Paula Deen's Lean: Brie en Croute #2

Since my husband and I will take any excuse to throw a get-together, we invited family and friends over for the ACC Championship football game on December 4th; turning it into an all-out sport enthused, charitable holiday event. Rudy and I wanted to use this gathering as a chance to collect sport-related toys for our local Toys for Tots, hoping to make this holiday a little merrier for children in our community.



Along with the football and toy collection success, there is one more victory that needs to be celebrated; the lightening up of Paula Deen's Brie en Croute #2! My friend Karen and I rocked this recipe and had those football fans scrapin' the platter. Who said you can't serve Brie at a tailgate? It was simple and delicious, yet it looked like it took great time and skill. Now I am not down-playin' our culinary skills, but this recipe doesn't require the use of them. Check out how quickly and easily you can serve this fancy appetizer to your guests. I guarentee you will be staring at your creation just like we were; completely impressed with ourselves and loving how much people enjoyed it.


BRIE en CROUTE # 2
Serves 10

INGREDIENTS:
1 can (8 oz) Reduced-Fat Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls


1 tablespoon "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" light

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts


1 small (7-ounce) Président® 7 oz Light Brie


1/2 cup SUGAR FREE raspberry jam


2 eggs whites, beaten

 DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough and separate crosswise into two sections. Pat dough and firmly press perforations to seal, forming 2 squares.


Place 1 square on ungreased cookie sheet. Place Light Brie on center of dough.


Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute nuts in "ICBINB" light until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place nuts on top of Brie and spread jam on top of nuts.

With small cookie or canapé cutter, cut 1 shape from each corner of remaining square; set cutouts aside.


Place remaining square on top of cheese round. Press dough evenly around cheese; fold bottom edges over top edges. Gently stretch dough evenly around cheese; press to seal completely. Brush with beaten egg. Top with cutouts; brush with additional beaten egg.


Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm with whole wheat crackers or sliced apples and/or pears.


RESULTS:
I am telling you, I LOVE brie! And when I found out that almost every ingredient in this recipe could be replaced with something lighter, I fell in love all over again. The fat content in the cheese has been reduced by 50% and in the pastry.... around 60%! Let's not forget how we cut the saturated fat in butter by 70% and the sugar in the jam by 100%! I can't tell you how satisfying it is when an all-time favorite like this, one that I have deprived myself of or felt guilty about eating for so long, comes out just as fantastic in it's lighter form. I really hope you love it as much as we did. ENJOY!


**Note: Want to cut a little more fat or have a nut allergy, leave out the butter and nuts. It is still going to knock your socks off!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 154.2 calories;  9.2g fat;  13.7g carbohydrate;  7.5g protein;  .26g fiber

*PRINT~FRIENDLY*

Livin' Lean Topic Tuesday: Are You an Emotional Eater?

 

Image from fantashak.wordpress.com



I'd be lying if I told you that food and I have always had this beautiful, perfectly-balanced relationship. Friends and family can back me up in agreeing that there have been some ups and downs in my past. They have witnessed the roller coasters in my wild ride with weight and food. Now that the ride has ended and I can reflect, it is obvious to see the strong relationship between my feelings/emotions and my feelings toward food. Although oblivious at the time, I can now see that my weight was a reflection of what was going on inside me; emotionally. I find it interesting that right about the time in my life when I met my adorable husband, accepted my first job and bought my first house...my overall health improved.

 I was happy, in loooooooove, busy and full of life. Therefore, food was not a constant thought on my mind. It wasn't my go-to when things weren't going so well. When feeling upset, a chocolate shake did not call out "Lindsay" and promise to comfort me. When stressed, I didn't over-do it on Chinese take-out because I deserved it for working myself into the ground. Instead, food took on the role it was intended for; nutrition for the body. When all other aspects of my life found their place, food found it's place. From there, it took on a domino effect; improving my eating, energy level, sleeping, attitude and overall well-being. All of this because my emotions were finally in check.

The following quiz was sent to me, along with a book by fitness expert, Andrea Metcalf (Review coming soon!). I haven't taken this quiz yet, but I would say based on what I have shared with you and reading over it, I was an Emotional Eater. Sometimes "over" and sometimes "under", but no doubt, emotional. Our emotions can have such power over what we consume. The first step in addressing this would have to be coming face to face with our emotions. Are they controlling what, when and how much we eat?

Think you are a consistent emotional eater? Take the quiz and find out.

Are You an Emotional Overeater?

By Andrea Metcalf,

Author of

Naked Fitness: The Proven 28 Day Lifestyle Program for a Slimmer, Fitter, Pain Free Body

Take this short quiz to find out.

I turn to food when I'm sad, disappointed, or lonely. Yes ___ No ___

I often eat past the point of fullness. Yes ___ No ___

When I'm upset, I crave sweets or salty snack foods. Yes ___ No ___
When I go to parties or dine out with friends, I tend to overeat. Yes ___ No ___
If I eat too much, I feel guilty afterwards. Yes ___ No ___
I eat more than I should when I'm home alone or bored. Yes ___ No ___
My moods have the biggest influence on when and how I eat. Yes ___ No ___
I like to nurture family and friends with food. Yes ___ No ___
I think about food a lot. Yes ___ No ___
I am unhappy with my weight, but I overeat anyway. Yes ___ No ___
Eating is my favorite activity. Yes ___ No ___
I tend to clean my plate; I don't like to waste food. Yes ___ No ___
I binge habitually. Yes ___ No ___
The large amount of food I eat embarrasses me. Yes ___ No ___
Sugary foods tend to calm me down. Yes ___ No ___

SCORING
Count up your yeses and your noes.


If you answered yes to eight or more questions:
Your feelings of anger, frustration, loneliness, sadness, boredom, or even happiness might be causing you to overeat. And you are probably an emotional overeater. You may be eating too much or eating chaotically, but what you are really feeding is something in your life: relationship problems, broken dreams, financial worries, or problems at work. Try the strategies in this chapter, but don't be afraid to seek professional help.


If you answered yes to four to seven questions:
You may be struggling with some emotions from time to time. You are a borderline emotional overeater. At this point, it will be easier to get your eating habits under control by applying some of the strategies in this chapter.


If you circled three or fewer yeses:
You probably aren't an emotional overeater. You may occasionally use food to cope, but for the most part, it doesn't interfere with your ability to manage your weight.

The above is an excerpt from the book Naked Fitness: The Proven 28 Day Lifestyle Program for a Slimmer, Fitter, Pain Free Body by Andrea Metcalf. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
© 2010 Andrea Metcalf, author of Naked Fitness: The Proven 28 Days Lifestyle Program for a Slimmer, Fitter, Pain Free Body.


So, how did you do? I am excited to check out this book and let you all know what I think. I already like the title with the words "Lifestyle Program". That insists it is a change for life, not just a one month diet. We all know that if you want to make changes that stay, then the good habits need to stick around too!

Livin' Lean Topic Tuesday: Laughing All the Way



I try my best not to take certain things in life too seriously. Learning to laugh is definitely great medicine for the soul, so I've learned. Life is a lot more fun that way. But did you know that laughter is also pretty good for the body too? Ever laugh so hard your stomach muscles hurt or smile so long your cheeks were sore? It's 'cause you are workin' those 'happy' muscles! Now, I'm not saying that watching Elf or Christmas Vacation can substitute for your exercise routine this holiday season. Oh, if it were only that easy. All I'm doing is giving you one more excuse to choose a lighter approach to life. Laugh a little. It will help keep you healthy in both mind and body.

Other than burning a few extra calories, laughing can benefit the body in several other ways. Take a look!

 Physical Benefits to Laughing:

Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

I hope you are all having a beautiful holiday season so far...laughing all the way! HA, HA, HA!

** Reference for laughing facts:  helpguide.org.