Healthy Food Chart

Q. I am supposed to go on a low fat, low cholesterol diet (along with exercise). How do I know how much of this I can have a day? My cholesterol was found to be very high and I am…

It’s Monday and I got my week started with a nice dose of fresh air! Bruce, Will and I took a stroll around the neighborhood and enjoyed the milder temperatures that we are having today.

Sad that mild is now defined as 40 degrees (as compared to 20 degrees) but being all bundled up made it tolerable. I need to start getting ready for Thanksgiving! My sister is hosting but I am going to help out with some of the preparations and baking. We went over the menu last night and it sounds like it is going to be a yummy holiday. Do you have your menu made up yet? There are lots and lots of great Thanksgiving recipes and if you want to you can keep the meal pretty healthy. Turkey is of course a nice lean meat if you avoid the skin and gravy and we make lots of side vegetables to go with it. It’s easy to throw a lot of butter in the mix because it makes everything taste so rich and savory but it’s just as easy to leave it out and serve it on the side if someone wants to add a little on their own they can. I think the hardest part about this holiday is the volume of food — it tends to be a big day full of eating and that’s probably what leaves most people feeling as stuffed as the turkey was. We like to go easy on the appetizers and enjoy the meal then some dessert instead. I try to keep the portions reasonable but I always fall back on my theory that if you eat healthfully and in control on a regular basis then you can enjoy holidays a little more. If you need some last minute recipe ideas try: www.MyRecipes.com (search Cooking Light for healthier options) or www.foodtv.com (The Food Network).

For breakfast today I made a banana, skim milk, peanut butter and ice smoothie. I also had some Annie’s CinnaBunnies cereal.

This Meal Provides Approximately: Grains = 0.75 ounce (+whole), Fruit = 1 cup, Milk = 1.5 cup, Meat & Beans = 1.5 ounces, Oils = 3 teaspoons

If you are the cook for your Thanksgiving meal know that you can modify your recipes to make them lower in calories, sugar and fat so they can fit into your weight loss plan. Here are some tips for making…

When we talk about a “diet”, we often mean a weight-loss regime. Many people who are perfectly happy with their weight are on “diets”, though, which aren’t intended to limit total food intake but to exclude certain types of food. …

It was a freezing cold weekend in Boston (temperatures in the single digits with wind chill) so we didn’t get to spend much time outside but we filled the time with fun things like visitors coming over to meet Will and a wedding ceremony. Like all weekends, the two days went by too quickly! We were lucky to have friends bring us lots of food when they came to visit so I didn’t have to do any cooking until Sunday night. The upcoming week should be an exciting one with Thanksgiving on Thursday but the one thing I am not looking forward to is Mike going back to work after it’s over. I know I should try to do everything with the baby by myself, without help this week so that I know what to expect when Mike is not home with me, but at the same time I want him to spend as much time with Will as he can since once he’s back at work he won’t get to see as much of him. I am sure I’ll be fine either way, I have just grown comfortable having him – and two extra hands – around! Here’s my food from the weekend – I should have gone grocery shopping today but we were spoiled with all the food brought to us that I got away with one more day of not going…it’ll have to be done early this week because the fridge is empty!

Saturday Breakfast: Egg on Whole Wheat English Muffin, Banana and Apple Juice

Saturday Lunch: Turkey Sub with American Cheese, Lettuce & Pickles

Saturday Snacks: Glass of Skim Milk and Kashi Chewy Granola Bar (in the car on the way to the wedding, sorry no photo)

Saturday Dinner: Tortilla Soup, Veggie Burrito & Some Chips & Salsa

Sunday Breakfast: Raisin Bran Crunch with Skim Milk

Sunday Mid-Morning Snack: Treats from Flour Bakery

Sunday Lunch: Veggie Pizza (2 slices)

Sunday Snack: Banana with Peanut Butter

Sunday Dinner: Salad (Romaine, Green Apples, Red Onion, Avocado & Blue Cheese) with Spaghetti & Meatballs