Lucky Foods for New Year's Day

I am currently (for the 6th year in a row) working on New Year's Eve.  I am running the controls for STAR 102.5's Downtown Countdown.  No complaints, it's a complement to be entrusted with a 6 hour, live party show. (Or at least that what our old program director Jim said.)

While I am punching button I thought, 'Hey, this really gives me time to hunt down the info for tonight's blog'.  It did.  One search of Google and I found that Epicurious has already done a fantastic job with "Lucky Foods for New Year's Day".  In fact, for years I have searched out something this thorough. 

It covers foods and dishes considered lucky from around the world AND offers some of the recipes. I am really impressed and rather than recreating I thought I would give them props and share theirs.  I brought over their picture as well. :)

So, here's hoping your 2011 starts lucky and stays that way.

Yours in Health,
Kate

Healthy New Year's Eve Drinks

I like to call New Year's Eve, "amateur night".  It's that time when everyone thinks you should drink in celebration.  Maybe you are looking to rid yourself of the memories of 2010 or you want to get 2011 started with a bang.  That's great, do whatever floats your boat - but don't drink and drive.

Now here's the dose of reality you didn't ask for - alcohol has calories.  (It's one saving grace is NO fat.)  Yes I know, you know, but do you know how many?  I bring you this handy calculator that the government has set up to discourage college binge drinking.  While I don't believe you have plans to get completely faced, you should still be aware, alcohol calories add up.

A couple of examples - 

Drink Ounces Calories
Light Beer            12                110
Martini 3.5               140
Manhattan 3.5               164
Margarita            4                  168
Champagne 4                  84
Red Wine   4                  80

I am laughing at those a bit, because other than the serving size and calories on the wine, the Manhattan and the champagne, these are likely inaccurate compared to what people may imbibe tomorrow night.  Beer is frequently 16 ounces now; that's a straight vodka martini, it doesn't account for juices or chocolate (my fave); and if you ever got a 4 ounce margarita, you would probably send it back as too skimpy.

With all of that said, there is nothing wrong with having a couple of drinks on an occasion.  If all else fails, it's a social lubricant so you can put up with your cousin Gary who decided to tag along.  The key really, like any other food, is moderation.  (Are you sick of being told that yet?)

I have rounded up a few drink recipes to add to your festivities.  If you drain the alcohol from them, most are kid friendly and all will be lower in calories.

Mojito Fresco
Poinsettia Mimosas
Golden Sparklers
Champagne Ginger Cocktail
Cava Cocktail
And this is a whole website of "Mocktails", so you don't have to worry about taking out the alcohol.
Just some ideas to mix things up for you.  My best advice is, when watching calories, this is not the time to try something new or do shots (which average 100 calories a piece).  This is a time to go with a favorite that you can savor and really enjoy, making every little drop count.

Tomorrow: New Year's Day recipes to bring you luck.

Yours in Health,
Kate

Healthy New Year's Eve Munchies

Here we are again, holiday food.  And here I remind you again, that 'healthy' is relative when it comes to anything labeled holiday.  With that said and my assuring you that one glass of bubbly, to toast the New Year, will not lay waste to your waist, I have come to share some snack recipes.


These are the little goodies that are placed on warming trays, in dishes, on platters, and even though healthier, will add up if you overindulge.  So, remember key things like - fill up on the veggie tray (without the dip), drink a glass of water once an hour to fill tummy space and choose one thing to really enjoy or you may run off the rails without intending to.


Since I am going to give you several, they will be in list and link form:

Mini Corn Bread Crab Cakes with Lemon-Caper Sauce
Spinach-&-Brie-Topped Artichoke Hearts
Tyler Florence's Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
5-Minute Guacamole Recipe
Black Bean Dip
Turkey Cocktail Meatballs
Alton Brown's Mulled Wine
Ginger-Shrimp Pot Stickers with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Mini Greek Pizza Muffins

That should get you started and all of the websites I linked you to have many other recipes.  Tomorrow 'better for you' cocktails. :)

Yours in Health,

Kate

Where Did 2010 Go?

I have been working away today on the January/February issue of !ntuition Magazine.  As in 2011.

It hadn't really sunk in until a little while ago when a friend shot me a "Happy New Year" as she headed to Barbados to celebrate a belated honeymoon.  Wow. Yep, Saturday is a whole new year.

It's now weighing heavily on my mind.  Not so much what I didn't accomplish (which was plenty), but what I need to do, to make sure 2011 is better.  And by better I am talking about, more meaningful.

I spend many days working away, not really having a life, doing what I need to do to get by - we almost all do this.  I want that to change in the New Year.  I will do what I need to, but I will also address the wants.  The wants that have a positive effect outside myself will take priority and that will feed my soul - as I mentioned yesterday, it's one of the keys to survival.

In the end, it doesn't matter where 2010 went, so much as where I am going in 2011.

Yours in Health,
Kate

The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Soul

This was the post I was planning for a week ago last Saturday, before being side tracked by the 'ick'. 

Throughout the holidays we talk about food.  We eat too much, we want to try a recipe, someone brought cookies again, we giggle at Aunt Mable's annual fruit cake and we are thrilled with chocolate delights.  In fact, as most of our butts and thighs can attest, we are awash in a sea of fat and carbs from November to the New Year.  While these meals and treats feed our stomachs, we miss the most important thing - nourishing our souls.

We rush through life, especially the holidays - shopping and working and parties and cards - hoping all the while, we will have it done on time.  Sometimes losing our minds a little in the process and mostly missing the point of the season.  It doesn't matter your religion - the end of the year is about reflection, appreciation and grace.

Without a doubt you reflect on where you came from - your family, a favorite Christmas, your first game of dreidel or when you first celebrated Kwanzaa.  Perhaps you take the time to bake cookies for the teacher or mail carrier to express appreciation.  But do you embrace grace?

Grace has many forms, as you can see in this link.  

Grace is the one that matters most, it is becoming the embodiment of the goodness you seek in the world.  We all crave favor, kindness, friendship and forgiveness.  Yet, can we expect this to befall us if we aren't willing to endow these things just as freely?  The short answer of course is 'no'.

The full response takes years to unfold and embody.  It's a personal journey toward letting go and being willing to grow.  However, all of the pains we take are washed away as little lessons are learned and it quietly gives sustenance to our soul.  And that's what I want to impart this holiday season.

I am not perfect, in fact it's a daily struggle with my imperfections. (Hence the blog.) Still, I try to keep my eyes open and be trained by the universe to soak up what I need to improve in any way I can.  I know what you are thinking, "Okay all knowing one, how is this 'feeding of the soul' done?"

I'm but an apprentice, but I do have a few ideas: 

• Send an unexpected card or make that call you have been putting off.  Imagine the relief from years of pressure brought on by the unknown.
• Reach out to someone you don't even know.  A random act of kindness gives the feeling of accomplishment all day.
• Go overboard on a gift for that friend who has had a rotten year and be sure the note with it promises you're going to be there whether it gets better or not.
• Read to someone.  It can be a child, an ill friend or a senior at the local care center.  A warm voice can move anyone from despair.
• Give to a charity that touches your heart.  And if you can, give your time too.  Even $5 makes a difference and hours are worth more than money.
• Say 'please', 'thank you' and 'I love you'.  Simple words that will be shared in an endless chain.

I know you have many other ideas for becoming more graceful.  Put them in words, pass them on, but mostly do them.  And then see just how nourished your soul can really be. 

Yours in Health,

Kate

Food-borne Illness - The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Friday night and yesterday I had nice holiday time with my family.  But...

Wow.  It has been an ugly and long week.  My apologies for not following through with my plans to post recipes every day, but I got really sick.

Last Saturday I woke up feeling good, my wallet had money and it was time to finally start my Christmas shopping.  First things first, a good brunch to stoke the engine.  I went the healthy route and got an egg white omelet with fresh spinach (at a restaurant that will go unnamed), it tasted pretty good and I was off to the mall.

I hadn't been in the mall very long when I became soaked in sweat.  I thought, well the mall is packed and I am rushing around, no big deal.  Even though no one else was soaking their shirt.  Anyway, I went about trying to get things done and slowly felt worse as the day wore on.  I tried to write it off to a lot of things, but by early evening I knew - I was getting very ill.  I let the boss know and then hoped that my fever and chills would pass without much incident. Uh, nope.

I will save you the details, other than to say, it was fever, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, headache - horrible.  And it didn't last just 24-48 hours like a nice flu.  No, this drug on.  It was traced back to the spinach in my omelet.  It wasn't fully cooked, but I thought nothing of it until much later.  They even briefly thought I had e. coli.  By the way, this is a food-borne illness, not food poisoning.  The food hadn't gone bad, it was tainted by bacteria.

I finally made it back to work on Thursday, 15 pounds lighter and weak.  I was able to eek out some time to Christmas shop so everyone had gifts, but that spent the 'extra' energy I had.

Yesterday I thought I was feeling a bit better, so I ate a regular Christmas dinner.  Turns out, I am not fully recovered.  As I tried to go to bed last night, my body balked at the amount of food I had enjoyed.  It wasn't an insane amount, but compared to the rest of the week, I ate like a queen.  So, I spent most of the night writhing in pain and sweating, very little sleep too.

So, I came to work early.  I have been drinking some gingerbread tea and it is helping.  Going forward for the next week I have a new plan - very small amounts of food and BLAND.  Knowing my body, it will find a way to throw a fit anyway, but I have to give it a try.

Yours in Health,
Kate

Sorry no post today

I'm running on empty.  My best guess is a long week with long hours just came to roost.  I have tried several things and nothing.  So, I am going home and possibly to bed.

Post tomorrow as was promised for today.

Yours in Health,
Kate