As I was thinking about what to post for today’s healthy recipe, I ran across this wonderful idea from Pinch My Salt, a great cooking blog that I often grab recipes from to share with you and to delight my friends and family, too.  This one appealed because I had all the ingredients in the frig already.  As it’s cold here, a hot soup added to the appeal, too.

The soup is chock-full of vegetables that aren’t just good for us, they’re great for us.  My days in Italy also made me a huge fan of fresh fennel.  If you don’t know it yet, I hope this recipe inspires you.

If you’re in the cooking mood, check out other healthy recipes on our site.

Have a great New Year’s Eve!

Creamy Fennel and Leek Soup

1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium fennel bulbs (stalks removed), chopped
3 medium leeks (white parts only), sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock (or broth)
1-2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter in olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add onions, celery, leeks, and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables are softened and just starting to take on a bit of color.

2. Add the chopped cauliflower, the quart of stock, and enough water so that the vegetables are just barely covered with liquid (Nicole added about a cup of water).  Turn up the heat, and bring the soup up to a simmer.  Cover, turn heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Remove pot from heat, and puree soup in the pot with an immersion blender. Alternately, you could puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor (make sure to let it cool first!) and then return the soup to the pot.

4. Add the milk, and season to taste with salt and white pepper.  Return to low heat and cook until the soup is warmed through, but don’t let it boil.  Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings

Recipe notes: You can reserve and chop the fennel fronds and use them to garnish the bowls of soup.  This is a very light soup as is, but you can make it even lighter by using milk with a lower fat percentage.  Nicole personally feels that the soup will taste best using whole milk, but feel free to make it according to your own preference.  Alternately, if you want a creamier soup, you can substitute part or all of the milk with half and half or even heavy cream.  Nicole used chicken stock in this soup, but it can easily be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock.

Today’s post comes from Green Mountain’s Robyn Priebe, RD.

I find that lately I’ve been getting pretty fired up (in a good way) about preparing food.  I’m excited by the idea of trying a new recipe or thinking of creative ways to sneak in the healthy “stuff” so my husband doesn’t know there is pumpkin in his pancakes.  I think part of the reason I enjoy cooking is that I try not to get stuck in a rut where I’m making the same food over and over and over again.  I can see why people sometimes dread the process of beginning to cook again if we’ve fallen out of the habit and we remember it being a boring chore.

One way to keep it interesting is by challenging yourself to make one new recipe per week or month.  I always find it’s helpful to focus on food groups that are often neglected, like vegetables or whole grains.  It may also be helpful to pick a food you haven’t ever tried or something that you haven’t had in years.  Not only does that encourage variety, but it helps keep our meals interesting.

Finally, I also like multi-tasking when preparing food.  I find I really look forward to cooking if I pair the activity up with either good music or a podcast (my latest addiction).  Recently I whipped up a bunch of food in just two hours and the time flew by since I was enjoying a pretty entertaining podcast.

What’s your take on cooking?  Do you love it?  Hate it?  Any tips for making it more of a joy and less of a chore?

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” ~ Mark Victor Hansen

We couldn’t have said it better.

Yet it’s hard to find motivation when you’re trudging down the same old road – especially when it comes to weight loss. A well-worn dieting path is rarely as interesting, sexy or exciting as it was the first go ‘round. There are no dips or turns that you don’t see coming because the ground feels so well-tread. Anyone can drink lemon water with cayenne pepper for 10 days straight — once. Right?  But doing something as punitive as that again, when you have even more weight to lose, now that takes motivation! For many of us (and especially for the weight-struggling women I speak to), trying to lose weight is more often than not an all-or-nothing proposition. Just like so much of our behavior, once we’ve made up our mind, we rush into something with all the gusto we can muster. Because if we can’t attack it 100%  – why even make the effort? And if we figure out that our master plan is failing us, even a little bit, are you kidding? Back to the drawing board!

When it comes to dieting, no wonder so many of us throw in the towel. With so many failures stored in our databanks, who can trust they actually possess the ability to achieve healthy weight loss success? Especially if we keep boarding the ‘all or nothing’ diet train to nowhere.

My advice to all of you all-or-nothing types out there is just this one simple thing — give yourself a break! Life is neither good nor bad, either right or wrong, and rushing toward a thinner you like a speeding train isn’t healthy. Stop dieting and start living (yes, we said it first), because taking just a few steps in the right direction (as Mr. Hansen suggests above) will get you where you need to go. We see it happening here every day.

Happy, healthy New Year!

Time for a little self care

Now for the last question from the Mompreneurs Twitter party I was a guest expert on a couple weeks ago.  Before Christmas.  Time does fly….

Q5:  If I do put on a few extra pounds over the holidays, what’s the best way to get back on track without feeling deprived?

• First realize that it’s normal to put on a few pounds.  If you aren’t weighing yourself, however, u might not even know it.

• After the holidays, stock the house with what you really want to eat.  If it continues to be treats, you may be caught up in deprivation.

• Plan regular, well-balanced meals and make them happen.  If you feed yourself regularly, won’t be so tempted by what u don’t really want.

• Get regular physical activity.  Doesn’t have to be extreme.  Walking is a great way to take care of yourself physically.

• Manage stress.  Weight worries are one of greatest stressors for many women.  Start thinking about health instd.  Focus on feeling great.

Were you able to get some self-care time in this holiday season?  If not, now’s a great time to start!

Dandelion greens make something really special out of mashed potatoes

The fourth question the Mompreneurs posed to me last week at their Twitter party had to do with what to bring to potlucks. I’m sure most of us have our menus planned for tonight and tomorrow by now, but there may still be some potluck opportunities on the near horizon.  Actually, we’re having one at our home New Year’s Eve.  Maybe I’ll make one of  these ideas.

Q4:  Any suggestions for pot luck dishes that everyone will enjoy but are on the healthier side?

One of my favorites is pasta (wheat or rice) with roasted veggies, dressed with artichoke pesto.  It’s easy and delicious.

A bowl of roasted root vegetables — butternut squash, turnips/parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes — is different, tasty, simple, inexpensive

Another of my favorites is from Mark Bittman: mashed potatoes mixed with dandelion greens and olive oil.  Fabulous.

Tsimmes is a great holiday dish from Jewish tradition.  Carrots, prunes, sweet potatoes. Yum.

A beautiful fresh fruit salad is always a winner.  Add pomegranate seeds to make it really special.

Vegetable crudite is appreciated by most.  Hummus makes a great dip that u can spice up different ways.

Marinated grilled chicken with olives & roasted eggplant, zucchini, red peppers, onions over brown rice, topped w toasted pine nu

Smoked trout mousse using part-skim ricotta cheese, scallions.  Check Silver Palate for recipe.

Do you have any favorite potluck dishes to share?

And now for the third question posed to me last week at the Mompreneur Twitter party.

Q3:  I’m concerned about my children stuffing themselves with so many holiday sweets, they won’t eat the healthy meals I prepare.  Any tips?

• Children are great regulators of their eating if we set up their environment to support them.  I’ll tweet a few important points.

• Set a schedule for meals and snacks.  When children regularly have their hunger satisfied, they don’t spend their time focused on food.

• It’s also important not to forbid foods unless of course it’s something they don’t react well to.  Forbidding foods makes them more appealing.

• At meals, offer variety of healthy, balanced foods they like. Include treats if it fits the meal, e.g., chips w sandwich, dessert, etc.

• Don’t have to offer treats at ev meal but during holidays when they’re around more, may help keep them part of healthy eating

• For snacks, try to balance treats with other foods, e.g., cookies and milk.

• If child wants only sweets for snack, go ahead and let them eat only sweets. If it’s not off-limits, they won’t want that all the time.

• Don’t keep a lot of foods on hand all the time that you don’t want ur kids to eat a lot of.  Sodas, for example.

• Encourage children to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are satisfied.  You’re teaching them normal, healthy eating that way.

The same guidelines apply to adults, too.  Is that we’re all kids inside?

Can you think of any eating situations in which these guidelines wouldn’t work for kids or adults?

Tomorrow’s question:  Any suggestions for pot luck dishes that everyone will enjoy but are on the healthier side?

Continuing on yesterday’s theme, here’s the second question that was posed to me during the Mompreneurs Twitter party last week.

Q2:  I can’t resist Christmas cookies and eggnog.  If I indulge, how can I make up for it?

• First, stop thinking u have to make up for it. Our bodies are resilient. They adjust naturally to over- or undereating if we let them.

• We don’t let them when we’re always trying to control.  Try following.  Tune in and listen to what ur body wants.

• Counting calories (or fat gms/whatever) is setting external limits. Doing that takes us away from tuning in to what we really want.

• If ur not good at intuitive eating yet, make sure u eat regular meals/snacks.  Then take *starting* portions. Enjoy mindfully.

• Starting portions are places to start.  Enjoy, then decide if it’s enuf.  If u start thinking u can’t have more, likely it won’t be enuf.

• If you think certain foods don’t make you feel well, or eat well, you may be right.  Experiment with eating less of them.

• After eating, don’t worry.  Forget guilt.  Go on with ur life.  If u keep thinking abt what u ate, will keep u focused on food & eating.

• Don’t have to exercise to make up for it.  That’s a form of calorie counting.  See previous tweet about that.

I had my first eggnog of the season on Sunday. It was so delicious, I had two glasses.  That was enough. 

Have you enjoyed a treat yet that you only have this time of year?

Tomorrow’s question:  I’m concerned about my children stuffing themselves with so many holiday sweets, they won’t eat the healthy meals I prepare.  Any tips?

Does just the thought of holiday riches make you worry?

I was pleased to be a part of a Twitter party last week on the website Mompreneurs Online. The party was all about the holidays — shopping, crafts, even make-up tips from Avon.  I was there to provide advice about  making it through the holidays without gaining a lot of weight. A topic that’s on the minds of too many of us.

For the uninitiated, a Twitter party is when like-minded folks spend time in a formal chat of sorts, tweeting about the subject they are like-minded about.  The organizers sent questions ahead of time so I could be prepared with some useful tips, instead of just ad-libbing my way through half an hour of random questions.  In the interest of multi-tasking my effort, I’m going to present some of my prepared answers this week and next.

A brief preview of the questions I was asked is below.  I’ll just address Q1 today.  Will cover the rest as the week progresses.

Q1:  How can I navigate the holidays without piling on extra pounds?

Q2:  I can’t resist Christmas cookies and eggnog.  If I indulge, how can I make up for it?

Q3:  I’m concerned about my children stuffing themselves with so many holiday sweets, they won’t eat the healthy meals I prepare.  Any tips?

Q4:  Any suggestions for pot luck dishes that everyone will enjoy but are on the healthier side?

Q5:  If I do put on a few extra pounds over the holidays, what’s the best way to get back on track without feeling deprived?

Now for the answers.  They’re in the form of no more than 140-character tips.

Q1:  How can I navigate the holidays without piling on extra pounds?

• First thing is to not worry about it.  If we’re emotional eaters, anxiety can cause us to eat even more than we normally would.

• One way to help stop worrying about it is to stop weighing ourselves.Focus on how u feel instd; do what need to do to make urself feel good.

• Give yourself permission to eat what u want. Feeling like we can’t have what we want can also cause us to eat more than we *really* want.

• Eat intuitively. Let your body guide you in what you really want to eat and how much. Don’t put external limits on eating.

• External limits tell us what we *should* do.  When we do what we *want*, we have a much easier time doing it.  Understatement 

• The trick is realizing what we really want.  It helps to feed ourselves well – don’t skip meals, eat balanced meals.

• Also stay physically active.  It helps our bodies function like they are supposed to.  And it puts us in touch with our bodies.

• Manage stress, too.  During holidays, that often comes from trying to do too much.  Be selective in what u commit to.

• Remember to enjoy the holidays.  That’s the point of them.

How are you doing with staying on point during this holiday?

I enjoy holiday shopping...although doing it the weekend before Christmas does add a bit of unwanted pressure to the mix!

I’m going to practice what I preach today and put myself first.  I’ve got too many meetings going on — and my daughter is home for the first time in a year.   So I’m not going to spend time putting together our usual Friday review of notable reads on the web.

Instead, I’ll just encourage everyone else who is caught up in the busyness of this time of year to remember to make time for yourself where it really counts, or even just where you can.  When we put ourselves first, everyone is better for it.

If you’re having a bit of trouble doing that, check out our FitBriefing on Mindfulness during the Holidays.  It focuses on mindful eating as well as the need to put ourselves first during this time of year.

Happy last weekend before Christmas! 

Do you have all your shopping done?  I don’t!  Eek!!