Easy Homemade Frozen Yogurt

Some friends and I recently took a trip to the mall to do some shopping for our upcoming trip (9 days away..woohoo!). Smuthered with the smell of mall Chinese food, Annie's pretzels and fresh baked pizza we decided that we needed a little snack.  Doing our best to stay within our healthy guidelines we decided to go to Red Mango for all natural frozen yogurt. This self serve frozen yogurt bar was amazing, you chose your flavor, then chose your topping, then you enjoyed. Their flavors included plain, vanilla, peach, mango and key lime. I mixed the plain and key lime and topped it with fresh blueberries, raspberries and graham cracker crumbs..delish!

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this yummy dessert so I decided to try to re-create it and I have to say..it turned out pretty darn good.

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

1 (12 oz) bag of frozen raspberries

1 cup of plain yogurt

1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)

1/8 cup raspberry or lemon liquor

Blend all ingredients in a food process until smooth..adding more liquid as needed.

Serve right away or transfer to a large bowl and freeze overnight for "hard ice cream" texture.

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and here's to a healthy start!

I joined a gym...over the past few weeks I have sporadically been going and sporadically making up excuses on why I can’t go. This week I decided was going to be the kick off; the week that I made a schedule and packed my clothes in the morning to bring with me to work with no excuses on why I cannot make it! The attempt was a failure as the Zumba instructor of the much needed Latin exercise class did not show up. So I went tanning instead L..Which was also much needed (he he).

When I got home the chore of making dinner approached me. A healthy and hearty Barley and Red Bean Soup will hit the spot and wash away all guilt from not working out today.

Barley and Red Bean Soup
1 tbsp olive oil

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 onion

½ cup frozen corn

1 tsp dried rosemary

1-cup pearl barley

1 can of red beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup crushed tomatoes

8 cups chicken stock (or beef)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot add oil and heat on medium. Add carrots, onions and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add corn, rosemary and salt and pepper, stir and sauté another minute. Add tomatoes, barley and red meats, stir and sauté another minute. Add chicken stock, reduce heat and cover for 50-60 minutes or until barley is tender. Serve with a sprinkle of Romano Cheese.

Holiday Birthday's

Happy Birthday to all of the people who were born around the Holiday Season. Especially my best friend Megan and my Dad! I know that it must be hard every year to receive "Holiday/Birthday Gifts" and to be somewhat forgotten..but this year we are thinking of you!

Want to lose weight?...then shut your mouth

Want to lose weight? ...Then shut your mouth! Sounds kind of harsh right...well we aren’t talking about closing your mouth to food, we are talking about keeping your diet a secret from your friends and family. Check out this great article on CNN about a woman who lost 242lbs by following 4 simple tips.

1. Eat 8 ounces of food every 3 hours
2. No sugary drinks
3. Do not skip meals
4. Do not tell anyone what you're doing

***http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/14/health/lose-weight-mouth-shut-secret/

When I was first reading this article I thought, “this is going against everything I believe in”. Doctors, nutritionists, Weight Watchers and other diet gimmicks, we believe in support, and talking out your fears, and sharing your success and failures if so…so why was this women so successful all on her own?

I’m a broken record when it comes to recommending small frequent meals and snacks throughout the day, I always promote water and seltzer and sugar free beverages, skipping meals is a big no no in my book…But “don't tell anyone what you're doing”. Seems simple enough! No one likes change, lets think about when you are dieting or trying to change your lifestyle. When you are starting out you are almost looking for any excuse to say “forget it” or to give up. When talking to your friends you are most likely talking about how change is negatively affecting you. This negative talk and negative attitude that you are most likely getting back from your friends about how dieting blows and who cares if I am wearing elastic waste band (J) will most likely cause you to fail. BUT, if no one knows what you are doing, you can chuckle when they say “Wow,you look great”.

Just some food for thought…

Happy Birthday Basil!

Today we celebrate our fur baby's birthday. Basil today on November 28th is 4 years old! I know we are silly but for all you animal people out there I know you get it.

Believe it or not, Basil is a foodie (like me). She loves people food of all kinds but is very picky when it comes to dog foods. She is a “treat snob” she only likes quality ingredients; otherwise she will turn her nose to it. Today for her special day I decided to put my cooking abilities to the ultimate test by attempting to make homemade dog biscuits and guess what, she loved them!

Patiently waiting to eat my Birthday Treats!

Homemade Pumpkin Biscuits

1-½ cups flour

¼ cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp melted butter (shortening or peanut butter could also be used)

1 egg

¼ cup finely shredded chicken (I used dehydrated chicken treats, chopped finely)

In a large bowl mix all ingredients until they form a ball of dough. Knead dough on a floured surface, adding flour to avoid stickiness. Roll out dough and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350*F for 20 minutes. Cool and serve to your pup.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The holiday season is here..whether we like it or not they are starting to play Christmas carols on the radio, sell decoration in the store and we are all getting ready to indulge in Holiday time foods.

Growing up my mom always put on a spectacular Thanksgiving dinner. She would plan for weeks, marinating the turkey in all kinds of special spices, planning the desserts, inviting guest, ironing linens.. but for the past few years we have taken on the tradition of either making a turkey breast and a few side dishes or purchasing the complete turkey dinner (pies and all) from Gerard's Turkey Farm in Marshfield, Ma. Now don't get me wrong, Gerard's has great food but on a holiday there is nothing like the smell of a home cooked meal coming from your oven.

This year I have take on the challenge of preparing the Thanksgiving meal for our family..no big deal..right? While in the process of planning my menu I made sure of course that the recipes and the foods will taste traditional and yummy but I made sure to also take into consideration that it is a healthy meal.

Here are a few tips to consider during the holiday season...
*At a party there will be lots of great things to taste. Try to take small portions of each (one or two bites) if you plan to taste it all.
*If you overindulge its ok! Get back on track the next morning.
* Include extra exercise during this season, I'm sure you could find a buddy to join you.
*Offer to bring an appetizer or healthy dish you know you and others will enjoy.
*Be realistic, dont make a goal to lose weight during the holiday season..just try to maintain the same weight
*Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed like the turkey!

Here are some food tips and substitutes to use when preparing meals during the holidays..

*Turkey/chicken - Enjoy delicious meat without the skin and save 11 grams of saturated fat per 3 oz serving!! (OMG right)
*Mashed Potato - Use skim milk, chicken broth, garlic or garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese instead of whole milk and butter.
*Cookies and Cakes - use pumpkin puree or apple sauce as a fat substitute
*Go moderate on the alcohol - we all know its a source of empty calories and fruity holiday cocktails are usually loaded with sugar. Go skinny and try your favorite liquor with mineral or seltzer water to cut the cals.
*Food Safety – keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot to avoid any illness or food poisoning.

By the way...cookie orders are rolling in which is great!!! 12 dozen in total for this week J!
Check out the "Holiday Cookie Ordering" Link for more information and holiday platter ideas.

The Breathe Deep Boston, 5k Walk To Stop Lung Cancer at Castle Island was a success! Our team "Papa's Pennies" raised over $400!!! Thank you for everyone who donated and wished us luck!