Natalie's Christmas Kitchen Advent Adventure

I am super motivated to cook - A LOT. I blame all of the holiday-themed emails in my in box.

Of course, the things I want to make are really caloric: pumpkin torte, monkey bread, chocolate pumpkin fudge. Even if I make a lower-calorie version, it's still a lot of food if made (and eaten!) in one weekend.

I want to make it all and have decided on an experiment. It's too late for Thanksgiving, since that day is less than a week away. So, I'm making this proposal for Christmas.

Natalie's Christmas Kitchen Advent Adventure

Say what? Well, I am going to count down the days until Christmas by allowing myself ONE holiday goodie a day. I get to cook as much as I want on the weekends, but I can only EAT one holiday treat a day. The rest, will be handed to others. Kevin can take them to work, I'll share them at school, and I'll hand them out around the neighborhood.

This way, I get to make my cake and eat it too!

I officially started yesterday by making the Hungry Girl Pumpkin Brownie Fudge recipe. Kevin and I each had a couple pieces (65 calories each) and I put the rest in a storage container to take to school for a Thanksgiving lunch Tuesday.

I also made some muffins for the same Thanksgiving lunch and I let Kevin eat an ugly one while the others were put in the freezer until tomorrow when I will decorate them and turn them into gorgeous Pumpkin TORTlettes (Law school lunch calls for law school humor!). I'm really excited about these, by the way, and will probably dedicate an entire post to them tomorrow.

Today, I've been making craisins - I popped cranberries, soaked them in Splenda-water (couldn't afford enough Truvia for this and need to use up my baking Splenda) and am putting them in the dehydrator overnight. They will be used in several recipes: Banana cranberry bread for Thanksgiving dessert, granola bread for snacks, and maybe even oatmeal cranberry cookies! (Plus, I discovered craisins are akin to crack and wonderful for snacking. Sadly, the varieties in the store are super high in calories so this is my way of feeding my crack habit without the caloric side effects).

Thanks to my craisin adventure, I have about a cup and a half of "craisin broth" that I just put in the freezer. I have some crazy plans for that later in the season too!

The idea behind this plan centers on moderation. It's okay to eat sweets - within reason. This may not involve making 35 different sweet treats, nope just eating ONLY 35 sweet treats between now and Christmas. I haven't actually eaten a sweet treat today, so in theory I could have a piece of brownie fudge if I want. Make sense? But on Tuesday, when there are several sweet options at the Thanksgiving lunch, I can only choose one. If I want a second, I have to save it for another day. This is the trick to staying within my calorie allowance each day.

I'm allowing some exceptions - as long as they still fit in my calorie allowance. Besides the brownie fudge yesterday, I also had monkey bread for breakfast. It was low calorie and was my entire breakfast! So since it was a meal, and fit within my calorie allowance, I consider it acceptable.

Holiday season or not, sweets aren't evil! They can be part of any healthy eating plan as long as they are eaten in moderation. By knowing I can allow myself to indulge a little each day, this should be a pretty sweet Holiday Season!

Linking and Thinking

There have been a lot of wonderful "articles" and such popping up in my email lately. So much so, that I'm a bit overwhelmed trying to keep track of the great ideas, advice and lessons!


Here are a few I think are worth sharing:

Whittle while you work

Get sleek at your seat: This is our kind of on-the-job training! Daniel Loigerot, a pilates instructor in New York City, designed these moves to help you tone all over in about 10 minutes using a resistance band and chair.

9 Power Food Pairings

According to Women's Health, healthy eating starts with these dynamic duos.

(Natalie Note: I'm having tuna and hummus salad with red peppers for lunch today!)

The Rules of Pizza

From Eat This, Not That: As crazy as Americans are for pizza, few ever dare to make it at home. That's truly a shame, because the pizza we turn to is overpriced, awash in empty calories, and ultimately not all that delicious. Anyone can do better in their home by combining a handful of fresh ingredients and following a few simple steps. And believe it or not, pizza made in the right way can make for a truly well-balanced meal.