Ghosts of Christmas Past

Day After Christmas with Dad ... just part of the food we served

A lot of people feel justified  to eat whatever they want during the holidays. For some reason, "It's the holidays" has become an acceptable reason to make unhealthy food choices. 

As I looked around at the foods served at the various holiday gatherings I was blessed to attend, I was scared. Scared for my family, scared for our society and scared for myself.

I realize the word "scared" may seem a bit melodramatic, but it's the only word that aptly applies.

I am scared out of my mind of gaining my weight back. I have nightmares about it - and I wake up in a cold sweat and am scared to look in a mirror in case it turns out that losing weight was only a dream.

And so, the holidays freak me out. 

When I look at what my friends said they were eating over the holidays - and the menus planned by my families, I feared for them too. Most of the people in my family are over weight. Some try to fight it - feebly - and others have completely given up. Instead of looking to the new year with an attitude on healthy living, they are embraced by the ghosts of Christmas past and their recipes. You know the ones - full of butter, oil, sugar, and heavy cream - passed down through the generations. Recipes that are acceptable if you spend hours a day working the fields and farm animals, but don't fare so well for those who sit in front of a computer each day and night.

Check it:
Christmas Eve: Tortilla soup, bean and cheese tostadas, chicken enchiladas, pecan pie

Christmas Day: Venison breakfast sausage and eggs with cheese, mashed potatoes, gravy, chicken-fried venison, peanut brittle nut mix (aka crack in a can!), biscuits and English pea salad (it may sound healthy, but the cheese and mayo take care of that quite quickly), and snacky sweets. At least I took along Hungry Girl's Peppermint Pie (which is AMAZING!), Then later that night, during the Cowboys game it was chips and queso, chocolate-covered cherries and various other sweets.

Day After Christmas: Oreos (3, as my breakfast), Dr. Pepper, brisket, ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, fruit salad, sausage balls, and mini candy bars.

And yes, I ate it.

I was in a strange position. First, people expect me to be snobby about food (and while I am, I don't want to show that as a guest in their home!) and refuse to eat the "bad" stuff. My usual solution involves taking my own dishes that are healthy and satisfy me. I did the best I could this weekend: I took low calorie desserts and made a low-fat version of my grandmother's mac and cheese to go alongside the "original recipe" version. Second: There just wasn't the option to eat only healthy foods - because there weren't any! The only choice I had was to eat small portions and avoid the worst of the dishes.

I didn't go back for seconds either - a change from my past years. Instead, I packed up as many leftovers as I could and brought them home with me to be enjoyed throughout the next week, in reasonable proportions, served with healthy sides, etc.

Why we can't change a few of our traditions? Is it really necessary to serve ham AND brisket? Sweet potatoes AND mashed potatoes? Does the venison steak need to be fried? If so, then can we choose between potatoes OR biscuits? Of course we can! It's easy to say "Don't eat it all" but that's hard in practice when you know the trouble the cooks went to when cooking. But how about those heirloom recipes? Do they have to be followed as if Jesus himself handed them down? Hello - fat free milk! I made two versions of my grandmother's mac and cheese and the butter-free version was complimented as much as the original recipe!

You see, I don't expect everyone to abstain from the indulgences of the holidays - that's why I did my little Christmas Kitchen Advent Adventure. The idea was to indulge a little throughout, rather than a lot in a few days. Of course, I just can't seem to let myself indulge any more - most of the advent was low in calories and fat - and I'm not complaining! I was VERY happy going into Christmas weekend.But I just can't get behind letting myself forget all the healthy habits I've worked so hard to learn over the past year.

I thought about letting down my guard, and a couple of times did, but I didn't like it. I felt out of control and like a cheater. Can a drug addict allow themselves to let down their guard because "it's the holidays" and that means it's ok to snort a little cocaine? How about an alcoholic and the New Year's bubbly? No! Then it makes sense that a food addict can't either! I don't feel bad about my discipline either. Especially since I have very little guilt from the weekend except that pound I gained. Gr. I've worked so hard to lose this weight, that I'm not cool with the idea of it coming back, even a single pound. It's a heck of a lot easier to gain a pound than it is to lose it!

NCKAA: 3 Days Until Christmas!

Self Magazine Sugar Cookies

3/4 c flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
4 tbsp butter, softened
1/4 c Sugar substitute
1/4 c Sugar
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in bowl.

In another bowl, beat butter and sugars with hand mixer until light and fluffy - add egg whites and vanilla. Beat until just combined.

Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture until formed.

Roll dough into log and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Cut into shapes and bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.

Makes 40 two-inch cookies.

Nutritional Information Per Cookie: Calories: 38, Fat: 1g; Carbs: 6g, Fiber: 0g; Protein:1g
NOTE: The cookies in the photo were dipped in the glaze used for the doughnuts below.

Minty Mini-Doughnuts

Sugar cookie dough
Cooking SPray
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp skim milk
2 medium candy canes, crushed

Heat oven to 350. Coat 2 cookie sheets with spray. Take sugar cookie dough above, cut into 4 equals pieces. Then cut each of those pieces into 16 pieces. Roll each piece between your fingers to form a 1.5 to 2-inch log. Pinch together ends of each log to form rings and place doughnuts 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 1 batch at a time until dough puffs, 5-6 minutes.

Which sugar and milk in a bowl until smooth. Dip top of each warm cookie into sugar glaze; press into candy. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes 64 doughnuts

Nutritional Information Per Doughnut: 28 calorie; 1 g fat; 5g carbs; 0g fiber; 0g protein

Finally! The search for the perfect sugar cookie recipe for the holidays is over. Self Magazine to the rescue. The doughnuts are super cute and tasty, too.

NCKAA: 5 Days Until Christmas

Snow Chili

8 oz cubed chicken breast
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans Navy beans (or 3-4 cups homemade)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked white rice
5-6 slices of jalapeno
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp cumin
Optional: 1 cup white corn (If you've got it handy, but don't use yellow corn ... you know what they say about the yellow snow!)

Saute onions and cook chicken breast in frying pan. Combine all ingredients in crock pot, cook on high 2-3 hours, until rice is done. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information: Calories: 253.5; Total Fat: 1.2 g; Cholesterol: 18.9 mg; Sodium: 710.5 mg; Total Carbs: 44.1 g; Dietary Fiber: 7.1 g; Protein: 16.7 g

I can hardly believe I forgot to post this recipe when we had our first snow day last week! It's officially tradition for me to make Snow Chili on the day of the first snow.

I know a lot of white chilis cal for ground turkey, but  the chicken is SOOOOO much better - juicier and moister and I highly recommend it in any turkey chili recipe. For reals.

The point of Snow Chili, of course, is to have something warm and festive to eat after hours of snow ball fights and snow man building. I love living where it snows!!! We are heading to Texas for Christmas, so I'm not likely to have a white one this year (though we did last Christmas!!!!). But there has been snow on the ground for the past week up in Kansas City and it's been a lovely winter wonderland. This was a great way to celebrate the first flakes too.

NCKAA: 7 Days Until Christmas

Orange Smiles

1 orange

Cut orange into 8-10 segments. Enjoy!

Note: Save the orange peel to make Crandied Orange Peel :-)

Nutritional Information:  Calories: 87; Fiber: 4.4g; Carbs: 21.7g; Protein: 1.7g

Sometimes, it's the simple things that can make you smile. For me, oranges make me think of Christmas and that makes me smile.

I've got several more recipes on my list for Natalie's Christmas Kitchen Advent Adventure, but for some reason, Orange Smiles were calling out to me today.

I also have another batch of craisins in the dehydrator. This time, I cut each cranberry in half (tedious, but no big deal if you use cooking shears and have a favorite tv show in the background), dissolved 1/2 cup Splenda in 1 cup water (boiled to dissolve) and soaked the berries in the sugar water for 30 minutes (save the berry water for Crandied Orange Peels!). Then I spread them on the dehydrator and have had it going all day. These look a lot prettier than the batch I made a few weeks ago. I've got baking plans for some and breakfast plans for the rest (we love them in oatmeal and cream of wheat!).

NCKAA: 10 Days Until Christmas

Hot Dr. Pepper

12 oz. Dr. Pepper (1 can)
2 slices lemon

Heat Dr. Pepper until just boiling.

Place lemon slice in bottom of mug and pour hot Dr. Pepper over it.

Let cool until drinkable. Enjoy!

Serves 2. 

Nutritional Information: Calories: 75; Carbs: 28; Protein: 0g; Sodium: 40 mg

Hot Dr. Pepper is a Texan delicacy. My mother told me it was the first thing my parents made when they bought their first microwave. Our generation doesn't make it much (well, except me), but you can still get it at the Dr. Pepper Museum soda fountain in Waco.

There is just something soothing about the bubbly, thick, sweet caramelly goodness of hot Dr. Pepper on a cold day. Tonight, I'm drinking it to inspire me for my final final exam. I have 11 hours to write ten pages ... and I'm not even confident enough in the subject to bs a single page, must less 10. Wish me luck!

NCKAA: 12 Days Until Christmas

Don't judge me. It's finals week!

Finals Frozen Pizza

1 Supreme frozen pizza

Follow directions on back of packaging.

Nutritional Information: 1/3 of pizza: 330 calories ... I'm in!

When we last visited the grocery store, I had several challenges before me. 1) We are both broke so I didn't have a big budget to use for my weekly groceries 2) I'm in the midst of finals week and that means the study munchies have set in hardcore.

Imagine my surprise when, looking at low-cost dinner choices, I found a pleasant surprise in the information on the back of Tony's Supreme Pizza! I conveniently failed to look past the calorie count ... so you know, don't ask me about the fat, protein or sodium. At least I got a kind with vegetables on it!

Oh and it was a nice little holiday splurge, thank you very much. Plus, the crust was thin and I figure limited in the carbs. It's definitely got better fat and calorie stats than delivered pizza. At $1.98 a pizza, it was a lot cheaper than delivery, too!!!

NCKAA: 16 Days Until Christmas

Grilled Grinch Hands
(aka grilled cactus)
(aka grilled nopales)

Any number of nopales paddles (1 per serving)
olive oil spray

Carefully hold prickly paddles from the thick end. Using a sharp knife, scrape down the paddle to remove the prickles. Rinse.

Lightly spray olive oil on each side of every paddle and grill 5 minutes each side.

If you really want it to look like the Grinch's hands, cut down each paddle 4 times, to create fingers.

Don't these look like Grinch hands????

Nutritional information: 10 calories a paddle, plus stats from your oil; Protein: 2g; Carbs: 2 g; Fat: 0g

Cuddly as a Cactus Grinch Fingers

4 nopales paddles
1/2 medium onion, cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced

Prepare paddles as above. Cut into bite-size strips. Rinse again.

Sautee onions and garlic in large pot. Add nopales and enough water to cover. Bring to boil, let simmer 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Great for stews, salads, salsas or as a vegetable side dish.

Nutritional information: 10 calories a cup; Protein: 2g; Fat: 0g

Nopales con Huevos

4 oz. cooked nopales
1 egg
1/4 c egg substitute
1/4 c red pepper, chopped and sauteed

Mix all ingredients in frying pan and scramble together. Top with pepper jack cheese if you're feeling brave. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information: Calories: 135.0; Total Fat: 5.2 g; Total Carbs: 7.8 g; Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g; Protein: 14.6 g


So, this is officially a new holiday tradition for me! Though, technically, cactus season is in the late spring and early summer. I just love the idea of playing off the Grinch song and making it festive. And the left overs are delicious for breakfast!

Since last night was my first time to cook cactus myself, I decided to try grilled and boiled and decide which I like best: Grilled won. MMmmm.

The paddles were a lot easier to work with than I thought they'd be, which was nice. I only got poked by a needle once and that was at the grocery store when I was bagging them. If you buy your own, avoid the limp paddles, by the way. You want them to be sturdy, not slumpy.

Here's more on the awesomeness that is edible cactus.

NCKAA: 17 Days Until Christmas

"Egg in the Middle of Toast"

1 slice bread*
1 egg
Spray butter
Cooking spray

1. Remove middle of toast. I usually make a smaller hole than this, but since this is part of my advent, I chose to go festive!

2. Spray both sides with butter, spray frying pan with cooking spray and put on medium heat.

3. Crack egg into hole.

4. When the egg is cooked enough (you should be able to slide the toast around the pan easily), flip! Cook until other side is done. If the bread isn't toasty, keep flipping, but don't cook it so long that the yolk cooks.

5. "Pop" the yolk and smear over the toast. Since you can't see the gingerbread man anymore (though deep inside we know he's there), I decided to serve his cut out as toast.

*I use Wonder Smart White Bread because it's 50 calories a slice and has the same amount of fiber as whole wheat bread. Adjust the nutritional information based on your bread. 

Nutritional Information: Calories: 125; Total Fat: 5.5g; Protein 8.2 grams; Carbs 11.6 g.

Growing up, "Egg in the Middle of Toast" was a household staple. Some people call it Toad in the Hole and other such things, but my family is pretty pragmatic and says it like it is.

This was a favorite breakfast for us all and I was bound and determined to make it healthy. It's not like it was hard, after all. I just swapped real butter for spray butter and went with a low-calorie bread. Lately, I've been missing home so having this for breakfast really hits the spot in many ways. 

At the starting line

A brief email exchange this Weigh Day (141.2!!!) has given me the inspiration to write a blog that's been on my list since I reached my first goal weight.

Many have asked me why I want to keep losing weight. In fact, some people have expressed concerns about me losing too much weight. Sure, when you look at my before and after, it's extreme. But that's only because of where I started.

The end of the healthy weight spectrum for me is 145. If I weigh an ounce more than that, technically (according to my BMI), I'm unhealthy. While that may or may not be set-in-stone truth, it's the guide I've chosen to follow. I never want to be an unhealthy weight again. In fact, I'm mad at myself for living with an unhealthy weight for so long. I should have started fighting to lose weight the moment I crossed into "overweight" not when I realized I was "obese."
There never should have been a day in my life when I got over 145 (or it's equivalent when I was growing up).  Weighing 145 pounds is only "skinny" to me because I started at 195. My start should have come when I first hit 146.

When I look in the mirror, I don't feel skinny because I'm not - yet. I am seeing a truth in myself. Sure, 145 is awesome and I'm thrilled to be healthy, but my perspective has always different than it should have been because I've always been overweight. I'm glad that 145 isn't satisfying to me. Because one day I will look at this size as the enemy, not the goal.

It isn't about how far I've come, though I am very proud of myself. It's all about the destination. I want to be physically fit, healthy, sexy, toned and energetic.  I want 145 to be my extreme. Weighing 145 should be too much for me. And from now on, it is.

No, going from 195 to 145 was just me getting into my healthy place. It was my walk from the parking lot to the starting line. Now, the gun has gone off and I'm really starting.

NCKAA: 19 Days Until Christmas

Everyday Green Bean Casserole

8 oz fresh green beans*
1 tsp. salt
1 can low-fat Cream of Celery soup
1 piece bread
1 pat butter

1. Wash green beans. Snap tips from each and break in half.

2. Bring water to boil, with salt. Preheat over to 350.

3. Boil green beans for 5 minutes. Remove from boiling water and immediately immerse in ice bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking.

4. Drain green beans well, use paper towel to pat dry.

5. Place half the green beans in bottom of small casserole dish. Cover with half the cream of celery soup. Put remaining green beans on next layer and finish with remaining soup.

6. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes. During last 5-10 minutes, butter the bread and toast well.

7. After the green beans have cooked 45 mins, use a knife to scrap crumbs from the toast, both sides. Crumble crusts etc.

8. Return casserole to oven and bake 10 more minutes.

9. Enjoy!

Serves 4.

*If you're in a time-crunch, I suppose you can use frozen green beans ... if you must. Start at step 4.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 70.8; Total Fat: 2.5 g; Cholesterol: 3.1 mg; Sodium: 398.2 mg; Total Carbs: 11.7 g; Dietary Fiber: 3.2 g; Protein: 2.1 g.

Here's the thing about green bean casserole: I love it! I forgot how much I love it until last Thanksgiving when I found a recipe similar to this in Hungry Girl (she uses water chestnuts and soy crisps). It's such a simple dish and so tasty that I can't, for the life of me, figure out why we save it for the holidays only.

Sadly, Kevin isn't a green bean fan so I can only make them when he's not here for dinner - like tonight! I didn't have any this Thanksgiving because it was my job to make it using someone else's ingredients and I wanted to throw up when I saw the calorie count in the 2 CANS of Cream of Mushroom soup that was there. No thanks! It's not like I was going hungry by abstaining anyway.

I added it to my list of holiday goodies to enjoy throughout the season. I feel it is getting much more attention from me because of this.

P.S. Green beans are full of potassium and help ladies deal with pains that come at a certain time of the month.

NCKAA: 20 Days Until Christmas

Gingerbread Oatmeal Casserole

2 eggs (or 1/2 c egg substitute)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup molasses
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
3 cups oatmeal (not instant)

Combine above ingredients, mixing well. Pour into greased pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 175.2; Total Fat: 3.5 g; Cholesterol: 52.3 mg; Sodium: 153.7 mg; Total Carbs: 31.0 g; Dietary Fiber: 3.2 g; Protein: 6.2 g

As part of my gingerbread experiments, I made a tasty oatmeal casserole today. I used a fork to crush up the "slices" in a bowl and covered them with milk (next time I'll warm the milk first). YUM! It could use a bit more fiber for my liking, but as a breakfast "treat" it's a win! I just need a pan like this for next time!

NCKAA: 21 Days Until Christmas

Oh my goodness I've been soooo busy! I'm working a part time job, finishing up classes (and that grand 20-page paper that ended up being a whopping 34 pages), gearing up for finals, entertaining visitors and trying to maintain my sanity.

Unfortunately, writing my Advent posts is getting a little sloppy - but enjoying my Advent treats isn't!Today's entry isn't a recipe - no time to cook this week and it's bringing me down - it's a collection of holiday happiness that can be eaten almost guilt free!

Pizzelle: First, if you haven't met them yet, run to the nearest store and buy a package of Vanilla Pizelles. These Italian-style cookies are a mere 23 calories each and they are bigger than the top of a coffee mug! They aren't super sweet (only 1.3 g of sugar a cookie) and are wonderful with your morning (or, in my case, afternoon and evening) coffee. Reko, the brand I bought, claims to be preservative free and has a list of simple ingredients - all words a 7 year-old could pronounce. A serving size is 6 cookies, but I find 2 to more than satisfy my sweet tooth!

Mini Candy Canes: They might be pure sugar (though according to their ingredients they are also corn syrup, peppermint oil and artificial color), but these little treats are great for satisfying a holiday craving for "traditional" tastes. Three of them is only 35 calories. That's less than 12 calories each! I bought a box of 40 for $.99 so they are also budget-friendly. I read somewhere that peppermint is a good appetite suppressor and munchie-fighter. Sure, we'll go with that since it's a plus, too.

Amaretti Cookies: I just recently (today) discovered these amazing little macaroon-esque cookies. They taste like light, crispy, cherry-flavored air. Kevin wasn't a fan, but at 19 calories a piece (Lazzaroni brand), they have a new place in my heart. A serving size is 7 cookies (130 calories), but 3 works great for a sweet shot with "fine" wine or liquers. Or, you know, as a snack. These are available at gourmet grocery stores and I've found a couple of recipes (Like this one!) that show them to pack some nut power. I haven't tried making my own yet, but you can be sure that I will when I get the time!

Gingerbread Cookies: So, my register at the store has a big can of gingersnap cookies that are free to guests as a sample. And they stare at me all day. Their spicy aroma tickling my nose ... almost as much at their nutrition info tickles my fancy. At a mere 23 calories each, it's hard to keep my hands out of that cookie can! Most gingerbread cookies are a better alternative to other cookie recipes and I've been baking it up like crazy - though I have yet to find a recipe that makes me happy enough to post here. When I do, you'll be the first to know!

NCKAA: 23 Days Until Christmas

Oatmeal with Pomegranate!

1/2 cup quick cook oats
1 1/2 cup water*
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds, divided

Heat water to almost boiling. Add all but 1 tablespoon of the pomegranate seeds.

When water boils, add oatmeal and cook 3-5 minutes.*

Top with remaining pomegranate seeds, let cool and enjoy!

* The box calls for 1 cup of water. However, I've found that if I add an extra half cup and cook the oatmeal longer than the recommended 1-2 minutes, I get more out of it without adding calories. Kevin thinks it's a bit watery so he sticks to the usual recipe. Feel free to do the same.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 176; Fat: 3.1g; Sodium: 1.2mg; Carbohydrates: 33.6; Protein: 5.4g; Fiber: 4.2g

This may seem like a simple recipe that doesn't have much to do with the holidays, but to me it isn't. My grandmother has an amazing pomegranate tree and every year would send us home with a dozens poms, at least! They are one of my favorite holiday treats. Little did I know until I was old enough to pay attention how expensive they are to buy at the store!

Now that I'm grown and living 500 miles from my grandmother's tree, they aren't free for me. So, when I buy a pomegranate (yes, just one!) I savor it. The particular pom I opened this morning is a good one - perfectly ripe, super juicy and yielded about a cup of seeds!

There are a couple of other recipes I might try, but to be honest, pomegranate seeds are one of my favorite snacks all by themselves. They take a lot of work (I tend to suck the seed then spit it out) so it tricks my body into thinking it's eating more than it is. When the study-time munchies hit, a pom just might be a lifesaver!

NCKAA: 24 Days Until Christmas

No, you didn't miss the 25 Days Until Christmas post ... I didn't write one. Yesterday was a sad day and didn't involve any cooking or culinary creativity. My dog passed away and I ate ice cream from McDonald's instead. Solace in food is bad, I know. But he loved ice cream!

Anyway, I owe you two recipes so I am going to divulge two ways to use Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls for breakfast.

Hungry Girl Monkey Bread

3 tbsp. No Calorie Sweetener (granulated), divided
2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
2 tbsp. sugar-free pancake syrup
2 tbsp. brown sugar (not packed)
1 package Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet
1/2 tsp. baking powder

*If you don't have the dough sheet, use reduced fat crescent rolls and smoosh the edges together to create a "seamless" sheet. It doesn't matter how perfect it looks.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix 1 tbsp. Sweetener and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a large bowl or container. Set aside. Spray six cups of a muffin pan with nonstick spray, and set pan aside as well.

3. Place a small pot on the stove, but do not heat it. Add butter, syrup, brown sugar, 2 tbsp. sweetener, and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Leave this on the unheated stove, to be melted and mixed later.

4. Roll out the dough on a clean dry surface (smoosh if using rolls), and sprinkle evenly with baking powder. Gently smooth baking powder into the sheet with your fingers.
5. Cut dough sheet widthwise into six strips equal in size. Cut each strip into four squares. Using your hands, roll each square into a ball, for a total of 24 dough balls.

6. Place 12 dough balls in the bowl with the sweetener-cinnamon mixture. Lightly toss to coat, and then place them gently in the muffin pan, with four dough balls in each of three cups. No need to press the dough balls into the pan -- just let them fall naturally. Repeat with remaining dough balls, so that each of the six muffin cups contains four coated dough balls. Set aside.

7. Bring the small pot on the stove to medium heat. Stirring frequently, heat just until butter has melted and contents are mixed well. Evenly spoon the butter mixture over the dough balls.

Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until puffy and firm. Allow to cool slightly, and then plate and enjoy! There will be gooeyness in the bottom of the cups - I make sure to scoop that out and drizzle it on top of each "muffin."

Serves 6.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 154; Fat: 7.5g; Sodium: 369mg; Carbs: 21g; Fiber: 0.5g; Sugars: 6.5g; Protein: 2g

It's worth the hassle to make these (I know it looks complicated, but it really isn't!) because they look pretty impressive. But if you just don't wanna go through the steps, here is a similar recipe from my mom that is a Christmas morning tradition for us (The monkey bread, however, will soon be added to the list of traditional eats).


Tiny Cinnamon Rolls

1 8 ounce can refrigerated reduced fat crescent rolls
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Unroll crescent roll dough and put the pieces together to make one rectangle of dough.
Pinch the seams together to seal

Stir together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the dough rectangle –
leave one edge plain (so the dough will stick together after you roll it)

Roll up, starting with a long side. Go slowly and try to keep the roll from being too
loose. Press the edges to seal.

Cut the log into 12 slices and place in a lightly greased 8” cake pan – or into mini-muffin
pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes

Icing:
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon milk (or more)
1 drip vanilla extract

Combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, stirring until smooth; drizzle over warm
cinnamon rolls.


I haven't calculated the nutrition stats for this, but the icing holds a lot of extra sugar, to be honest. It might be yummy to make this with the syrup from the Monkey Bread recipe!

Linking and Thinking More

Here is a round-up of links I've received lately ... the good ones, at least.

Can you be healthy at any size?
Women's Health is asking a question we all want answered. Is BMI really that important? Can you be healthy and still "overweight"?

Cut your Carbohydrate Footprint
The guys over at Eat This, Not That point out hidden sugars in what have become everyday "health" foods - like store-bought granola!

31 Days to Healthier Holidays
Sparkpeople has provided daily tips to get us through the next month of holiday hoopla. Hooray! They provide a nice calendar that will look great hanging on fridges or cubicle walls.

The 9 Best Winter Foods
Another winner from Eat This, Not That is a great introduction to winter fruits and veggies that might spark some creativity in your kitchen. I know it did in mine!