Let's start by grabbing a nice big glass of water, or a water bottle. Got it? Good. Read on.
Not a new me per se, but a new outlook or better yet, a refresher on my outlook. Healthy & Fitness.
I've always been a pretty active and healthy person, heck I don't drink soda and if you knew how much water I drink on a daily basis you would wonder why I'm not sitting on the toilet all day long. Too much info? Ok, enough with that I promise.
Anyway, I've made some better choices about my eating habits especially now after having a baby that should continue on. Like I said, I ate healthy before but just re-evaluating what I do. My cooking habits will have to reflect this as well.
I'm a HUGE lover of pasta, carbs, bread, pasta, bread, you get the idea. So for the last 2 weeks I've left out ALL pasta, carbs and bread. I've been sticking to protein, fruits and veggies. Pretty drastic? Not really. Looking at a daily consumption of food, I normally have carbs or bread in every meal. It's not really necessary. I'm doing fine without it. Now, I'm not being super strick and not allowing myself to have these, just making large cut backs. If I completely ignored my want for pasta (because let's face it, it is a MUST for me!) then I would likely binge eat and that wouldn't be good.
So here's to making healthy, better choices! It's good for you and it tastes great! Who doesn't love apples, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, pineapple, green beans, asparagus, celery, lettuce, spinach, chicken, turkey, beef? And yes, pasta too :)
And, remember to drink plenty of water. It is good for you, keeps you refreshed, curbs appetite (a little) and helps get rid of toxins and flush out your system.
If you're thirsty, then you are already dehydrated. There is research (and searching the interwebs) that says you should drink half your body weight in water, in ounces of course. So, for example if you weigh 150lbs, you should drink 75 oz of water a day MINIMUM. Yes, this can be hard if you don't like the taste of water. Start off by drinking things that are mostly water but flavored. Crystal light, water with lemon or lime, heck water down some coffee or juice or soda to start off and gradually get the quality back up. The point is, hydrate yourself!
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionalist or a dietitian, I'm just someone who has drank water for a long time, drank a lot of it, played many sports/activities, been coached for a long time through the years, and have experience drinking plenty of water & being completely dehydrated (and hospitalized). You don't have to trust me at all, these are just suggestions and advice.
I thought I'd post some of my favorite and now traditional recipes that I like and use on Thanksgiving. This year will mark the second year I've cooked Thanksgiving on my own, and the second time this year. We had Thanksgiving on Halloween this year when my parents came to visit, and we get to have another Thanksgiving this weekend when Josh's parents come to visit. I personally have a lot to be thankful for, so I'll save that for another post after all of the delicious tummy filling food combinations, a.k.a. recipes.
To start things off I thought I'd post the recipe for my mom's Cranberry-Apple Casserole. My mom has made this recipe for the last 8-10 years, at least if not longer, that I can remember. This recipe initially came from my Aunt Linda whom I've been fortunate to spend many Thanksgiving's with as well. I've had many people ask for this recipe, as it is fairly easy, is a great way to impress new family members, a new comer to the dinner table and a great way to introduce a new twist on cranberries to the whole Thanksgiving holiday - in my opinion anyway!
Cranberry-Apple Casserole
3 medium peeled, chopped apples (I like red ones to go along with the red theme)
2 cups fresh (thawed if you bought them and froze them) cranberries
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 packages instant Oatmeal, cinnamon spice flavor
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flour (separate from other flour)
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar
In a large bowl combine apples, cranberries and 2 tablespoons flour tossing to coat it all. Add in 3/4 cup sugar and mix well. Transfer into a 2 quart (8x8) casserole dish. In another bowl, or the one you just emptied, combine oatmeal, pecans, 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Add butter and stir well. Spoon this mixture over the fruit mixture. Garnish with pecan halves and cranberries on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. It makes 6-8 servings and is EXCELLENT as a left over!
I don't have any pictures of the final product since I wasn't thinking of taking pictures, but when I make it this weekend I'll take some and re-post and add pictures so be sure to check back!! This is a GREAT dish to bring if you're going to a potluck at someone else's house.
