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!

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!