Have Your Cake and Eat it Too: Healthy Holidays

Many of us try to do the right thing by our bodies all year long by eating right, exercising and taking care of ourselves. But, then the holidays arrive and we crash and burn. Whether it be traveling to someone else's home, just letting ourselves be tempted by all of the sweets and special treats laid out at our workplace, or the fact we stay inside and graze since it is FREEZING out; we tend to let ourselves go during the holidays seasons. Then, we work like crazy the first few months of the year in order to get our beach body ready.

Why ride this roller coaster when you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak? It is all about moderation!!

I have a thyroid condition and have been diagnosed with insulin resistance and PCOS- all of these conditions call for low carb, healthy fat, low sugar and as unprocessed as possible foods.

Our meal plan for Thanksgiving this year {For all items, I bought organic when available at my local store.}

Problem with the area I live in-- there are no organic grocery stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in my immediate area. I could travel, but this was a last minute change in plans meal that was put together. Another issue- the local grocery store where I shop seems to have an incredibly shrinking Organic produce section every time I go there : (

Plus: We are very soon getting a Farmer's Market in our immediate area! Can you hear my shout for JOY!!

1. Pork Loin marinated with Robert Rothschild Farm brand Hot Pepper Raspberry Chipotle      
   Sauce {Recipe}

  I bought the sauce instead of making it myself to save time. I purchased mine at Costco in the 40
oz jar. The ingredient list is as follows: Raspberries, Sugar, Water, Cornstarch, Lemon juice (from Concentrate), Chipotle Peppers, Natural Flavoring, Chili Peppers. It also has on its label that it is All Natural, Gluten Free and free of High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Downside to this sauce if you are more organic: It is not labeled as Organic or Non-GMO, it has lemon juice from concentrate and it has "Natural Flavoring" in its ingredient list which could mean anything.

2. Kale Salad {Recipe} (A Great Alternative to the syrup, marshmallow and calorie laden Sweet Potato Casserole) 
   Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Walnuts, Dijon Mustard, Maple Syrup, Salt (Sea), Pepper, Garlic, Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar (I changed Pecans to Walnuts and left out the onions- not a big fan of onions unless really cooked- I know, I know)

Kale is a nutritional Powerhouse. You can read more here {Kale}
Sweet Potatoes provide many vitamins as well as provide a healthier, lower glycemic index for those who are diabetic or insulin resistant and they are considered as anti-inflammatory. Read more here {Sweet Potatoes}

3. Dressing (I have to have it!! This is my cake. And, yes, I call it Dressing. To me Stuffing goes inside the turkey and not a pan)
  {Whole Grain Cornbread}

I love cornbread as much as the next person and it has nostalgic value. I used to eat cornbread with buttermilk as a snack at my grandma's house when I was little. I recently started making my cornbread, in the iron skillet of course, with half corn meal and half whole grain flour. It is just as yummy and not as crumbly. The above recipe is not gluten free, but you can substitute gluten free flour I am sure. I loosely followed this recipe (left out the cheese, sour cream and corn since I was using it for dressing), but I did add celery to my dressing as well as the typical seasonings and I used Pacific Natural Foods Low Sodium Organic Free Range Chicken Stock. One day, I will be making my own Chicken stock from organic chicken since it is pricey to purchase ready made stock.

4. Butternut Squash Soup {Soup} 

5. Green Bean Casserole (My husband's cake!) {Cream Of Mushroom Soup}

This year's recipe using Amy's Organic Cream of Mushroom Soup. {Green Bean Casserole}. I didn't use all of the flour and milk since I added the soup, but I did add the onions and mushrooms.

I used canned soup only because I had limited time, but see below for an alternative recipe that uses NO canned items. {Healthier Green Bean Casserole}. I actually made this last year.

Here are some other Healthier recipes I ran across in my search for the Perfect Thanksgiving Meal:

• Brussels Sprouts {Brussels Sprouts}
• Cranberry, Apple, Walnut Sauce {Cranberry, Apple, Walnut Sauce} I made a version of this one year in the crock pot - so much better than the canned stuff!
• Pumpkin Pie Pudding {Pumpkin Pie Pudding}
• Pumpkin Custard {Pumpkin Custard}
• Gluten Free Girl (for those of you who are gluten free, this is a great site) {Gluten Free Thanksgiving}

As you can see, I didn't plan a dessert for our meal. We really aren't dessert people and I rarely bake (could be that I am just not really that good at it!). But, I have made the above Pumpkin Custard and it was yummy! I searched and searched for a better Pecan Pie recipe with no luck. Sorry folks - pecan pie just has a lot of calories. Here is a more whole foods approach to Pecan Pie though {Pecan Pie}.

I would love your comments on how you keep the calories down at your holiday meals. Feel free to post any additional recipes.

Disclaimer: This was the menu plan I had planned for Gary and I for our little Thanksgiving meal. Since we decided not to travel home over the break due to sickness all around, we were going to cook or go out to eat. But, I decided eating in was more homey than eating out. We have since been invited to eat with neighbors. I will be making the dressing and kale salad still.

The Playroom: The Moose Arrives

So, I have posted about our dining room turned playroom before, but it is a work in progress to put it mildly.

We sold our dining room table - I loved that table, but we had nowhere to store it : (

We also tried to sell the chairs without any takers. So, they became additional Living Room seating thanks to Ana White. {Slipcovers}.

BEFORE

AFTER

And, we added an Expedit shelf from IKEA for toy storage. As you can see, there are only 4 green bins. I purchased these at Menards when we were in Chicago to get our son. They were on super sale at more than half off and I couldn't resist, but they only had 4. It is fine because I use the last cubby for blocks. The curtains will go after we add blinds to the windows. 

EXPEDIT shelf on its side

And, this weekend, I discovered THE MOOSE!! Our son LOVES, LOVES all of his stuffed animals. Some of his favorites are Curious George, his Pooh bear from his Aunt Mandy, his Elmo from his mom and dad and his authentic KFC chicken that his dad picked up on a business trip to Kentucky. (We in no way are supporters of KFC, mind you, but it was a great gift for our son because he loves it and now knows how to Bak Bak like a chicken!)

These stuffed animals have been known to dominate the playroom. I was on the hunt for a bin to store them in. And, I am a big fan of collapsible, soft sided containers since they are easy for little man to take toys out of and they can cause no injury. The first of these I bought was from Target (woven felt) and it holds his books. The second was from JoAnn's and it is also grey felt. It holds diapers. And, the third...wait for it...is The Moose. 

Moved to Playroom for soft books (from Target)

Moved to Playroom for Diapers (JoAnn's)

I ran into Home Goods this past weekend while hubby waited in the car. I ran around the store to find the section with the bins. The first one I came to was a large, rectangular one that was navy/white stripe with the word STUFF embroidered on the side. It also had white, rope handles. (I would've taken a photo, but my phone had no signal in the store). 

I wasn't satisfied so I held the bin and ran around the store some more. I came to a table display of bins, but they all had Christmas patterns of red Christmas ornaments and silver snowflakes on them. I wasn't going to give up though because they were also taller and had designs on the interior as well. I stood there and took out every bin that was stacked into the other almost willing there to be another option of pattern that would match the playroom. 

And, then, I saw it!!! The Moose!! I pulled the bin out from the inside of a larger bin. I loved the interior grey and tan pattern and I hoped what was on the side was what I was looking for. It was!! The Moose made its appearance. And, the decision was made. I knew this was the one. I quickly grabbed it before anyone else could see what I saw and ran to the very long checkout line. 

Gotta love Home Goods!! Lesson from this post -- never forget to think outside of the box or bin in this case. Thinking outside the box opens up a world of possibilities with design. 

Day 4: Paper Trail

It has been a few days since I blogged, but believe me - it has been busy around here! On the day we rearranged the living room, I also tackled some of our paper clutter.

Paper clutter comes in many forms, but in our home we have the following:
- Newspapers and coupons
- Mail
- Magazines {Focus of this blog}
- Items we keep for memories such as pictures, cards, newspaper clippings, etc.

My hubby does a good job of filing and taking care of the household paperwork in the form of bills so that leaves the rest for me to tackle.

Magazines were first on my list. We have a LOT of magazines. Some we actually subscribe to and some began to come in the mail all of a sudden. Below is a list of the magazines that arrive in our mailbox monthly:

1. Men's Health (at cost)
2. Women's Health (at cost- recently cancelled)
3. Parents (Discount rate for new parents)
4. Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles (FREE)
5. Architectural Digest (Super discounted rate for Interior Designers)
6. Elle Decor' (Super Discounted rate for Interior Designers)
7. Tennis (FREE)
8. Kiplinger's (at cost)

As well as the free catalogs and flyers from our area:
1. Neighborhood newsletter (bimonthly) (FREE)
2. Crate and Barrel (FREE)
3. Lowe's Creative Ideas (FREE)
4. IKEA (FREE)
5. Local town's newsletter (FREE)

So, when we began to start following our money saving plan {Becoming Debt Free}again after the adoption, some of these magazines were cancelled. Others have been cancelled since the last issue (Architectural Digest, Elle Decor). Parents is the next to be cancelled on the list. There are some good articles as well as recipes and I actually do read most of them, but the magazine cost and adds to our clutter. The newspaper is also going to be cancelled. I initially started receiving the newspaper on Sunday for a free trial (for coupons). But, since we are eating more natural, most coupons don't pertain to us.

Many of the magazines now can be viewed online via computer, IPad, etc. so having the massive stack of magazines on our coffee table was not working. I have subscribed to Architectural Digest since High School just for reference. I also kept getting them throughout college as reference for classes and now as reference for design trends. I love the magazine, but it is high end design. It isn't really a relevant magazine for the work that I do and the style that I follow in my designs. The same goes for Elle Decor'. I will; however, keep these magazines in our office for reference on different design elements and article research. I plan to replace them both with one magazine which focuses on more trends and practical applications. I need to do some research.

The magazines that will not be cancelled are Men's Health (great workout tips and recipes for hubby), Tennis (it's free and hubby loves tennis), and Kiplinger's - wonderful articles on investing and saving money.

We will also not stop getting the neighborhood newsletter (I write articles each issue and keep them), the local newsletter (great ideas on festivals and events in our area), Lowe's Creative Ideas (love their ideas and will tackle some of them in our home), and IKEA and Crate and Barrel (just love to look at them).

So, after the cancelled magazines quit arriving, we will still have the ones that do keep coming. My plan each month is to tackle the magazines. If there are recipes in Men's Health, I will clip them and put them in our recipe binder. The neighborhood newsletter will be filed. Others will be recycled at the end of the month if not needed.

The design magazines I currently have are stored in magazine files from IKEA (as you can see, I need more). Future cereal box recycle perhaps. These magazines are stored by season so that they are easy to reference. For example, all of the November/December magazines are together.

I will follow up this post later with a post on how we tackle our filing system and how we tackle all of those items we just have to keep for the memories.

Design Magazines 

Other Magazines Stored in a Large Wooden Bowl (Heirloom from my grandmother)