For people trying to be healthy this time of year can be hard
Published 11:01 am Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Every year around this time I get an itch.
I like to call it the itch of my old ways.
It starts usually about a week before Halloween when I’m bombarded by all of the vast choices of candy I could buy to hand out to trick-or-treaters (or really to simply snack on myself).
Then there’s all the parties — with friends, at church or with family.
If I make it through Halloween without falling into a sugar-induced coma, then I’m on the fast track to Thanksgiving — the holiday where it’s easy to forget about proper portion sizes.
In the past, Thanksgiving more often than not has become the day of second helpings — or sometimes even worse.
Sometimes the habits started that day carry into two and maybe even three days, until before you know it, a whole week has passed and you’re still using some of those bad habits.
But if you make it past Thanksgiving and you think you’re home free — wait until you receive your first batch of Christmas goodies from a friend.
How do you deal with all the food frenzy?
I’ve become a big supporter of going online and finding healthier alternatives to familiar treats or foods.
If that doesn’t work, we have a wealth of resources at our fingertips locally with our local dietitians.
Hy-Vee dietitian Amy Pleimling sends out a monthly newsletter, which has had some fantastic ideas on it. It’s inspirational to see that eating healthy can be exciting — and look and taste good, too! I’m sure she’d be thrilled to talk about some of her ideas.
Branch out! It’ll be worth it!
For now, here’s a recipe I tried this week that I got from a friend of mine at work. It’s been great for some of these chilly nights we’ve been having.
Taco soup
1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
1 onion, chopped
1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can Mexican-style tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 small can of diced green chiles
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Brown meat and onions and drain. Mix ranch and taco seasonings into meat. Add rest of ingredients to mixture. Cook on low heat for two hours.