Enjoy a cup of hot cocoa and some homemade biscotti, put your feet up, curl up with a good book or someone who just read one:
Hot Cocoa
Number of Servings: 1

2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp hot water
1 C Vanilla Soy Milk

Directions
Combine sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg and hot water in a sauce pan. Stir until smooth and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil and stir for 2 minutes. Slowly add in soy milk and heat. Do not boil the milk.
Makes 1 1-cup serving
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user QUINNGINN

Nutrition Per Serving
· Calories: 127.0
· Total Fat: 5.5 g
· Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
· Sodium: 136.0 mg
· Total Carbs: 23.8 g
· Dietary Fiber: 5.2 g
· Protein: 12.1 g

My husband loves these, and, they are easy to make

Cranberry Almond Biscotti
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon almond or vanilla extract
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries, any flavor
3/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F.
· Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together eggs, egg whites and almond or vanilla extract in a separate mixing bowl. Add to dry ingredients, mixing just until moist, using an electric mixer on medium speed. Add dried cranberries and almonds; mix thoroughly.
· On a floured surface, divide batter in half and pat each half into a log approximately 14-inches long and 1 1/2-inches wide. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
· Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Cut biscotti into 1/2-inch slices. Stand upright on cookie sheet and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool and store in a loosely covered container.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

PER SERVING (1 cookie):
Cal 100
Fat Cal. 15,
Total Fat 2grams
Chol. 14mg
Sodium 38mg
Pot. 35mg
Carb. 9grams
Protein 2grams

Beating the Winter Blahs

Winter in Montana lasts a looooong time. Too long for my blood, I personally hate the heavy layers of clothing and my feet yearn for sandals and my toesies to wiggle free. We tend to stay inside more and become more sedentary. We eat more and usually eat the foods that make us feel good, and make us pack on the pounds. The variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that we can get in the summer are not easy to come by in the winter months. The days are longer and it is cold. AND, I am possibly preaching to the choir, thanks for letting me vent.

Before I go further, I want to tell you readers out there: I am not a doctor. If you feel like you have depression or are not sure, please see your healthcare provider or a trained counselor. Please do not ignore symptoms of depression. Seek help.

There is a short quiz at the end of this blog, with thanks to Reliant Behavioral Health, State of Montana’s Employee Assistance Program provider. Take a few minutes and take the quiz.

Are you struggling with winter blahs? Read on for ways to combat the winter blahs and avoid packing on the pounds.

There is a recurring theme in these blogs, exercise and a healthy diet, so, don’t be surprised here. I am giving personal testimony here, exercise in the winter does help with mental attitude. I have been my own guinea pig and not always intentionally.

Exercising: I feel tired and lethargic when I don’t exercise. I sit all day at work, if I don’t take my walking breaks at work and don’t get to walk the dogs cause the hubby took them then I have lost about 60 minutes of walking. I will try to get on my exercise bike or at least lift hand weights while watching the idiot box. I notice my mood is gloomy too. When I get some exercise done, no matter what kind, I have more energy, I sleep better, and my mood is more upbeat. How do you feel when you move vs. not moving?

Healthy diet: As you probably know by now, you are what you eat. Are you getting fresh fruits and vegetables? Can’t find the fresh stuff you like? Look in the freezer section. Berries, melon are good, whip them up in some yogurt. Frozen veggies are always good to keep in stock. Eating low fat foods? Getting complex carbs and avoiding “white food”-refined sugar, white breads, white rice. Drink water and avoid sugary beverages. Avoid consumption of alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant. This time of year we tend to eat comfort foods which may taste good while being ingested but then you have that nosedive and feel yucky. “Mindless Eating” by Brian Wansink, PhD has some interesting information about comfort foods and why we like them and how we associate certain foods with making us feel good. If you have a sibling, ask him or her what their comfort food is and why, I bet it differs from your own.

Try to get some sunshine. I know in Montana we have such short days and often times, we may be working, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark and, if you are stuck in a cubicle like I am, there is no natural light. I am surrounded by fluorescent lighting, I shouldn’t complain, at least I have that, but I have to get up and leave my desk to see daylight. If my manager is reading this, hint, hint-a window. 30 minutes a day of natural light is recommended.

Get creative, do you like to paint, dance, do needle work, make model airplanes? Work jig-saw puzzles? It is a great way to relax and have some fun. If you and your family enjoy games-cards, board games, computer games, take some time to enjoy the togetherness and fun and laughter. Watch a funny movie. OK, if your family puts the “fun” in dysfunction, try a solitary activity, like reading a good book. Go to the gym and workout or swim. Volunteer to walk dogs at your local animal shelter.

Go outside and have a snowball fight. Go sledding. Is there a local group teaching snowshoeing? Check with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks for people leading groups, there is one in Helena that does full moon walks thru the woods.

If you are able to plan some fun activities that help you get out of winter for a while, do so. Are you able to get a massage, go to a spa, enjoy soaking in some hot springs. Learn to say no to those “unwanted” requests or invitations. Or, say yes, get out and enjoy socializing, whatever you prefer. Give yourself the permission to follow your heart’s desire. Maybe a short nap is in order. Stick to a healthful routine, low-fat diet, physical activity.

This time of year I get quite crabby and sick of cold and snow. And with that, I bid you Aloha. I am off to Hawaii for some much needed time away from winter. Watch for a new posting on March 9.

Enjoy a cup of hot cocoa and some homemade biscotti, put your feet up, curl up with a good book or someone who just read one:

Hot Cocoa
Number of Servings: 1

2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp hot water
1 C Vanilla Soy Milk

Directions

Combine sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg and hot water in a sauce pan. Stir until smooth and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil and stir for 2 minutes. Slowly add in soy milk and heat. Do not boil the milk.Makes 1 1-cup serving
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user QUINNGINN.
Nutrition Per Serving
· Calories: 127.0
· Total Fat: 5.5 g
· Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
· Sodium: 136.0 mg
· Total Carbs: 23.8 g
· Dietary Fiber: 5.2 g
· Protein: 12.1 g

Enjoy some biscotti with your hot cocoa. My husband loves these, and, they are easy to make

Cranberry Almond Biscotti
Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon almond or vanilla extract
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries, any flavor
3/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together eggs, egg whites and almond or vanilla extract in a separate mixing bowl. Add to dry ingredients, mixing just until moist, using an electric mixer on medium speed or by hand. Add dried cranberries and almonds; mix thoroughly.

On a floured surface, divide batter in half and pat each half into a log approximately 14-inches long and 1 1/2-inches wide. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Cut biscotti into 1/2-inch slices. Stand upright on cookie sheet and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool and store in a loosely covered container.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.
PER SERVING (1 cookie): Cal 100
Fat Cal. 15
Total Fat 2grams
Chol. 14mg
Sodium 38mg
Pot. 35mg
Carb. 9grams
Protein 2grams


Take the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Quiz

Although many of us may feel "blue" when the day is cloudy or after a week of rain, people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) have more difficulty coping with the dull, gray days of winter.

To improve your knowledge of SAD, take this true-false quiz.
1. People with seasonal affective disorder feel sad only during the winter. True False
2. Women and teens are more likely to develop SAD than others. True False
3. SAD can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms mimic those of other illnesses.
True False
4. The hormone estrogen may play a role in SAD. True False
5. The farther north a person with SAD lives, the more severe his or her depression seems to be. True False
6. A good way to combat winter SAD is to get outdoors every day. True False
7. For more severe cases of SAD, a doctor or therapist may prescribe "light therapy. True False

The answers
1. False. People with SAD experience mild to moderate depression during a particular season of the year. Most people with SAD are depressed during the fall and winter months. For others, SAD occurs during the spring and summer.
2. True. Although SAD can affect anyone, women (most commonly women in their 20's and 30's) and adolescents seem to be more susceptible. Older adults are less likely to develop it. SAD sufferers also tend to have a family member with mental illness, such as depression or alcohol abuse.
3. True. The symptoms of SAD can be confused with symptoms of other illnesses, including hypothyroidism and viral infections such as mononucleosis.
4. False. Varying levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin are believed to play a role in SAD. The sleep hormone melatonin, which has been linked to depression, also may play a role. The body makes more melatonin in the dark. So, the shorter, grayer days of winter boost levels of melatonin.
5. True. There is a general connection between more northern latitudes and prevalence of SAD, but this is true only to a point. It's not automatically true that SAD is going to be more severe and common as you keep going further and further north. Overcast days also make a person with SAD feel worse.
6. True. Getting regular, outdoor exercise helps. You can also rearrange your furniture indoors during the fall and winter to take advantage of as much sunlight through windows as possible.
7. True. Light therapy involves the use of a full-spectrum fluorescent light for a certain amount of time, usually in the morning. Antidepressants also may be prescribed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises health care providers, patients, families and caregivers of adults and children that they should closely monitor all patients beginning therapy with antidepressants and when doses are either increased or decreased, for worsening depression and suicidal thinking. The FDA also advises that these patients be observed for certain behaviors associated with these drugs, such as anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, impulsivity, severe restlessness, hypomania and mania, and that physicians be particularly vigilant in patients who may have bipolar disorder. The FDA issued a warning in September 2004 that antidepressants not only cause some children and teenagers to become suicidal but that most have also failed to cure their depression. Children and teens who take antidepressants are twice as likely as those given placebos to become suicidal. Still, the overall risk for suicide is low. If 100 patients are given the drugs, two or three more will become suicidal than would have had they been given placebos.

Wellness Library Health Ink and Vitality Communications ©2009

Copyright © 2001 - 2010 Reliant Behavioral Health.All rights reserved.

Chinese Pepper Steak

It's the Chinese New Year
Year of the Tiger

Serves 2

½ pound round steak*, cut into thin strips
*flank steak or top sirloin steaks are a good leaner meat substitute
1 TBS low sodium soy sauce
Pinch of ginger or 1/8 tsp fresh chopped ginger
1 TBS dry sherry or can use apple cider
2 or 3 scallions (to taste), minced
½ green pepper cut into ½ inch squares
1 celery stalk, diced
2 TBS canola oil
½ cup water
1tsp cornstarch

Mix soy sauce, ginger and sherry/or apple cider in a bowl. Place meat strips in bowl and marinate meat at least 15 minutes.
Cut up vegetables. Heat oil in skillet until sizzling, lift meat out of bowl using a slotted spoon or fork and and place in skillet, cook quickly until lightly browned. Lower heat, add vegetables, simmer about 5 minutes. Blend cornstarch and water (hint-slowly add water to cornstarch, constantly stirring to avoid lumps) add to skillet with the remaining marinade. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes until sauce is thickened. Serve with brown rice.

Calories per serving 551.5
Total Fat 23.4 g
Total Carbohydrates 21.7 g
Protein 55.3

Accentuate the Positive

“You've got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative Latch on to the affirmative” (Johnny Mercer / Harold Arlen)

Is your glass half full or half empty? Life happens and how we handle what we are served can make or break us. Given the choice of laughing or crying, I opt for laughing. I try to find humor in a situation and generally don’t have a difficult time, it is out there. Trying to take a situation and put a positive spin on it is not easy, I am the first to admit that. Adapting a positive attitude does help resolve an unpleasant situation in a productive way.

Are you able to reframe your thinking about the situation? "When you find yourself focusing on the foreground of a problem or a crisis, take a step back and look at it in the context of the big picture of your life," says Dr. Seaward. "Doing so helps you realize that in many areas of your life things are going well." From www.reliantbh.com. According to www.mayoclinic.com , some self-talk stems from logic and reason and the more negative self-talk crops up due to lack of information.

"When you're feeling as if nothing is going right, stop and make a list of all the things you're grateful for or take for granted," says Brian Seaward, PhD. "Start with simple things, like being able to see and breathe. Then move on to personal things, such as family members and your job. Don't stop until you reach 100 items." OK, counting 100 items can take some time, start small, aim for 5 or 10 items.

There are some possible health benefits to a positive attitude and those include:
· Lower rates of depression
· Improved resistance to the common cold
· Better ability to cope with stress and other problems

There is no clear-cut reason why but thoughts are that people with a positive outlook tend to have healthier lifestyles.
· They follow a healthy diet
· Engage in physical activity
· Have lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption

Self talk – negative or positive?

At some point we have all been excited about a job interview, the job of our dreams and you finally get called for an interview.

Do you pump yourself up and strut and say, I am going to get this job, I deserve this job, and I am qualified for this job. Or are you thinking I know I am going to blow this interview? I hope I don’t say anything stupid. Why would they want to hire me?

Being positive or negative comes through in your body language, gestures and even your responses to interview questions.

“A good rule to follow in self-talk is to talk to yourself the way you want others to talk to you”. From www.reliantbh.com. Here’s another good thought, from www.mayoclinic.com, “Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else” or “don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to your grandmother”.

By focusing on your weaknesses you are not helping yourself to find solutions to the problem at hand. It leaves you feeling victimized and powerless. Thinking positively helps you to focus on your strengths which allows you to find creative solutions to problems and be pro-active.

OK, so how can I be more positive?

According to Dr. Seaward, anger is a result of unmet expectations in daily life. Often, we think we have control of a situation and we do not. By lowering your expectations and rolling with the punches you can reduce your anger. It will also help keep your blood pressure down.

· Schedule some time to “be happy”. Sounds corny, I know. Set aside a little time, even if only 10 minutes and do something you enjoy. Set a kitchen timer if you don’t have much time. I do that in the mornings when there are 5 or 10 minutes where I can actually sit and have my coffee and watch the morning news (well, that part is not necessarily thrill inducing given the state of the world BUT, sitting and sipping my coffee for 10 minutes is sheer heaven!)
· Dealing with problems? Wallowing on all that is wrong will keep you stuck in the muck. Focus on your strengths; take the bull by the horns. This empowers you and helps you move forward. Problems don’t go away through wishful thinking or griping about them. You have to be the one to take charge and make things happen.
· Follow a healthy lifestyle: physical activity and a healthy diet. Manage your stress.
· Smile, it feels good and when someone smiles back, doesn’t that make it worthwhile? Maybe you made THEIR day.

Negative people

Try to avoid negative people in your life, if you can’t avoid them, cut back on the time you spend with them. There are people who never have anything good to say about anyone or anything. It gets old listening to them. They will wear you down and sap all your energy. I have my own problems and so do you. Life is too short.

Choose your words and thoughts

“Negative thought: I never do anything right.
Evidence: None.
Positive thought: I do plenty of things right.

Negative thought: My accomplishment is not enough. Anybody could have done it.
Evidence: None.
Positive thought: I still accomplished something and I deserve to be proud.”
From www.reliantbh.com.

Remember, it takes 21 days to change a habit. You won’t wake up tomorrow morning singing Zip A Dee Doo Dah. You can begin by practicing more positive self talk and looking at things in a different way. If you hold a globe in your hands and turn it, you see different countries. Try looking at a situation differently. It makes a world of difference.

"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"
Music by Allie WrubelLyrics by Ray Gilbert© 1945 Walt Disney Music Company

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-A-Dee-A
My oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-DahZip-A-Dee-A
Mister bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth
It's actual
Everything is satisfactual
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-A-Dee-A
Wonderful feelingWonderful day

Healthy Meetings

I really didn’t want to use those two words, “Healthy Meetings”. People might go into culture shock, NO DONUTS?? I prefer to call them gut bombs, they don’t sit well with me and I avoid them, unless there is a good jelly donut, I may eat one once a year. But, I digress.

No matter if you work outside the home, in an office or if you are retired, are a stay at home parent, unemployed seeking gainful employment. We all find ourselves in a social situation where food is served, for our enjoyment. Food is a social experience. I have met few people in my life who only eat because they have to, I am not one of them and frankly, I don’t understand it. But again, I digress.

Volumes have been written on the culture of food, there is a three hour PBS DVD on the topic. Food is a social thing. It shows that we are hospitable, friendly, and gracious.

We live in a world where the food spread at most meetings consist of high calorie, high fat, sugary sweet foods that are so bad for us. We have come to expect it. Those foods are generally less expensive to serve and they are readily available and require little preparation and have a long shelf life, lots of things that we cannot pronounce are added to them, for example: butylated hydroxytoluene, can you say it? It is used in foods to preserve fats, better known as BHT. Uck.

People will eat what is spread out for them at a meeting, whether it is good or bad for them. There are some die hards who will go without rather than take the donut. I try to scope out the lesser of the evils or, bring my own snacks (fly on an airplane lately)?

Junk food is like junk TV. You will watch what is on for the sake of watching TV, even if you don’t like the offerings. You will eat what is set out, even if it would not be your first choice, it’s food, it’s there, it’s a meeting or a social setting.

Want to help with a culture shift?

· We want to encourage those meeting planners to serve fresh fruits, whole grain baked goods, low fat options that are appealing and delicious, well, just plain healthy foods.
· You can offer to help with the planning.
· Help with shopping.
· Be considerate of people with diabetes or other dietary restrictions.
· There are probably others who would appreciate some healthful options.
· Suggest a walking meeting, everyone brings walking shoes and you can walk and meet at the same time.
http://www.chipolicy.org/pdf/5678.Walking%20Final%20After%20Public%20HW.pdf

Around my office we celebrate birthdays on a regular basis. The birthday honoree can request what they would like, fresh fruit, veggie trays, low fat treats, cake, ice cream. One thing I realized is, I DON’T HAVE TO EAT IT just because it is there. When there are three birthdays in a row, and it does happen, one can overdose on sweet and fattening treats. I gave myself permission to join in the festivities without eating.

How to change the meeting culture from donuts to yogurts? I spent time this morning trying to find some general information on this subject, no luck. I did consult with a co-worker, Linda, who is in the know, her answer was, small changes, AKA, baby steps.

You don’t want to force people to HAVE to eat fruit salad with yogurt dip by only offering one choice. Put out those gut bombs, oops, donuts AND fruit salad with yogurt.

· Make the donuts a little harder to access, further back on the table or the far end of the room. Make them look less appealing.
· Put the fruits out front on some attractive plates and make them look even more festive (hey, fruits are colorful and so is strawberry yogurt).

My buddy Linda told me about a project she is working on with a school group. They found that over time, the fruits and “good for you” snacks get eaten and the lonely donuts are left to dry out. Gradually increase the presence of healthy snacks and continue to offer the not good for you stuff too, for those who really want them. You may find that you are getting more converts, coming to the” healthy, I feel good” side. Eventually, you may be able to do away with the high fat, high calorie, bad for you selections.

Office Snacking

If you are in an office, do you have vending machines, “honor” boxes with snacks?
· Ask the person who restocks the machine to put in healthy snack options, or take the machines out altogether.
· More and more of these vendors are getting requests for healthier snacks and accommodating them.
· Create your own honor box.
· One office I know of took turns providing a bowl of healthy options they put out in a common area.
· Bring your own snacks. I like to munch during the day at work. I bring an apple sliced, an orange already peeled and sectioned. Baby carrots are so easy; you can even buy them in individual serving bags. Cut up celery sticks, green peppers. If you must have a dip, put some in a small container.
· Read your labels for granola bars or protein bars. I carry protein bars with me, in case I think I will starve to death before I can eat a meal. They are filling.
· Put together a small bag of nuts with dried fruits. Leave out the M&Ms. If you MUST have chocolate, buy the dark chocolate chips, mini-morsels and throw some in your mix.

Please enjoy the web link below on ideas for having “Healthy Meetings”. Use it; share it with friends, co-workers, even your boss. Maybe put it on the agenda to discuss.

http://healthvermont.gov/family/fit/documents/WorksiteWellness_HealthyEatingGuidelines.pdf
Here’s another link I found, you can print off some FREE colorful 8.5 x 11 posters

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/NEW/FVMM/posters.htm

Fruit Kebobs

Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 apple
1 banana
1/3 c. red seedless grapes
1/3 c. green seedless grapes
2/3 c. pineapple chunks
1 c. nonfat yogurt
1/4 c. dried coconut, shredded
Directions:
1. Prepare the fruit by washing the grapes, washing the apple and cutting it into small squares, peeling the banana and cutting it into chunks, and cutting the pineapple into chunks, if it's fresh. Put the fruit onto a large plate.
2. Spread coconut onto another large plate.
3. Slide pieces of fruit onto the skewer and design your own kabob by putting as much or as little of whatever fruit you want! Do this until the stick is almost covered from end to end.
4. Hold your kabob at the ends and roll it in the yogurt, so the fruit gets covered. Then roll it in the coconut.
5. Repeat these steps with another skewer.

Serving size: 1 kebob
Nutritional analysis (per serving):**
141 calories 3 g fat 2 g sat. fat 28 g carbohydrate 3 g fiber 1 mg cholesterol 52 mg sodium 103 mg calcium 0.5 mg iron
**Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.

Super Bowl Special Edition

Black Bean Salsa
Yield: 3 cups or 6 half cup servings

½ cup corn kernels, use frozen or canned-if using canned, rinse and drain corn
2 TBS diced green chiles or more to taste,
2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 TBS olive oil
2 TBS fresh cilantro chopped or 2 tsp dried cilantro
Juice of 1 lime or 2 TBS bottled lime juice

Mix all the ingredients together except for the lime juice. Add lime juice immediately before serving. To reduce fat and calories, serve with baked tortilla chips, toasted pita triangles or fresh vegetables.

Per serving: 174 calories, 17 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 6 g protein, 5.5 g dietary fiber

Spinach Dip
Number of Servings: 10,
Yield: 4 cups dip
PREP TIME: 10 Minute(s)
CHILL TIME: 2 Hour(s)

Ingredients
1 pkg Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 cup light mayo
2 cups fat free sour cream, for even less fat, try fat free plain yogurt
1 250g can sliced waterchestnuts
3 Tbs red onion, chopped
1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or mix well and store in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with vegetable sticks, baked chips or pita triangles.

Nutrition:
Calories: 142.1
Fat: 8.3g
Carbohydrates: 14.8g
Protein: 2.7g

Pita Chips
Preparation

6 pitas, split in half horizontally
Olive Oil cooking spray, or you can use plain spray
2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare chips, coat rough side of each pita half with olive oil cooking spray, sprinkle pita halves evenly with cumin, lemon pepper. Cut each pita half into 8 wedges (a pizza cutter will make it easy); arrange wedges in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Experiment with different herbs and spices. Try oregano and cumin, rosemary and Kosher salt, Mrs. Dash, chili powder or even taco seasoning mix, onion and garlic powder

Calories per serving
Serving size ½ pita or 4 wedges
Calories 90
Sodium 140 mg
Carbohydrates 18 g
Dietary fiber 1 g
Sugar 1 g
Protein 3 g

Olive Oil Spray
About 1/3 second spray (.226g)
Calories 7
Fat < 1g

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Super Bowl XLIV, February 7, 2010
New Orleans Saints v. Indianapolis Colts

Pass me a Tums, please. Super Bowl comes in as the second biggest day for Americans to overeat, the first is Thanksgiving.

We torture our poor bodies with food from Halloween through Valentine’s Day and all 8 of those holidays revolve around food and lots of it. The mere act of researching and writing all this makes me feel like a lot of sausage stuffed into a small casing. But, back to Super Bowl, not yet a designated holiday although I did find a website promoting making it one.

If you are going to watch the game with friends, think and act, moderation, think of all you have lost in pounds and gained in lifestyle wisdom and health.
· Take a walk after the half time show.
· Drink lots of water and reach for veggie sticks.
· Jumping up and down cheering (or shouting at the TV) is a good form of exercise while watching the game.
· Stand up and move during the commercials, I won’t say leave the room, after all, the commercials are a big part of the Super Bowl experience!
· As I wrote before the winter holidays (November 19, 2009 blog), eat a low fat protein snack before you leave the house.
· Super Bowl is about friends and fun and I bet no one will mind if you even brought your own healthy snacks.
· Moderation is the key.

Here are a few statistics on some of the favorite foods served at Super Bowl parties. I can’t vouch for 100% accuracy of the numbers but found enough similarities that I will use them.

Holy Guacamole!

· 8 million pounds of guacamole consumed during Super Bowl,
· Haas Avocado Board says 49.5 million pounds of avocados
· The California Avocado Commission reports 13.2 million pounds of avocado - or approximately 26 million individual avocados.
· That’s enough guacamole to “cover the Louisiana Superdome football field, end zone to end zone, waist deep in guacamole (approximately 40 inches)." From bleacherreport.com
Chips
· 14,500 – 15,000 tons of chips consumed during Super Bowl
· “To take these out of rational perspective, lining up each and every chip would produce a trail of almost 293,000 miles (not quite 1.5 times the distance to the moon, or 6 feet per American).” From bleacherreport.com
· 4,000 tons of popcorn consumed

Beer

Beer and Super Bowl are a fact of life, apologies to those teetotalers out there. I was not able to find hard and fast statistics on how much beer is consumed during Super Bowl. I did find this information:
· Super Bowl is credited for January being one of America’s top months of beer consumption.
· There is an approximate $17.9 million dollars increase in spending on beer in weeks leading up to Super Bowl. From marketing-jive.com

Wings

· It is estimated that Americans will eat 90 million pounds of chicken wings that breaks down to 450 million individual wings!
· There was no mention of how much ranch dressing is consumed with those wings, I would guess, a lot.

Pizza

· Pizza statistics were available from 3 chains, one of which is a take and bake: over 3 million pizzas are ordered for Super Bowl.
· This does not include the multitude of chains and independent restaurants who were not asked for statistics.

“I can’t believe I ate the whole thing”
Alka Seltzer commercial
· 20% increase in antacid sales the Monday after Super Bowl

Overindulged?

Here’s how many times you need to cross the football field to burn off calories, and you are not being paid millions of dollars to do it!
· Eat one little M&M candy and you are walking the full length of a football field to burn it off.
· The small-sized bag of M&M's (with 53 M&M's ) is 53 football fields.
· A can of Budweiser Beer is 36 football fields.
· A Snickers Bar – 54 football fields.
· A slice of pizza- 80 football fields.
From: Walking off Weight by Robert Sweetgall


Enjoy the game, enjoy yourself, enjoy being with your friends. Try not to overindulge and if you do, don’t beat yourself up. Get up on Monday and realize it is a new day with a fresh page and don’t look back.

Calories Count

Chicken wings 1 fried
25
Chicken wings 1 regular
21
1 slice meat lovers thick crust pizza
350
Guacamole, pre-made 2 TBS
60
Tortilla chips (1 oz = appx 12 chips)
142
Regular beer 12 oz
138.8
Light beer 12 oz
102.7
Potato chips (1 oz =appx 20 chips)
150
Ranch dressing 2 TBS
120
Baby carrot 1 medium
3.8
Celery stick (4”)
0.6
Broccoli spear (5”)
8.7
Apple, 1 cup slices
64.9
Pineapple, 1 slice fresh (3.5” diameter, ¾” thick)
41.2
Grapes 1 cup seedless
60
Light yogurt fruit dip 4 TBS
90
2 Extra strength antacid tablets
10
Sources: marketing-jive.com, bleacherreport.com, About.com, Sparkpeople.com