Family Foodies

It wouldn’t be the holidays without a bit of peppermint and chocolate, would it? I simply love this combination.

It used to be the death of my waistline during the holidays. Year after year I would devour peppermint bark, chocolate-peppermint fudge, peppermint hot chocolate and more.

Then a couple years ago I discovered a non-fat brownie mix that is surprisingly divine. I wiped my peppermint-chocolate slate clean, and made my own concoction from this mix to satisfy the craving during the holidays.

To verify I wasn’t fooling myself, I brought them in to my office one year to see if others would notice that these heavenly bites were low in fat. Within five minutes flat the two-dozen batch had vanished and people were asking for more!

At only 150 calories and 2 grams of fat – these are a holiday treat you can have without feeling like a lump of coal.

Tip: If you’re in a rush to get these to the table and don’t have 20 minutes, divide the batter into individual microwave dishes and microwave on high for 50 seconds. Remove and allow to cool 5 minutes.

Candy Cane Brownies

Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 20 min. Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 18 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses
• 1 (13.7 oz) box No Pudge! Original Fudge Brownie Mix

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or tinfoil liners. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the milk, yogurt and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth, about 30 sec.

Unwrap the candy cane kisses and set 12 aside. Chop the remaining six into very small pieces. Add to a large mixing bowl with the brownie mix.

Pour the yogurt mixture into the brownie mix and stir thoroughly until batter is smooth and uniform. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 17 to 18 minutes rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove from oven and place one candy cane kiss on top of each brownie pressing down gently. Allow to cool slightly before consuming.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 153, Total Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 115mg, Total Carbohydrates: 33g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 26g, Protein: 3g

Protein/Fat/Carb Ratio: 9% / 5% / 86%

See more recipes like this one on Healthy Holiday Recipes by visiting Fit Foodist: Healthy Recipes for Runners

If you aren’t feeling the pressures of the holiday season then firstly I’d love to know your secret! Secondly that must mean you’ve already read Tracy’s new ebook, 30 Days to Stress-Free Holiday and have learned the tricks in budgeting and planning ahead from gift wrapping to the big family meal. Tracy shares with us a few tips…

The holidays can be a huge source of stress for families, what is one way that families can work on cutting down that stress when it comes to the Christmas meal?

1. Have a pot luck and eat buffet style. Seriously, gather family & friends together assign a dish or item to bring (paper plates, cups & plasticwear mean no dishes and easy clean up). With everyone pitching in, there is more time for fun. Our family does this every year for each big occasion and it makes the day so much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

2. Have things available that will keep the little ones busy. Set up a cookie decorating station and let them join in the fun. Or, if you live in a warm weather state like I do, put a table outside and let them have at it. Sidewalk chalk & bubbles are great to get kids busy, too. Remind older children that they are part of the family and their task for the day is to help mom & dad keep an eye on the younger children.

Many think of just their holiday gifts when budgeting but what are some hidden but should-be-expected items to factor in?

We all remember to budget for the gifts but things that we might not typically think about as part of the Christmas budget include things like gift wrap, tape, Christmas Card, decorations that might need replacing or updating, postage for packages that are mailed, groceries for the meals you’ll be making or the cookies you’ll be baking and supplies for any crafts or handmade gifts you might be making. The better you plan in advance the better prepared you’ll be.

In your new book you talk about Cookie Exchanges as a good way to add variety to your cookie trays without all the work. How do these work?

Here’s how we describe it in 30 Days to Stress Free Holidays.

Cookie Exchange Party:
I am sure you are not the only one you know who is overwhelmed by the holidays but loves a good variety of cookies and a chance to spend some time with friends. A great idea to add to your cookie tray and enjoy your friends is to have a Cookie Exchange Party. Each person who is invited makes an assigned number of cookies and brings them to the party. Serve up some wasail and hot chocolate, put on the holiday music and gather together to swap cookies. Everyone will leave with a nice assortment of cookies and enjoyed an evening with friends.

I have a friend that has written an ebook called The Cookie Swap, if y’all are interested in doing more on Cookie Exchanges.

I myself have young children as do many of our readers, how can I get them more involved in the Christmas kitchen without losing my sanity?

They key is to realize that they will only be young so long and let go of the perfection you have shining brightly in your head. It ain’t gonna happen without stress so just don’t put yourself through it.

Let the kids help you make cookies & other yummy desserts and if your kitchen has a fine dusting of flour when you’re finished pull out the camera and take pictures of the kiddos making “snow-flour angels”. Heck, it even kinda sounds fun to do it on purpose! Again, if it can be fixed, there are no broken bones or blood then count it good and put it in the memory banks to be shared year after year.

What would you rather have your kids remember ~ a messy kitchen full of laughter or the fact that they were cleaning their rooms while you had all the fun of baking? What lesson do you want to teach them?

Yes, there is a line to tread. You don’t want a complete disaster area but neither do you want to worry so much about things that everything is less than a complete joy.

Win A Copy!Moms In A Blog is giving three, yes three of our lucky readers a chance to win a copy of 30 Days to Stress-Free Holidays. It’s super simple to enter and ends December 16th so get your entries in fast!!

How to Enter

Leave a comment on this post! Easy as pie

Bonus Entries

• Like Mom’s Talk Network on Facebook
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• Tweet about this giveaway using the following:
  “Enter to win 30 Days to Stress-Free Holidays from @momsinablog and @momstalknetwork! http://bit.ly/FamilyFoodies #giveaway“

Fine Details

Winner will be selected December 17th from entries received by midnight December 16th. Winners will be selected via Random.org and contacted via email left during entry. This contest is not sponsored or endorsed by Facebook or Twitter.

Everyone needs protein. From the grown adults in your family to your growing-up toddlers, protein in your diet (or lack of) can mean the difference between having the energy to learn in the classroom and in the conference room — or not. Your children need enough everyday protein to help their minds thrive and grow in a healthy way, and you need protein so that your body can be supplied with the right balance of amino acids in order for your brain, heart and energy to take care of your family’s needs at optimum levels. Do you have a growing to-do list that requires tip-top brain power? So does every member in your family.

Eat Nuts, in a Nutshell

Nuts, red meat, eggs – it’s all part of a healthy diet. Unless you want your family to act sluggish from sun up to sun down, every meal should incorporate 1/3 protein, combined with healthy fats and carbohydrates. The size and age of your family members will constitute how much protein they need. A child who is between 2-6 years old and adult women will need two servings each day of five ounces of protein. Teenage boys and grown adult males should strive for three servings of seven ounces of protein. Not quite sure how to get your entire family to bulk up on their daily protein intake? Here are some suggestions to get the ‘creative cook’ mentality going.

• Drizzle mushrooms and a favorite shredded cheese on top of a lean chicken breast. Serve with rice pilaf, whole grain rice or a small helping of mashed potatoes.
• Start everyone’s busy morning with a delicious protein shake. Mix up the flavors – chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, strawberry. Cater it to what the kids like, and what tastes good to you and/or your spouse.
• Breakfast burritos loaded with scrambled eggs, cheese, home fries, salsa and tomatoes is a great start to the morning. It will not only give your kids energy, but fuel the brain, too.
• Serve quiche for dinner. The eggs supply a great way to get their protein fix, and when stuffed with cheese, broccoli, ham (or whatever else you like), the meal is filling and delicious.
• Treat your family to a steak or lobster dinner. Not only will they think they’ve all done something right (after all, steak and lobster is an indulgent treat) but it’s a great way to serve up protein in a delicious way.

How to Sneak in Protein for Picky Toddlers

If your pediatrician has told you that the secret to your child making the soccer team this year or getting better grades in math really does have a lot to do with his diet, then it’s time to reconsider what’s going into his/her mouth. Are they getting enough protein or filling up on chocolate chip cookies instead? Spread peanut butter on slices of apples or celery sticks, serve scrambled eggs for dinner, or serve chicken, beef or fish with their favorite seasoning and butter.

Jason S. writes for Iron Science, a manufacturer of quality nutrition supplements ranging from whey protein to creatine.