Cholesterol Concerns? Eat these!

Does it ever seem as if you're always saying NO to certain foods, either because you're trying to reduce your weight or your blood pressure or your triglycerides?  Dr. Oz and RealAge to the rescue!  Here's his list of the top ten foods that help reduce cholesterol levels.  (How many of them can you incorporate into your upcoming holiday recipes?):

1.  Almonds

2.  Orange juice

3.  Olive oil

4.  Steamed vegetables (steaming may help the cholesterol lowering abilities of some vegetables, especially asparagus, beets, okra, carrots, eggplant, green beans, and cauliflower)

5.  Oatmeal

6.  Pinto beans

7.  Blueberries

8.  Tomatoes

9.  Avocados

10. Dark chocolate (yippee!!!)

So the next time you're fixated on all the things you CAN'T eat, concentrate instead on these winners that you CAN!

Care to share a tasty recipe that includes any of these ingredients?  Leave a comment!  (Look for the instructions in red after all the articles.)

Holiday Recipes: Potatoes Patricia

Here's the first of what I hope will be a sweet little collection of new holiday recipes.  Do you have a Thanksgiving or Christmas favorite or an unusual family dish that you'd like to share?  Let's all vow to try one new thing this year!  (Share your recipe by leaving a comment or e-mailing it directly to me at marizona2@cox.net.) 

This one comes from my sister-in-law, Cindy, by way of her friend, Patty.

POTATOES PATRICIA

6 cups of peeled and cubed russet potatoes

2 tsp. of salt

White pepper to taste

3 cups of cottage cheese (regular or fat free)

1/4 cup of sour cream

2 tbsp. of finely chopped onion (sauteed, if you wish)

2 tbsp. of chopped chives

1/4 cup of softened butter

Sliced, toasted almonds (optional)

Boil the potatoes until tender, then mash and season with salt and pepper.  Puree cottage cheese in a food processor or blender and fold into potatoes, along with the sour cream.  Add onions, chives, and butter.  Pour into buttered casserole, and top with sliced, toasted almonds, if desired.  You may also wish to dot the top with a little extra butter.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown on top.  It will puff up slightly.

This recipe can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until baking in time for your big dinner.

If you try it, be sure to let us know how you liked it!



Holiday Recipes: Swedish Kringler

Here's an old family recipe courtesy of my friend, Barb, who bakes one on Christmas morning and then watches it disappear.  No leftovers on this one!

SWEDISH KRINGLER:

2 cups of flour

1 cup of butter

1 cup plus 1 tbsp. of water

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. of almond extract

Combine 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of cubed butter, and 1 tbsp. of water as you would a pie crust, and pat mixture out into two strips on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Then combine 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan and heat until just boiling.  Remove quickly from burner and add 1 cup of flour, mixing until smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one, then add the almond extract.  Spread mixture evenly over the two strips of dough.  Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.  It will puff up quite a bit and then sink again while it's cooling.  Cool on wire racks and then frost.

Frosting

1 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. of butter

3/4 tsp. of almond extract

Cream

Combine first three ingredients, and then add enough cream to make the mixture spreadable.  Frost the cooled pastry.

If you try this one, be sure to let us know how you liked it!

Thanksgiving? Already?!?!?!?!?

     Welcome to HalloweenThanksgivingChristmasNewYear's, that eight-week, what-just-happened holiday that comes out of nowhere, spins us around until we don't know WHAT color we're supposed to be decorating with, and then leaves us breathless and five pounds heavier in January.  Did anybody get the number of that bus?  Ah, the holidays.

     It's true that most of us put on a few pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Why is it always a surprise?  We've finally purged the house of the remaining Halloween candy that we HAD to stock up on just in case there was an unexpected invasion of record numbers of costumed toddlers in our neighborhood, or, let's be honest, maybe we just threw in the towel and ate the leftovers ourselves.  Then we kick off the season with the granddaddy of all meals -- Thanksgiving dinner -- soon after which we launch ourselves into a full festive frenzy by baking absurd numbers of sweets in the name of tradition.  You know as well as I do that once the dust settles and we stow our holiday habits for another year, those extra pounds will come off again.  But if you're starting to stress out about it, read on.

     With all the hustle and bustle and dashing around, don't let your fitness program fall completely by the wayside, but be reasonable.  If you're accustomed to working out five days a week, accept that that may be unrealistic during the holidays.  Allow yourself an abbreviated version of your normal routine, or if you usually work out an hour a day, aim for 30 minutes a day or an hour every other day.  Use that time wisely (and vigorously), and then get on with other things.

     Now, about that monster meal:  If you're like me, when Great Aunt Gertie's cornbread sausage stuffing is on the table, I am there.  Why on earth would you deprive yourself of something so heavenly that you only get to eat once a year?  Shame on you.  But that doesn't mean you have to take leave of your senses.  If your family customarily eats Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of the afternoon, have a very light breakfast so you're not gnawing on the tablecloth by the time the big bird makes its appearance.  Then treat yourself to normal size portions -- let me repeat that -- NORMAL SIZE PORTIONS of all your favorite things.  If you don't absolutely adore sweet potatoes with marshmallows and red cinnamon candies, skip them.  Eat what you love.  Put your fork down frequently, and take a deep breath or two between bites.  If you avoid the typical frenzied speed at which we often indulge, you might even notice when your body begins to signal that it's feeling full.  When it does, have one more bite of your most favorite thing and then stop.  A piece of Granny Franny's famous pumpkin pie?  A small one, perhaps.  A piece of every kind of pie on the buffet table?  Oh, let's not.

     And here's the kicker:  The day after Thanksgiving, get right back to business as usual.  Eat normally, exercise, and start looking forward to the next holiday.  As far as your body is concerned, it's not what you do between Thanksgiving and Christmas that's so important.  It's what you do between Christmas and the following Thanksgiving that makes the real difference.  During the holidays, pay a little more attention to your spirit and enjoy!

Do you have a trick for surviving Thanksgiving dinner?  Leave a comment!  (See the instructions in red after all the articles.)