Happy Mardi Gras!

It's Mardi Gras!  I love this season, it is so full of life and fun and always reminds me of home and my family.  And the food.  The food...yeah, not the healthiest.  I have yet to actually travel home to Louisiana and last longer than three days of healthy eating before I totally cave and give in to the delicious food found at every turn.  Luckily my brother and sister are usually up for a run to burn off the calories or I would be in trouble!

But, you know I believe that any food can be "healthified." 

well, the jury is out on biegnets...

So, I set out to healthify some of my local favorites. I brought a homemade, whole wheat, low-sugar king cake to some hungry preschool teachers this morning...which I guess makes me a feeder now.  They seemed to be okay with it.

Check out my recipes here...and share yours, please, as well!

Laissez les bons temps roulez!

Superbowl Super Psych

The Superbowl is on Sunday which means two things:
1. 2011 is going by WAY too fast, and
2. Dip.

If you're going to a Superbowl party and don't have the metabolism of a 26 year-old running back, here are some ideas for how to make sure you score a nutritional touchdown:

Workout that morning!  I am running a half marathon on Sunday, but that's just me.  And no, that doesn't give me license to eat my body weight in chili cheese fries during the game.  Exercise will set your mind in a healthy, happy zone that will make you want to be healthier all day.  Remember, exercise is proactive, not reactive!

Read before you buy.  There are plenty of products out there that give you that "I'm being bad" feeling of junk food but don't junk up your body.  You can have chips, dips, and all manner of tailgating food without eating trans fats and preservatives.  I even saw healthified cheetos the other day! These products are usually hidden in a special "natural" section of the grocery store, though, which kind of makes me wonder why anyone shops in the unnatural section....but that's a different blog for a different day.

Don't assume that healthier means healthy. Just because something has better ingredients that doesn't mean it has fewer calories.  Even healthy food has calories and unless you are actually playing in the Superbowl, I am guessing you need to keep them in the 1,700- 2,500 range.  Monday does exist, after all.

Eat to live, don't live to eat.  The Superbowl is awesome, I love it!  But it is possible to watch the game without eating.  I know that might sound weird but I've done it before and lived to tell the story.  You can, too!  Drink a bottle of water for every sports cliche you hear during the game and I promise, you won't even have time to eat.

Make your Superbowl Sunday a winner!  Focus on the fun of the game instead of the food and you'll score a win-win.

(Hint: that was your first cliche)

Laissez les bon temps à être en bonne santé

Let the good times be healthy!

Mardi Gras is here! I love the atmosphere of this holiday.  The calories, not so much. So I rolled up my sleeves and healthified some of my favorite hometown recipes so you can celebrate this fun time without sacrificing your health and nutrition.  You're welcome.

I'm from Louisiana, and when I go home, hoo boy it's hard to be healthy. It's like an obstacle course of high-calorie traps, and I have to make sure my consistency, data, accountability, and intention are in full force.  I usually do really well for about two days and then it all goes to hell.  If I can get a run in each day I am there, that really helps me stay focused...and burns the calories off for when I am not so focused. :)

One of my biggest Mardi Gras pitfalls is king cake.  This sugary-sweet cake is like a pandora's box of sugar cravings.  One teeny tiny slice is so gooey and sweet that I feel sluggish and gross when I eat it. But I still want to eat it, and so does everyone else.  So I adapted a recipe that reminded me of king cake into something a lot healthier that won't induce sugar cravings or blow your calorie budget.

I thought about calling this Grown Up King Cake because of the frosting - its a yogurt-based glaze with a lot less sugar than store-bought icing - but when I brought this to a party for some test sampling, adults and kids alike scarfed it down. It felt so good to tell them that the cake they were eating was only 140 calories a slice and made with whole wheat and low sugar.  But no, that doesn't mean you should have two.  Food is still fuel!  It's just not realistic to think that I will go to Mardi Gras and not eat king cake.  So this fuel isn't exactly high-octane, but it isn't going to put sugar in my tank when I am out at the parades. 

The rest of my Mardi Gras Menu includes my Actually Healthy Jambalaya and Red Beans and Brown Rice.  You can find all three recipes on the "Healthy Mardi Gras?" page at the top of your screen! 

I hope you have a great Carnival season and are able to enjoy it without losing ground on your fitness and wellness goals.  And here's some lagniappe - if you need a reminder (or a way to burn off the calories) check out the Mardi Gras Rock and Roll Half Marathon in New Orleans on February 13.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!