Staying healthy for the holiday and a GIVEAWAY

Hello! Well October certainly flew by, and it feels like the rest of the year will too(don't blink!). Now is the perfect time for a helping hand to provide some reminders and a way to stay healthy over the holiday season. It can be tough with all of the cheese balls, carbs, and hot toddy's floating around. No? Well I have two solutions for you and me (besides getting in an amazing workout here). 

A while back I was contacted by Rodale about reviewing books written by the New York Times best selling author and the Nutrition Expert for the Today Show Joy Bauer . Yes please! First of all I covet the opportunity to cook my way through new cook books, and secondly I love watching Joy!





The first book Joy Bauer’s “Slim & Scrumptious" is just the kind of book you realize will be a winner after cooking only a few recipes. Joy talks about how cooking for your family at home is much healthier and can save you money. This is such a great reminder with the holidays around the corner.

For a girl who doesn't hesitate on adding a little extra butter of fat to her recipes, I didn't feel like the food was missing anything. Seriously. What a pleasant surprise! Healthy and delicious book. Want a peek: Pumpkin Pancakes with maple creme, apricot almond oats, mac n cheese, buffalo chicken chili with whipped blue cheese ...... I had you at maple creme didn't I?

The most genus idea for a party: bacon wrapped brussel sprouts on a toothpick! So cute, healthy, and a tasty bite .... I went ahead and served them with my accidental apricot sauce. My girls devoured them. Total win, and I have a healthy holiday appetizer idea under my belt. How about sprinkling cinnamon and brown sugar on your oven roasted sweet potato fries?! It was so good! This book has so much to offer in the way of health and taste.

The second book "Food Cures" talks about how eating the right foods can make a major impact on your health. Want to drop pounds? Boost memory and mood? Glowing skin? Joy explains how and then gives you steps in order to achieve your desired result. Who knew that what you eat can change the health of your hair! I certainly did not.

Want to know the best part? Rodale has given me two extra copies to share with YOU! I think you will love her books, I do. If you want to enter: leave a comment below and tell me how you plan on staying healthy this holiday season (I can use the extra tips!). A winner will be announced on Friday, November 11, 2011. it you want an extra entry head on over to twitter here and tweet about this giveaway!

**These books were provided for me, all opinions are my very own**

For more information on Joy and Food Cures visit JoyBauer.com

xoxoxo
d

Simple food is healthy.



Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm



When I diet, I seriouslt over think my food. This leads me to blowing it and falling off the wagon. I know, whaaa whaa...... I have gotten serious and In the past few months I have really made a commitment to myself to exercise daily and just be healthy. I not only want these habits for myself, but with two young girls I also want to be an example for them. The past few months I have had a lot of support and recently joined and awesome group called the shredcrew. The support has been amazing and now for an even bigger help Danielle from Elleinadspir is hosting a healthy recipe exchange. Now we/I have no reason to fall off the wagon! Right?

For Christmas Royce got me a really great book called Earth To Table. It is a cookbook that has all seasonal recipes from an organic farm. I love it so much I have made a mental bookmark of all of the recipes I still need to try.  On Friday I discovered a bag of English peas at Costco and I knew I had the perfect recipe at home. A healthy and fresh recipe.

Salad of Peas, Feta and Mint

Serves 6

(adapted from original)

2 cups shucked fresh peas (you could use frozen here)

2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 shallot finely sliced

1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup crumbled feta

salt and freshly cracked pepper

In a medium pot of boiling salted water, blanch peas until just tender and bright green, about 2 minutes. Shock them with cold water. In a large serving bowl, whisk together olive, vinegar, honey and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add peas and shallot. Toss lightly, add mint and toss lightly again. Sprinkle with feta and serve.

Enjoy a healthy day

xoxo

d

Check out these for another healthy treat!

Fruit nut balls.

A couple of months ago I was browsing the cookbooks at a local bookstore and was taken by the title and cover of a book. A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table. I picked it up and started reading, bought the book, took it home, and realized it was written by a well known blogger. I was new to the blog world and had no idea who Molly Wizenberg was. I love her lovingly written stories about her family and food. And of course as an added bonus I love her recipes at the end of each story.

This book is so wonderful because as many of us know, many of our fondest memories are in some way tied to food. Like how every year when I was a young girl, my mom, sister and I would don homemade aprons to make fudge and divinity with my grandma. And how I distinctly remember coming home from elementary school and having my older sister fry potatoes with lemon pepper and ketchup for snack. Weird huh? But so good. Especially when you are 8. Food is what brings us around a table, together so that we can make moments and memories last. So I urge you this holiday season to sit around the table and make memories. And make these too, they are simple, delcious, and no need to turn your oven on.

Fruit Nut Balls

Molly Wizenberg of Orangette

45-50 balls

1C walnuts

1/2 pound pitted dried cherries

1/2 pound dried figs

1/2 pound pitted dried apricots (I used 1/2 apricots and 1/2 dried cranberries here)

1/2 pound pitted prunes

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, apple cider may be used here

1/2C powdered sugar

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Put walnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steele blade and pule to chop finely. Transfer to a large bowl. Return bowl to base without washing. Add half the dried fruit and pulse to chop finely. You want the fruit pieces to be no larger than a pea, but be careful not to turn it into a paste. Add to the bowl with walnuts. Repeat with the remaining dried fruit. Stir all the chopped fruit and walnuts well. Add the Grand Marnier. Pinch off a small ball, does it hold it's shape? If not add a bit more Grand Marnier.

Put the powdered sugar in a small wide bowl. pinch off bits of the mixture (i used a coffee scoop here) and gently roll into balls. Roll each ball into powdered sugar, shake off excess, and place on a lined baking sheet. Set aside, uncovered, for 24 hours at room temperature.

To finish line a second sheet with parchment. Melt chocolate either over double boiler, or in the microwave like I did (15 seconds at a time, stirring between until just melted).  Dollop the top of each ball with chocolate and shake to coax the chocolate down the sides. It will look like a "chocolate hat" as Molly describes it. Slide the sheet, uncovered in the refrigerator and chill until hardened, about 2 hours. Tuck them into small paper candy cups and enjoy. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

xoxoxo
d