Make this, Don’t buy that: Eggnog

Merry Christmas!…..and in with keeping in the holiday theme I have chosen the next installment of Make this, Don’t buy that to be a replacement recipe for eggnog! Just a small glass of eggnog carries about 400 calories with it, but the recipe will give you great eggnog for only 90 calories in half a cup. We hope you have a wonderful holiday and that you can now enjoy this delicious guilt-free eggnog!

Ingredients

2 cups nonfat milk

2 large strips orange and/or lemon zest

1 vanilla bean

2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

White rum or bourbon (optional)

Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Directions

Combine 1 1/2 cups milk and the citrus zest in a medium saucepan.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds; add the

seeds and pod to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, egg yolk, sugar and cornstarch in a medium

bowl until light yellow.

 

Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking

constantly, then pour back into the pan. Place over medium heat and

stir constantly with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight motion until the

eggnog begins to thicken, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and

immediately stir in the remaining 1/2 cup milk to stop the cooking.

Transfer the eggnog to a large bowl and place over a larger bowl of

ice to cool, then chill until ready to serve.

 

Remove the zest and vanilla pod. Spike the eggnog with liquor, if

desired, and garnish with nutmeg.

 

Per serving (1/2 cup): Calories 90

-Kevin

Avoiding the Holiday Weight Gain

It’s that time of year again! Time for cookies and candy, drinking and parties, and of course, time that we all start worrying about our weight. I know how hard it is to be worrying about your weight this time of year; you just want to enjoy the season and have fun at all the holiday parties, and the last thing you want to do is diet. To keep you sane through all the festivities, I thought I’d leave you a few diet tips. This way, you won’t have to count calories and only eat celery when you’re out celebrating and hopefully you can still maintain a healthy weight through the New Year!

1. Never go to a party hungry! The food that is served at parties is almost always high in calories and low in protein and fiber, which means it will taste delicious and do nothing to fill you up. If you go hungry, you may be eating upwards of 1,500 calories before you feel full. Eat a healthy meal before you party, and then just sample all the delicious treats!
2. Carry a clutch. Women, when you go to a party, carry a clutch instead of a purse with a shoulder strap. You’ll have your purse in one hand and a drink in another, which will make it very hard to go get a plate of food. You’ll be so busy having fun; you won’t realize you never went back for seconds.
3. Drink champagne instead of wine. ‘Tis the season to be merry, and we wouldn’t want you to have to go all holiday without ever having a drink. If you swap your wine glass for a flute of champagne, you could save yourself 100 calories per drink. Multiply that over a week’s worth of drinks and you could save yourself several hundred calories without even noticing.
4. Give away the treats you make. For most people, part of the holiday season is baking Christmas cookies or other holiday treats at home, and who ever just makes a dozen cookies? If you make a huge batch of Christmas goodies, do a good deed and give them away! It’s a great Christmas present for your neighbors, or your mailman, or you can even bring them to work and let your coworkers enjoy them.
5. Put treats away. If you do keep some of your delicious cookies around the house, don’t leave them out where you can see them. Put them away in a pretty Christmas dish, and only take a few out when you intend to eat them. That way, you won’t be snacking on chocolate cake all day.
6. Keep exercising. The very best defense against an increased calorie intake around the holiday season is to keep up your exercise routine. I know it gets cold and dark outside and we let our daily workout slip, but if you can find ways to keep up your daily calorie burn, you can do wonders for your waistline. If you need ideas about how to enjoy to winter weather and burn a few extra calories, see our previous post!

Do you all have any other tips for avoiding holiday weight gain? Let me know if any of these work for you!

-Sara