Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I absolutely love angel food cake. It's low in calories and tastes amazing with sorbet or fresh fruit. Check out this recipe for chocolate Angel Food Cake at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

What defines you is your priorities in life

Patti Stanger~Millionaire Matchmaker

Though Patti uses this in reference to finding love, the quote is really all about life and being ourselves. We always want people to think the best of us, but how can they do that if all we care about and concentrate on are the material and superficial aspects of life? There are other ways to show our desire and love for life than just money, success, and being on top. Though our passions may lend to these eventually, our passions should be our priorities, not being rich and being on top. As Patti also says, leading with your "business foot" gets you no where. People don't want to hear your brag about how well your business is doing or how much money you're making. That makes you look boring, self centered, and one dimensional. Talk about things that interest you, focus on your passions and make happiness a priority in life. Success will follow and you may find yourself in a better place all together.

HG' Bake-tastic Butternut Squash Fries

Butternut squash is a great substitute for potatoes in french fries...the squash can be difficult to prep, so after the recipe, check out other ideas for delicious french fry substitutes. All of these fabulous recipes are from Hungry Girl.

Bake-tastic Butternut Squash Fries

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 204
calories, <1g fat, 258mg sodium, 53g carbs,
9g fiber, 10g sugars, 4g protein --
PointsPlus™ value 0*

Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (large enough to yield 1 lb. once peeled & sliced)
1/8 tsp. coarse salt, or more to taste
Optional dip: ketchup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Peel squash with a vegetable peeler. Slice the ends off the squash, and then cut it in
half width-wise. Cut the round bottom piece in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
Using a crinkle cutter or a knife, carefully cut squash into spears/French-fry shapes.
Thoroughly blot moisture away with paper towels, and sprinkle evenly with salt.
Spray a broiler pan, a baking rack placed over a baking sheet, or a baking sheet with
nonstick spray, and then place spears flat on it.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, and then carefully flip spears. Continue to bake until
tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, about 20 minutes longer.
If you like, sprinkle with additional salt and serve with ketchup for dipping. Enjoy!
MAKES 1 SERVING

Click here for Hungry Girl's french fry trials and try using one of these ingredients instead!

10 Easy Ways to Burn an Extra 100 Calories

1. Stand up.  Stand up for 10 minutes for every hour during your eight hour work day and you'll burn off an extra 100 calories
2. Give a massage. Give your partner a 20 minute massage and burn off 100 calories.
3. Take your coffee break on foot.  Walk to the nearest Starbucks and be sure to keep your coffee 'skinny' to avoid drinking those calories back.
4. Get on Facebook.  Updating your Facebook status or surfing burns calories also.  Clicking equals calories burned!
5. Give yourself a blowout.  Instead of going to the salon, blow-drying and straightening your own hair will zap another 100 calories.
6. Try a new recipe.  Baking can burn up to 100 calories before eating the meal.
7. Pace while you talk on the phone. Next time you talk on the phone, burn calories by walking back and forth. 
8. Clean your closet.  Clean, sort things you don't need anymore, and reorganize for 35 minutes and burn 100 calories.
9. Play tag.  Play a 20 minute game of tag with your kids (or siblings or cousins for those of us without kids) and burn more calories.
10. Go shopping.  Spend time walking around and trying on clothes and burn 100 calories.  (maybe even more!)

Summarized article by Jessica Smith from Red Book.
http://www.redbookmag.com/health-wellness/advice/burn-extra-calories-easy#fbIndex1

More on Simple and Complex Carbs

Again, How To Think gives us some helpful information about how to differentiate between simple and complex carbohydrates.

Read the labels. If the label lists sugar, sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, white or “wheat” flour, they contain simple carbohydrates. If these ingredients are at the top of the list, they may contain mostly simple carbohydrates, and little else. They should be avoided.

Look for foods that have not been highly processed or refined. Choose a piece of fruit instead of fruit juice, which is very high in naturally occurring simple sugars. Choose whole grain breads instead of white bread. Choose whole grain oatmeal instead of packaged cold cereals.

The closer you get to nature, the closer you get to health.

Simple carbohydrates, like sugar and corn syrup, are created in a factory – while complex carbohydrates in vegetables and whole grains are designed by nature, and help you maintain your health.

“Beauty isn’t judged by the size of your jeans"

Jack Barakat~All Time Low

A new year has just started...be honest, how many of us made "losing weight" or "get skinny" one of our resolutions? How many of us say that we are going to do these things and have our hearts set on these things all the time? Now has it ever occurred to anyone else that framing our health and our bodies this way says so much about what culture and society has done to us?

How about this year, instead of resolving to get skinny or get hott, let's resolve to get healthy and be happy. If you think about it, they're really the same goals, framed in a more positive light. I'm a curvy girl and I always say that I want to be skinny, but since I'm curvy, skinny and thin are not realities for me.

I believe that true beauty comes from within. A happy person radiates beauty from the inside, and that inner beauty is the only beauty that we can hold on to throughout our lives. Let's spend this year making ourselves truly beautiful: do what makes us happy, focus on our lives-whether it be school, a career, our family, and really put your all into where you want to be.

Happiness makes us feel so much better about ourselves. A person may be beautiful on the outside, but without happiness, self satisfaction, and confidence, that beauty fades fast.

This year, let's be the best that we can be and build ourselves up to be beautiful from the inside out.

HG's Sweet and Sour Chicken 1 2 3

I haven't met many people who would say no to Sweet and Sour Chicken from a Chinese restaurant. I have tried to stop myself because that dish is full of sugar and calories. Here is Hungry Girl's version of this delicious Chinese food staple that won't weigh you down.

HG's Sweet & Sour Chicken 1-2-3

Serving Size: 1/3rd of recipe, about 2 cups
Calories: 295
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 730mg
Carbs: 37g
Fiber: 5.25g
Sugars: 27g
Protein: 30g

PointsPlus® value 7*

Ingredients:
12 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
16 oz. canned pineapple chunks packed in juice (not drained)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
2 cups bean sprouts

Directions:
Bring a large skillet or wok sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the skillet/wok.

Stirring occasionally, cook until chicken is no longer pink on the outside, about 3 minutes. Add broccoli florets, bell pepper, celery, and 2 tbsp. of water to the skillet/wok. Cover and cook until veggies are tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, drain the juice from the canned pineapple into a small nonstick pot. Add cornstarch and stir to dissolve. Add vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, crushed red pepper, and ginger. Mix thoroughly. Bring to medium-high heat on the stove. Stirring frequently, cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.

To the skillet/wok, add pineapple chunks, bean sprouts, and sauce. Mix well. Continue to cook and stir until sprouts have softened and chicken is fully cooked, about 4 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

MAKES 3 SERVINGS