a couple weeks. We decided this week was the week to smoke this baby, mainly so we can regain some of our freezer space back. And when I say this thing was ginormous, I am not kidding. Let me give you a visual…

With it only being the two of us (and our zoo including a great dane, border collie pitbull mix, and dumpster kitty), we were both aware we were not going to be able to finish this alone. Therefore, we invited a couple friends over to help make a dent in this meat. Side note, the meat turned out amazing! Check out those smoke rings!

Despite having friends help us consume this, we still had quite a bit of meat leftover. Meaning, I had to start getting creative to discover new ways to use up the rest of this meat. Lucky enough, trying to use up leftovers without wasting food is probably one of my favorite pastimes.

One of our friends recommended an open-faced sandwich that sounded amazing…sourdough bread, dijon mustard, pickles, swiss cheese, leftover smoked beef loin topped with a horseradish sauce. SOLD. A couple days later, I took a stab at it, but not without my own personal twist (I can’t resist). I love when I rhyme unintentionally. Here is a look at how the sandwich turned out.

This sauce though. On point. It really took the sandwich to the next level flavor-wise. I highly recommend trying it. It is super easy and can be served with just the meat alone if you prefer. The non-fat Greek yogurt substitute for sour cream quickly eliminates extra calories from fat that truly, between the meat and the swiss cheese, the sandwich just did not need in my opinion. But if you do find yourself needing a little more fat for flavor or thickness, feel free to add a dollop of low-fat sour cream. Enjoy!

Easy Horseradish Sauce

Total prep time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6 (1 Tbsp)

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. Rice wine vinegar
  • 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 Horseradish, prepared white
  • 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 dash of Tabasco sauce (optional)

Directions:

  1. Stir together the mustard, vinegar, yogurt, horseradish, salt, pepper, worcestershire, and tabasco sauce together in a medium bowl until evenly dispersed.
  2. Transfer to an air-tight container and I recommend refrigerating for at least 3 hours or overnight if possible.

Recipe adapted from The Washington Post.

-EAW