Hostess Gifts:
The Holidays bring lots of gathering with family and friends and the need to take a hostess gift. It is easy to take a bottle of wine and it is always usually appreciated by the host, but I can tell you I appreciate creative, thoughtful hostess gifts. So I always turn to some of my favorite kitchen items or recipes when I go to someones home for the holidays. If someone is kind enough to entertain they are usually someone who likes to cook, bake or just to creative present foods.
Here are a couple of favorite hostess gifts that will cost about the same as a bottle of wine and you are able to use more than once:
1) Silicon Mini-muffin molds - these are one of the best things invented because it makes for easy use and clean-up. They are ideal for sweet or savory muffins or breads for the holidays which can also help your guests portion control with the mini size. This gift is ideal for passing along your baking secrets!
2) Kitchen Aid- Mini Spatula Set or Crate & Barrel Mini Whisks. I love these because you can always use a little helping hand with baking and/or cooking up a bountiful breakfast for house guests. Pair with a favorite recipe on a fabulous recipe card and you have a unique gift.
3) Crate and Barrel Buffet sign holders. One the best inventions when you are having a holiday buffet and need to mark the foods. These miniature stainless steel card holders are perfect for the buffet or for place cards as a seated dinner. It is always the little touches that people remember.
4) Preparing a holiday trail mix or fruit and nut granola can bet a great hostess gift for a friend of family member who has house guests for the holidays, it is one more option for breakfast or snacks for her guests. I have a simple and healthy recipe that I use and bag in cellophane bags with festive ribbon.
Eating Healthy Tips:
During the holidays I am always trying to find creative ways to cook healthier as I know that the normal caloric intake in one sitting during the holidays is usually enough for the entire day. Here are a few helpful tips to make classic dishes a little healthier and still taste great!
1) Replace butter on vegetables with chicken stock. Instead of cooking veggies in butter or fat, try to saute with a little garlic, shallots and chicken or vegetable stock. The flavor is still great, but the saturated fat is significantly reduced and the the vegetables natural healthy components remain intact!
2) Start the meal with a refreshing salad. This helps to get your guests started with a lower calorie appetizer before they partake in the main meal. I usually use a mixture of spinach and romaine mixed with orange and grapefruit segments and candied pecans. I then make a simple vinaigrette dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and a touch of honey. The juices in the orange and grapefruit add a great deal to the vinaigrette as well. You can also use apples, dried cranberries and walnuts for the salad.
3) Make mini breads and muffins. I usually do a low fat morning glory or pumpkin muffin and a whole wheat mini biscuit for the breads. The mini size lets people have a taste without the obligation of eating the whole thing. I always use wheat flour when baking and Hodgeson's Mill makes a great whole wheat biscuit mix. You can find this in the organic area of your grocery store.
4) Substitute recipes that call for oil with unsweetened apple sauce and recipes that call for white sugar with brown sugar. The more natural the substance the easier it is for us to digest and use.
5) When making dressing for your turkey, use whole wheat bread, chicken or vegetable stock instead of butter and a chicken or turkey sausage to reduce the saturated fat and increase the nutritional value.
6) Always pour water at the table for your guests. Whether they know it or not, the water will help to make them feel a little fuller as well as aid in the digestion of the foods they are about to eat. Alcohol increases appetite and makes us want to eat more, just what we need at the Thanksgiving dinner table!
7) Think outside the box. We associate holidays with turkeys and hams, but what is to say you could not do a shrimp and or baked fish and lean cut or beef as options for your guests. Sometimes a change is welcome at the holidays and helps you find healthier options for your guests. Variety if the spice of life!
8) Holiday Desserts. A winter berry cobbler and ginger bread cookies are a perfect end to the meal. The antioxidant power of the berries and a tasty low-fat graham cracker crust will be a secret to your guests because all they taste is delicious. Ginger bread cookies are a light and low-fat cookie option that is not to sweet and finishes a meal perfectly. In the Italian tradition, you can serve fruit and nuts for dessert and/or an assortment of cheeses. Sweets are not the only dessert!
About the Author: Lauren Lorenzo is an owner and Director of Training and Operations at Operation Boot Camp of North America. She is a graduate of JamesMadisonUniversity, an AFAA certified group fitness instructor, ACE certified personal trainer, certified Power Pilates instructors, and certified turbo kick instructor with over 11 years of experience. Lauren has taught classes at Atlanta Kick, The White House Athletic Center, The GreenbrierAthleticCenter, BaltimoreAthleticCenter and Athletic Club Northeast. She is currently pursuing her masters in nutrition.
Edited by: Sarah Mansfield
Operation Boot Camp is a 30 day fitness program with the mission to help people get fit through positive changes in nutrition, exercise and attitude. For more information on Operation Boot Camp, please visit www.operationbootcamp.com.