2009! What a great year!

I am not a big fan of year end holiday letters. I figure that the people closest to me already know what I am doing, where I am going and who I am doing it with. But it is at this time of the year that I personally take stock of my year in review and look forward to my year ahead. One highlight of my year is that I enrolled in the distance learning program at the Instititute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) which is offered in coordination with the State University of New York (SUNY).  This school rocks!! It is quickly becoming the world's largest health counseling training school. I am joining hundreds of people worldwide on a journey to learning how to live a better life through eating well and living a balanced lifestyle.  I am not only learning how to take care of myself, I am also receiving very detailed and careful instruction on how to counsel others around food, nutrition and lifestyle choices. It's an exciting time! I will be seeing clients as early as February one on one, and through group workshops, to empower them to improve their lifestyles. I hope to see a wide range of clients who need some counsel on living healthier and more balanced lives.

And the big news this week was that my daughter, S, has decided to enroll as well! I look forward to sharing this wonderful  experience together as we learn to make positive changes and how to take a holistic approach to health and wellness. Feel free to check out her blog http://www.sheriheather.wordpress.com/ to follow her journey as a successful professional living a healthy, fun and inspiring lifestyle!

Empowering changes....Hanukah...Christmas...New  Year's Eve....all reasons to celebrate!! And one of my favorite ways to celebrate is with cocktails!! These cocktails are not the calorie laden, sweet concoctions of years past. They are full of flavor and fun....with no guilt attached.

Magical Low Calorie Margarita

(http://www.hungry-girl.com/)

6 ounces diet lemon-lime soda

1 1/2 ounces tequila

1 packet (two 5 calorie servings) sugar-free powdered lemonade mix

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 cup crushed ice or 5-8 ice cubes

Optional: lime wedge for garnish

Stir all ingredients together. For a frozen drink, place mixture in a blender with the ice and blend until smooth.  Or, simply pour mixture over ice and enjoy. Serve with lime wedge. I like this drink frozen and with the glass rimmed in a little bit of sugar or salt. Yummy!

Serving: 1 drink. 115 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 2g carbs

Vodka And A Glass

1 1/2 ounce vodka and ice. OK...add a slice of lime or lemon to enjoy it even more!

For those who are not as brave....mix a glass of diet anything with the vodka. Suggestions I like include diet 7 Up, diet tonic or raspberry seltzer. The 7 Up mixes with tequila just as well.

White Sangria

(Young and Hungry... author- Dave Lieberman)

2 750 ml bottles white wine, chilled

1 cup brandy

1/3 cup superfine sugar

2 oranges, sliced into thin cross sections

2 lemons, sliced into thin cross sections

2 limes, sliced into thin cross sections

Mix the wine, brandy and sugar in a large glass pitcher. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the fruit and stir.  Make a few hours ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Before serving, top off with ice cubes. OK...so this recipe has some sugar...but it is totally worth it...I promise!

I close this post with a recipe for success. My daughter, S, and I toast to both our success and yours. May your holidays be happy, your celebrations be merry and your New Year be full of growth, inspiration and healthy choices!!

Recipe For Success

(http://www.ezinearticles.com/)

One part knowledge

One part self awareness

A pinch of success advice

Ten parts emulation of success

Mix your knowledge and self awareness into your emulation of the thoughts and behaviors of the successful.  Sprinkle lightly with advice form those who have succeeded before you.  Heat this mix with your own motivation.  Cook several months or decades, until done, and then repeat the process.

Enjoy! Happy Eating!

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but in here it's so delightful....

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but in here it's so delightful, And since we've no place to go, Let it snow! Let is snow! Let it snow!" As I look out my window I see about 12 inches of snow. The forecast is for the snow to continue falling all day and to accumulate to about 20 inches. (ok...this is where I tell my readers who live in Florida to stop laughing!) I actually like the snow. Well, let me rephrase that....I like the snow when I am stuck at home, with no place to go. I can work on my blog, catch up on my reading, cook up some comfort food, and relax with my hubby on the sofa....in front of the fire...with a nice glass of wine. Yes, snow is good. 

Right now...with the snow outside...and a movie waiting in the other room from Netflix....I have a wonderful pot of soup cooking on the stove. Is there really a better snowy day comfort food than a nice, steaming hot, bowl of soup made with fresh, wholesome ingredients? I have posted several recipes today for soups I have made recently. All of these soups are so easy because the base is a premade vegetable broth I buy at the market.  Feel free to substitute a homemade base if you want. I hope you enjoy them.

White Bean and Kale Minestrone

(Feeding the Whole Family. Cooking with Whole Foods

 Author,Cynthia Lair)

5 to 6 leaves of kale

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large cloves of garlic

3 cups cooked white beans, divided (I used canned)

2 1/2 cups vegetable stock, divided

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon freshly squeeze lemon juice

freshly grated pecorino cheese (I used parmesan)

Wash kale and remove the stems from the leaves.  Roll up kale leaves and cut into thin ribbons. Set aside.  In a 4 quart pot, heal oil and saute the garlic briefly over medium heat.  Add about half of the cooked beans and half of the stock.  Puree the rest of the beans and stock in a blender along with the tomato paste and sage. (I put it all in another pot and used the immersion blender. So Easy!!) Stir the pureed beans into the soup.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix the kale into the soup and simmer until it has wilted (about 10 muinutes).  Add the lemon juice (fresh really makes a difference) and enough water to make the soup a desireable thick consistency.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve the soup topped with cheese.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

(http://www.weightwatchers.com/)

4 cups vegetable broth

12oz butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 large vidalia onion, cut into 2 inch cubes

1/2  apple, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

In a large stock pot combine broth, squash, onion and apple.  Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Uncover pot and reduce heat to low, gently simmering until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.  Puree soup in pot using an immersion blender (or puree in a regular blender in batches, careful not to splatter the hot liquid).  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Serve hot, chilled or at room temperate. (I like it hot).  This is a nice and simple soup to make. An easy puree of squash and apples with just a hint of fall spice.

Debbie's Obsession Soup

(this really is a Rachel Ray recipe, that I copied after watching one of her shows, called Spinach Tomato Soup. It is so, so good that I make it ALL winter long and have renamed it!)

2 teaspoons olive oil and cooking spray for more moisture

1 large shallot, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 28oz can diced tomatos, drained

1 28oz can crushed tomatos

2 cups vegetable broth

1 10oz bag fresh spinach

salt and pepper to taste

(optional- fat free mozzarella)

Saute shallot and garlic in oil w/cooking spray until soft.  Add drained, diced tomatos, crushed tomatos and broth.  While soup is heating, add spinach a little at a time.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook 10 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste. I add a sprinkle of fat free  mozzarella on top of the hot soup in the bowl before serving. It takes on the taste of a "pizza" soup...but cheese can be eliminated and it is just as yummy!!

Mushroom Barley Soup

olive oil

2 cups each onions, carrots, celery, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

10 cups vegetable broth

1 cup barley

3 teaspoons garlic, minced

1/4 to 1/2 cup sherry

salt, pepper, fresh pasley and dill

Drizzle some olive oil in pot.Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic and saute until soft. Add mushrooms. Add broth, barley and seasonings. Boil, then simmer 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add sherry.  (I am not sure how much. I just added until it tasted right. The sherry really gives the soup a nice, rich flavor). Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

So... the blog is done... the soup is ready... the movie is in the DVD... the wine is poured...the fire is flickering...and the hubby is waiting on the sofa. Wow. Comfort at its best! Honey, I will be right there!

Enjoy! Happy Eating!