Sweet Success

Shopping for gifts is one of my favorite things about this time of year. I love discovering the perfect gift for someone I care about.

Sometimes you just come across the perfect gift, but sometimes it takes work to find just the right thing. I love that! Although I do love the gift hunt, I do have a few gift-giving rules.

1) Be selective. You don’t have to buy gifts for everyone you know. I only purchase gifts for my immediate family, a few close relatives and very close friends. For the other people on my list, I make homemade gifts. Homemade cookies or other baked goods are a perfect and inexpensive gift. You can make them pretty by putting them in a holiday tin or on a pretty tray. People will appreciate the hard work you put into baking.

2) Be thoughtful. I hate clutter and hate accumulating stuff I don’t need. The last thing I want is some random gift I have no use for. When you’re coming up with a gift idea, think about the person’s personality and their hobbies and interests. If you are buying something for the person’s home, make sure it will fit their décor. Sentimental gifts are my favorite. Framed photos of you and the gift recipient together are always appreciated and very affordable.

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Black Friday was an emotional roller coaster. I laughed. I cried. I was high on coffee. I was so tired I could barely form a sentence.

Although I like to think I’m somewhat of a Black Friday expert, I did learn a few lessons this year.

This year the Black Friday shopping team was myself, my mom, my Aunt Adel, my cousin Kristi and the BF. We left my aunt’s house in Omaha around 9:15 p.m. to hit the midnight sales. My dad was a lone soldier and went to Nebraska Furniture Mart around 4 a.m.

Our main goal this year was to get Kristi a TV. She has had a sad little 18-inch hand-me-down since college. After studying the ads and doing some online research, she decided on a 42” Emerson on sale at Walmart.

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The Black Friday ads are sitting on my desk, but I’m hesitant to take a peak.

(The Kearney Hub doesn’t publish on Thanksgiving so our ads are stuffed in Wednesday’s paper, which weighs 2.7 lbs. The heaviest paper of the year. Random fact.)

Every year, my family and I spread the ads across the dining room table after filling up on turkey and stuffing. We make our POA, as described in my How to Survive Black Friday post http://sweet-success.tumblr.com/post/12644843361/how-to-survive-black-friday

Laughing and bonding with the fam is just as fun as finding out all the deals. I also love a surprise. I’m a very patient person and love the anticipation of waiting for something great.

I think I’ll wait. No, I’ll look. No, I’ll wait. I can’t decide!!!!!!!

As I sit staring at the pile of ads, it reminds me of a few more important things to consider on the Big Day.

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After blogging about staying healthy during the holidays for the past few weeks, I felt prepared to make good choices this Thanksgiving.

My plan was to get a few good workouts in Monday-Wednesday and eat sensibly all week. When I feel healthy, I tend to make better food choices. I also don’t feel as guilty splurging on my fave holiday foods.

But Monday night I came down with a horrific stomach bug. I couldn’t eat Monday evening and I survived Tuesday on saltine crackers and toast. My plan to hit the gym didn’t work out.

Luckily, I feel healthy today. I made it to Body Pump this morning and ate a healthy breakfast and lunch (Jimmy John’s Beach Club Unwich, no mayo!!!).

I feel like I need to revisit some healthy eating tips so I don’t go overboard after a few days of eating next to nothing!!

I’ve read that the average Thanksgiving meal contains about 3,000 cals!!!! Sometimes making small changes goes a long way.

Here are 5 ways to cut 100 calories on Thanksgiving…

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Your Thanksgiving feast will present you with many choices. The key to getting through the meal or the day without going overboard is to be armed with knowledge.

Check out these traditional holiday foods and find out which one is the healthier choice.

Champagne vs. Beer — Champagne has more alcohol by volume than beer, so a 4 oz. glass of bubbly equals the amount of alcohol in the typical brew. A regular 12 oz. serving of beer contains about 149 calories, whereas a 4 oz. serving of champagne, only 84.

Cheese Ball vs. Cheese — Cheese balls look so fun and festive, but are calorie nightmares! Often containing (in addition to cheese) cream cheese, butter, bacon and nuts, this appetizer could pack about 240 calories per serving. Real cheese always wins out. Even rich, creamy cheese like Brie contains a relatively modest 95 calories and 8 grams of fat per ounce. Feta, with 75 calories per 1 oz. serving, is a smarter choice.

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Our relationship was a loving one. Pumpkin was always there for me when I needed a comforting treat. Pumpkin was sweet and savory and always delicious. Pumpkin gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you know you’re in love.  

But things became uncomfortable this weekend and pumpkin and I must take a break. Shocking, I know.

I arrived at the Pumpkin Party, hosted by the gracious Kevin and Meggan Schawang of Hastings, buzzing with excitement over the unique pumpkin dishes made by the hosts and guests.

I left the Pumpkin Party feeling like a pumpkin.

If you’re a regular Sweet Success reader, you know pumpkin is my drug of choice this time of year. I have learned that one can overdose on pumpkin. At the Pumpkin Party I was sent into a pumpkin coma that became a pumpkin hangover the following day. For this reason, pumpkin and I are on a break (at least until Thanksgiving when I have pumpkin pie).

It will be difficult to relive the scenes of the Pumpkin Party. This is an emotional time. But I feel obligated to share the delicious pumpkin goodness that was eaten on this bittersweet day.

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The day after Thanksgiving you don’t have to settle for a reheated plate of turkey, stuffing and green bean casserole. The possibilities for Thanksgiving leftovers are endless!!

Get creative with some healthy leftover dishes.

Here are some ideas…

- Place leftover turkey, pesto, tomato slices and a flavorful white cheese on whole grain ciabatta or even a leftover whole wheat roll. Toast sandwich in a toaster oven or on a grill pan.

- Top a whole wheat waffle with cranberry sauce and walnut pieces. (Photo above). You can do the same with whole grain pancakes.

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Thanksgiving is less than a week away! It’s time to start planning your Thanksgiving Day menu.

By making a few changes to your recipes, you can save tons of cals!!!

Here are a few of my tips for cutting cals from your Thanksgiving dishes…

- Instead of dumping a cup of sugar in your cranberry sauce, use 1/4 cup of sugar and a cup of 100% apple juice.

- Cut some carbs from those mashed potatoes by combining potatoes with cauliflower. Then use light butter and fat free milk instead of heavy cream to make the dish creamy.

- Have raw veggies and a light salad dressing or hummus, nuts and fresh fruit out for people to snack on. At our house, we’re always going in and out of the kitchen grabbing munchies before the meal.

- Season your turkey with herbs such as sage and rosemary to give it more flavor and forget the gravy.

- Instead of making sweet potato casserole with a marshmallow topping, opt for a crunchy pecan topping.

- When using cream-based soups for casseroles like green bean casserole, choose the 98% fat free, low sodium versions.

- Serve whole wheat rolls instead of white rolls.

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Today was the Kearney Hub’s annual Thanksgiving dinner. The company has an entire Thanksgiving dinner catered for lunch! Employees bring side dishes, desserts and other goodies.

As I stated in earlier posts, Thanksgiving is never just one day. There are always parties, special meals at work, multiple family dinners, etc. So making healthy choices on each occasion is important!

For my lunch I had about 3 oz. of turkey, carrots and broccoli with less than a tablespoon of ranch dressing, about 1/2 cup of wild rice with pecans and dried cranberries and about 1/2 cup of sweet potato casserole.

Other options at the dinner were mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs and 7-layer Mexican dip and tortilla chips.

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I’m taking a quick break from my Thanksgiving posts to share this amazing recipe.

This is another recipe from the fabulous healthy chef Bethenny Frankel. This was my first souffle attempt and I was very happy with the outcome! It was light, but very flavorful. This would be a perfect dish for a Thanksgiving Day brunch.

I changed the recipe slightly by omitting the step of brushing the ramekins with melted butter. I saved a few cals by using nonstick cooking spray. I also didn’t have fresh thyme so I used ground thyme. Another change was reducing the amount of cheese. The recipe called for 1 cup and I used 3/4 cup.

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Guests will arrive in two hours. You’ve been up since 5 a.m. making the turkey, the stuffing, the pumpkin pie, the green bean casserole. You’re still in your pajamas and your hair is a wild mess.

Thanksgiving can be stressful. But with a little planning, you can make your day easier.

There are some side dishes, like cranberry sauce, you can make ahead of time - even a few days before Thanksgiving. Prep all the veggies you will cook with on Thanksgiving the day before. Assemble casseroles Wednesday night, keep them in the refrigerator and pop them in the oven Thanksgiving day.

Try these healthy make-ahead side dishes…

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It’s just one day, right? Why not gorge yourself until you feel like you’re going to explode?

Many people have asked me why it’s such a big deal to eat healthy on Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday. Why not splurge?

Well, it’s never just one day. There’s leftovers that you eat for days. People often celebrate the holiday multiple times with coworkers and with their significant other’s family or different sides of their own family. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas there are work parties, family gatherings and other holiday parties.

If you have the “It’s the holidays!” mentality during every event between now and New Year’s, you won’t be able to button your jeans by 2012.

Trust me, you can indulge in your favorite holiday goodies without going overboard!

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Your holiday dinners may be healthier than you think!! If you make a few tweaks to your traditional dishes, you will get tons of health benefits and walk away from the dinner table feeling satisfied.

Also, a major problem during holiday dinners is eating too much. Check out the recommended serving size of each food. The serving sizes are compared to items such as a deck of cards or a golf ball. When you’re filling up your plate, make sure you aren’t taking too much food. I know it all looks good, but you will feel better if you stick to the recommended serving sizes. 

  Superfood: Turkey

 Health benefits: With this holiday centerpiece, you’ll reap plenty of benefits: Turkey is low in cholesterol, saturated fat, and overall fat, and it provides nearly 50 percent of the RDA for folic acid — which helps protect against birth defects, various forms of cancer, and heart disease.

Holiday helper: Reach for turkey breast. It is especially nutritious, nearly synonymous with the healthy grilled chicken option you often see on menus.

Recommended Serving Size: 3 oz. (size of a deck of cards), roughly 105 calories

 Superfood: Cranberries

 Health benefits: These bold red berries are beautiful and a boon to your body: An excellent source of free-radical scavenging antioxidants like vitamins C and E, the berries may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Solid research also backs up their role in preventing urinary tract infections.

Holiday helper: Consider breaking the mold and opting for the lower calorie and easy-to-prepare fresh variety, which cooks up in 5 minutes: Put fresh berries in a small saucepan, cover with a little fruit juice, add a pinch of sugar, and boil until they pop. Reduce to a simmer and heat for a few minutes.

Recommended Serving Size: 1/4 cup (golf-ball size) from the canned version (which packs in the high fructose corn syrup), 110 calories 1/4 cup fresh cranberries, 11 calories

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