Fight the Fall Fat!

It's that time of year; my bathing suits are packed away and the boots, jeans, scarves, and oversized comfy, cozy, sweaters fill my closet instead. But just because you've packed away your bikini doesn't mean you have to pack away your bikini ready body with it! It's easy to get carried away this time of year with the wonderful flavors of   pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin scones, breads, etc. Not to mention the holiday feasts!

Fight the fat and keep your figure with some of my favorite fall recipes and at home exercises!


GREEK YOGURT PUMPKIN PANCAKES
This delicious recipe is a modified version of the Greek yogurt pancakes I published a few months ago.

3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup pureed pumpkin ( NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
dash of nutmeg and cinnamon

Whisk together egg, yogurt, and pumpkin in a small mixing bowl. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scoop 1/4 cup of mix onto well greased griddle and flip when pancake starts to bubble.
I usually make a double recipe because they are great left over!!!!

Topped with sugar-free syrup, and combined with turkey sausage and coffee with sugar-free pumpkin spice creamer!

LOADED MASHED "POTATOES"
As a nutritionist one of the most common struggles parents shared with me was the battle to get their children to eat vegetables. My most common suggestion was to blend vegetables with other favorites such as: carrots blended into sweet potatoes, peas mixed into macaroni and cheese, and my favorite, cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes! Topped with you child's favorite potato toppings, they'll never know the difference!


1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed

1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

garlic powder, pepper to taste

shredded cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, diced scallions (if desired)

Place cauliflower and chicken broth in a large covered pot on low heat for 1- 1.5 hours or until soft. Blend cauliflower with half of the chicken broth until cauliflower reaches desired consistency. Add pepper and garlic powder to taste, top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

I made these for Josh and he had NO idea that they weren't real potatoes!!!

BAKED MAC-N-CHEESE  (cookinglight.com)

12 oz uncooked penne pasta ( I prefer Dream Fields as it has a low glycemic index)

12 oz low-fat cottage cheese 

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/2 grated, fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground pepper

3 Tbsp panko bread crumbs

cooking spray

Cook pasta as directed, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside when done.

While pasta is cooking, puree cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. Combine cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

Add the cheese mixture to the pasta and mix well. Spoon into a greased 11 X 7 baking dish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Broil 1 minute to crisp the top.

Before you indulge in all your fall favorites, bust out this quick 30 minute circuit!

Complete 4 rounds of the circuit; 1 minute at each exercise and a 1 minute rest between rounds.

Squat jumps

Bicep curl up to a shoulder press

Side Plank with leg raise (alternating sides each round)

Tricep Push ups

Jack Knives on the exercise ball

JORDAN IS GETTING IN HER WORKOUT TODAY, ARE YOU?

Food Fun with Jordan!

I'm nestled into the couch with my afternoon cup of coffee (with pumpkin spice creamer of course!), computer in hand, surrounded by silence....for the next 5 minutes at least. Jordan has a way of timing her naps to wake up right around the time I get started on a new project. Those first 30 seconds after she wakes up, I have to stop what I'm doing, I get a little frustrated. But, that big smile that starts in her mesmerizing, blue eyes and works it's way down to her mouth, captures me immediately, and I don't hesitate to stop what I'm doing to serve as her entertainment for the next few hours.
These last 5 1/2 months have flown by just as everyone warned me they would. She is at such a fun age and just in time for my favorite time of year!

I've packed away my "ocean breeze" Sentsy and replaced it with the smell of  "autumn air". It's time to get out the fall decorations and bask in the aromas of cinnamon, sugar,  spice, and pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING! I'm excited to take cute pictures of Jordan in a pumpkin patch, dress her up in her first Halloween costume, take her on her first fall camping trip, and watch her taste the flavors of fall.


We started baby food this week. I'm making all of my own baby food using a simple food processor and fresh or frozen veggies. It's as simple as steaming veggies and blending them up, so why not make your own rather than spending money on over priced jarred foods! Once you've pureed the food you can control the consistency by breastmilk or water.

I searched for the best storage containers to store Jordan's baby food and came across these little gems at Babies R Us. They're BPA free, microwave safe, dishwasher safe, and stack easily to save room in freezer.

When I worked as a nutritionist for Women, Infant, and Children, I would recommend that parents begin introducing green vegetables first, followed by yellow vegetables, orange vegetables, and then fruits. This is because children tend to love  sweet flavors of orange veggies and fruits and will often turn down green veggies if they are introduced to sweet foods first.

You also want to wait 3-4 days between each new food that you introduce to your child so that any allergic reaction can be noticed.

Stay away from nuts, honey, egg whites, and shellfish for the first year.

Shop for fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables rather canned as they contain loads of sodium and or sugar.

Jordan LOVES the grocery store!

Jordan started with peas......

Believe it or not, some of the food DID actually make it into her mouth. HAHAHA


As I learn about the foods she likes and dislikes, I will start mixing them together to make more flavorful combinations.

HAVE A FUN FILLED WEEKEND!