Occasionally we all need a sweet fix. With a few substitutions to a traditional recipe you can make the treats you love a little better for you. Below is a healthier recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Instead of white flour use whole wheat and instead of butter or shortening use fat free cream cheese. If these cookies are not over-baked they will be soft and chewy. Please let me know what you think!

¾ c granulated sugar
¾ c packed brown sugar
8 oz package fat free cream cheese (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
¼ c liquid egg substitute
1 c chocolate chips
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the cheese and sugars together then add the vanilla and egg substitute. Mix in the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. After the dry ingredients are incorporated fold in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies by spoonful onto a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 12-14 minutes. Remove cookies from sheet in 2 minutes with thin spatula and cool completely on a cookie rack. Makes 24 cookies; 141 calories each.

Going to a lot of holiday parties? Interested to know how many calories all those festive drinks have in them? Here is an article that helps answer that question. (Source: SCW Fitness Newsletter 11/28/08 www.scwfitness.com, Click here for a printable version)

“The holidays can really wreak havoc on our routines and our bodies. Most of us who are conscious of our eating know that the ultra rich whipped cream topped pie served hot over double chocolate chip ice cream is a little over the top. We also know that completely depriving ourselves of our most beloved holiday treats is not necessary. Everything in moderation as the saying goes. Fitness enthusiasts have adapted to smaller portions eaten slowly and enjoyed completely sans guilt! However, when it comes to our beverage consumption, some of us are far less aware and diligent. Review this list of nine popular beverages that pack a substantial caloric blow: SURPRISE!

• Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780
• Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438
• White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425
• Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (8 oz): 380
• Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories
• Eggnog with rum (8 ounces): 370
• Mai Tai (6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350
• Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348
• Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 oz): 310

In order to work off just one Long Island iced tea, one would have to run a 6 minute mile for more than 45 minutes. The other option, of course, would be to cut the 700+ calories from your other consumption, i.e. food; which is one third of what most people eat in a day. The other alcoholic drinks on the list are better, but not terrific in terms of calories ingested. It is therefore extremely important to maintain a normal pattern of exercising while imbibing at holiday parties, which also include calorie laden food probably not part of your every day fare.

For your reference, here are some drinks with a lighter touch:

• Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95
• Mimosa (4 oz): 75
• Mike’s Hard Lemonade (11 oz): 98
• Light beer (12 oz): 95-136
• Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100
• Rum and Diet Coke (8 oz): 100
• Champagne (5 oz): 106-120
• Bloody Mary (5 oz): 118
• Red wine (5 oz):120
• White wine (5 oz): 120
• Port wine (3 oz):128
• Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148
• Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150
• Martini (2.5 oz): 160

It is important to also know a few things that equate to a rational caloric balance. Most people burn between 300 & 600 calories an hour during exercise depending on everything from style, intensity, conditioning, gender, weight (both body weight and the equipment used), and health. ADDING more bouts of exercise will be difficult in this most wonderful, but busy time of year. Reduce intake where you can to account for the variations in your routine, never drive after drinking even one “extra” drink, and always have a back up plan in case you can’t drive. Choose wisely, but enjoy the festivities of your culture, faith, and/or traditions. This time comes but once a year and being aware is a first step toward guilt free—and added pound free—celebrations. Now you know!”

****calorie references from WebMD

Thank you to everyone who showed up and ran with team Work It in the Jinglebell 5k yesterday morning. Several thousand people showed up for the event. The temperature was cool and the wind was a little gusty but overall it was great for the 5k. Also, thanks to everyone who came by and inquired at the Work It table. Below is a picture of the entire Work It team, a great looking group! I look forward to putting a team together for the Jinglebell 5k next year. Way to go everyone!!!

Did you know that the cable channel Fit TV is out there?  It is part of the Discovery family of channels.  The shows featured are all health and fitness related.  The programming ranges from workout shows like “All Star Workouts” to cooking shows like ” Healthy Decadence” and shows like “Get Fresh” where viewers are introduced to eco-friendly fashion.  In Austin the channel is found on Time Warner (220) and AT&T Uverse (466).  Let us know what you think!

Thinking of repainting your dining room or kitchen?  Try to stay away from orange, red, and yellow.  Research shows that these colors can subliminally stimulate your appetite.  Restaurant designers know this and many times make sure these colors are prominent in the color palate of the restaurant.  Think of some of America’s favorite eating establishments… what are the colors of their logos?

There is increasing evidence that shows that chronic sleep deprivation and sleep disturbances could contribute to weight gain. Over the past 40 years the percentage of adults in the U.S. getting less than 7 hours of sleep each night (on average) has risen from 16% to 37%. Could this, along with other environmental and habit factors, be a contributing factor to weight gain in the U.S.?

Studies on sleep deprivation show that people who, on average, get 4 or less hours of sleep each night have higher levels of ghrelin in their blood and lower levels of leptin. Gherlin is a hormone that stimulates appetite and hunger while leptin is a hormone that acts to suppress appetite. Studies have also shown that those who are sleep deprived tend to crave more calorie-dense foods, mostly simple carbohydrates. These combined findings lead many in the medical profession to believe that lack of enough quality sleep could be negatively effecting the waistlines of Americans.

Bottom line, try to get at least 7 hours of quality sleep most nights even if you think your body does not need it. Try to make your sleeping environment as comfortable as possible and maintain a sleeping routine as best as possible. If you have difficulty falling to sleep or staying to sleep consult your physician who can hopefully help you remedy the problem.

Healthy dreams…

(Please consider this post as general information and not medical advice; always follow the advice of your physican.)

I really like the chicken lettuce wraps that you can get at some restaurants but they can be horrible for you with regard to fat, sodium and calories. I made my own version and instead of lettuce I used fresh, raw green cabbage leaves and barely noticed the difference (and they hold up a lot better)! If you can’t find ground chicken breast prepackaged at the store ask the butcher to grind the chicken breast. If you try it, tell me what you think!

1 lb ground chicken breast
½ cup green onion, sliced
½ cup white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Japanese eggplant, diced
1 4oz can water chestnuts, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, diced
1 tbsp canola oil
4 tbsp teriyaki sauce
3 tbsp lite soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 head of green cabbage
Dash of ground cumin
Dash of chili powder
Sriracha to taste (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat for just a couple of minutes. Add the carrots and a dash of salt and pepper and sauté until the carrots are a little tender then add mushrooms and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan, reserve for later use. Add the ground chicken to the hot skillet, add a dash of salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder and brown for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes. Then add the reserved cooked vegetables, eggplant, and water chestnuts along with the teriyaki and soy sauces and sesame oil (and Sriracha if desired). Stir together and cook for a few minutes. Add additional seasoning to taste. Serve with whole green cabbage leaves on the side to act as a wrapper for the meat/veggie mix, like a taco.

Healthy Eating!