Wise Up: Healthy Eating for the Holidays

Tiffany Stafford, Certified Personal Trainer with Oregon Athletic Clubs at Hawthorn Farm, joins us today to share some of tips on staying in shape through the holidays. 

“How do I stop the weight gain?” is a question that echoes through our gyms every holiday season without fail: The answer, of course, encompasses both fitness and nutrition. Making a few good choices can go a long way to keeping off the extra pounds.

I recommend to my clients that their goal not be weight loss or dieting over the holidays, but maintaining their current weight and possibly increase their cardiovascular fitness.  This way they have an attainable goal without the added pressure of trying to lose a significant amount of weight during the biggest eating season of the year. Make a plan to slow down on any grand dieting schemes and schedule in some cardio exercise.

When it comes to making good decisions about food over the holidays I have several tips:

1. Don’t skip meals, even on Turkey Day or Christmas.  Skipping meals slows your metabolism and puts you into what I call ‘Survival Mode’ where your body will refuse to burn the calories you eat, storing the majority of it as fat. Skipping a meal will only ensure that you overeat when you finally do sit down at the table.     
2. Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum by saving it for only the most special occasions.  Alcohol is digested very quickly as sugar, triggering your body to store large amounts of energy as fat, including the food you may be eating while you drink. 
3. Enjoy those family dinners!  When you’re sitting down at those special meals with your friends and family, go ahead, eat and enjoy!  Try to limit yourself to one serving of everything, especially desert, and I guarantee you will still feel full and have a great time while you’re at it. 
4. Limit the extra snacking and sugar opportunities.  Over the holidays the candy dishes, boxes of chocolates, and high calorie treats at the office are everywhere.  

As far as fitness over the holidays is concerned, continue to go to the club regularly and even step up your cardio workouts if you can.  This will help make up for the extra food you’re guaranteed to consume.  Lifting weights 3 times per week and putting in the miles on your favorite cardio machine 3 to 5 days per week will keep you healthy, full of energy, and feeling great about yourself.  Also, be sure to ask one of OAC’s trainers for more personalized advice that will be specific to your goals and circumstances.  We’re here to help and the Holidays are a great time to get the expert advice you need to stay lean and mean! (added exclamation point)

Merry Fitness and a Happy New Year!

It’s Cold Outside, But These Kids Need to Get Active!

Amy Gravseth, Director of Family Programming, shares some of the ways you can keep your kids active on cold and rainy days.

Winter is definitely upon us.  Those days of your children playing in the yard well into the twilight are gone.  Now they are sitting inside trying to find things to do but everything they think of involves a screen of some kind.  You’re desperate to get them active again, but what do you do? Here are some great tips to keep the kids moving all winter long. 

• Get the kiddos involved in a youth class at Oregon Athletic Clubs.  OAC offers everything from Martial Arts to sports classes to youth personal training!
• Get out and get swimming.  Enjoy an indoor pool. Swimming has great cardiovascular benefits, is fun and doesn’t require sun.
• Head up to the mountain.  With snow falling in the mountains, families can gather their snow gear for a day of skiing, snowboarding or sledding.  Any of these activities will get your and your children’s heart rates pumping.
• Have a pillow fight.  Pillow fights are good, old fashion fun.  Surprise your kids while they are sitting on the sofa with a light tap from a pillow and before you know it they’ll counter attack, resulting in fits of laughter and activity.
• Set up an obstacle course in your living/family room.  Go ahead and push all the furniture to the sides of the room (don’t worry, it will go back in place when you’re finished) and start putting together items that children can go under, over and around.  Time the activity and see who gets the best time.
• Build a fort.  Like the obstacle course, children can get involved gathering items around the house to make a play fort.  Walking around the house gathering “building materials” will benefit both the mind and the heart!
• Have a dance party.  Crank the music up and just start dancing.  Encourage the kids to join you.  Call it a 10 minute dance party.  Do it every day at the same time!

Winter doesn’t have to mean staying inside bored.  The fun just has to be moved indoors!

Have a look at our P.E.A.K Youth Schedule  to see some of the ways Oregon Athletic Clubs is working to promote energetic active kids. Celebrate the season with kid friendly events at OAC!

Eat Your Chocolate: It’s Good For You!

Check out some of our favorite recipes this month, incorporating Chocolate: November’s superfood! Don’t forget to stop by the New Leaf Bistro throughout November to try our Nutty Choco Banana Boost Smoothie & pick up recipe handouts.

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Mexican Mole Turkey With Chocolate Chili Baste

8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground anise
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 1/2 ounces ground almonds
• 2 tablespoons brown Sugar — softened
• 7 ounces dark chocolate — melted
• 4 1/2 pound turkey crown — skin removed
• 1 3/4 ounce sesame seeds

Preparation

Put all spices in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, and heat just until spices become fragrant, stirring frequently, about one minute. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Return pan to stove, lower heat. Add peanut oil, garlic, ground almonds and sugar; cook over a gentle heat, lightly toasting almonds. Add chocolate, spices and enough hot water to make a thick paste. Cook two minutes. Cool. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Rub chocolate paste all over turkey crown, massaging it into flesh. Put turkey in roasting pan and drizzle with oil. Place in oven, cook for 20 minutes per pound. Brush with more paste during cooking.

Towards final 10 minutes of cooking, brush with baste and sprinkle with sesame seeds, then finish cooking.

Tips

Turkey cooked in mole sauce is a staple of Mexican cooking and has been enjoyed since the time of the Aztecs. A turkey crown is a whole turkey with the legs removed.

Source:  CDKitchen.com

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STRAWBERRY SALAD WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING

2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups arugula (or any salad leaves)
• 2 cups strawberries, halved
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/4 cup Stilton cheese, with black pepper, crumbled
• 100 ml balsamic vinegar
• Sugar to taste
• 1 oz. dark chocolate, 75% pure

Preparation

Divide the arugula between the plates. Slice the cucumber lengthways, seed and slice into halfmoons. Arrange the Stilton, cucumber and strawberries on the rocket. Drizzle dressing on top.

To make the dressing: Place balsamic vinegar in a saucepan, add sugar and dissolve over a gentle heat. Remove from heat and stir in 2 squares of chocolate. Leave to cool at room temperature. Do not refrigerate or dressing will solidify.

Source: Food.com

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CROSTINI WITH GORGONZOLA, PEARS AND CHOCOLATE

4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 ounces dark chocolate
• 8 slices of crusty bread
• 6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature
• 2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
• White pepper
• Hazelnuts, toasted and crushed

Preparation

Toast both sides of bread slices. Melt the 4 ounces of chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Reserve.

Spread the Gorgonzola on each piece of bread and top with a few slices of pear and a pinch of white pepper. Drizzle the chocolate over the top and garnish with a few bits of crushed hazelnuts.

Source: Venchi.ro

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VEGETARIAN CHOCOLATE CHILI

6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 medium dried ancho chiles
• 1 dried chipotle chile
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 zucchini and/or yellow squash, cubed
• 3/4 pound kale, stems, ribs discarded, leaves chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, grated
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 3 (15-ounce) cans pinto bean

Preparation:

Rinse, dry, cut lengthwise and remove the seeds from the dried ancho  and chipotle chiles. Heat chile peppers in a skillet flat on both sides over medium heat until just tender, about 30 seconds. Cut into small pieces. (Caution: don’t breathe the vapors rising up from the skillet.)

Combine chile peppers and cumin seeds in a grinder and process until finely ground. A mortar and pestle can be used as well. Combine chile mixture with oregano, cinnamon and salt.

Heat oil in a large pot and saute onions unto softened. Mix in garlic and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in chile mixture and cook 30 seconds. Add zucchini and kale and cook 5 minutes, covered. Stir in orange zest, sugar, chocolate, tomatoes and juice, and water.

Cover and cook 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring chili often. When vegetables are cooked through, add beans and cook another 5 minutes. Season with salt. Serve warm.

Source: Sheknows.com

 

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CHOCOLATE FONDUE

2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon brewed espresso, (see Kitchen Tip)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 banana, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
• 8 1-inch chunks fresh pineapple
• 4 strawberries

Preparation

Place chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water. Gently stir until almost melted. Remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate melts completely.

Add cream, espresso, vanilla and salt

Pour the chocolate mixture into a serving bowl.  Serve with fruit.

Tips

If you don’t have an espresso maker, look for instant espresso powder at your supermarket.

No double boiler? Mix chocolate and other ingredients together in microwave safe bowl and heat on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Source: EatingWell.com