November 2004 Newsletter

This Month’s Contents:  

• Giving Thanks
• Celebratory-Yet-Sensible Holiday Feasting
• Stay Healthy; Wash Up!
• Holiday Shopping Specials: Gift Certificates for services-such as: ( personal training, classes, massage), clothing, jewelry, & videos  all 10% off!! Be sure to mention you saw it in the newsletter to receive the discount.
• Gift registry available
• Fitness Q&A: Ask Cheryl
• Recipes of the Month: Cranberry and Ginger Chutney Risotto with Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Jack Cheese

Giving Thanks
This month of Thanksgiving I’d like to express my heartfelt appreciation to you, the clients and staff who are the Whole Body Studio community. Every day, you help create an environment that contributes to the well-being of everyone who participates in classes and teaches here. Thank you all for the many ways in which you support the Studio.
All the best, Cheryl

Celebratory-Yet-Sensible Holiday Feasting

November ushers in a time of festive dinners, get-togethers, and parties. The bounty of treats is enough to undo nearly anyone’s intention to eat healthfully. Moderation and planning are the keys to enjoying holiday celebrations fully without overdoing it: 

1) Don’t attend a party too hungry. A healthful snack before you leave home can prevent you from overloading on the high-calorie stuff.

2) Really enjoy the treats you love (in moderation). Skip any trimmings and desserts that don’t delight you, which allows you to savor sensible portion(s) of your favorites.

3) Stow water and a snack in the car for when you’re on the road.  Hectic holiday shopping and extra events on the calendar often lead to missed or delayed meals, which in turn can lead directly to the fast-food drive through. Avoid a low-energy breakdown: Keep a bottle of water and a portion of shelled nuts (try walnuts, rich in omega-3 fatty acids) and/or dried fruit in your car for an instant rev-up.

4) Buffet-style dinners can actually be great opportunities for portion control.  Put less on your plate than you think you’ll eat. Later -- only if you are still truly hungry -- go back for a bit more. When partaking of a sit-down dinner at a restaurant that dishes up large portions, decide to eat about one-half to one-third. If appropriate under the circumstances and the meal is reasonably healthful, perhaps take a doggie bag home.

5) Beware of calorie creep. Holiday leftovers and desserts pile on more calories than everyday fare. It’s wiser to enjoy a single indulgent meal than add “hidden” calories day after day. So feel no guilt about discreetly disposing of the marshmallow-covered, butter-packed sweet potato casserole left over from Thanksgiving dinner. Unless, of course, you would truly enjoy eating a modest portion of it (see Tip #2).

What healthy holiday eating strategies work for you? If you have an idea to share, please send it to cheryl@thewholebodystudio.com. More tips will be included in the December newsletter if we receive them in time.

Stay Healthy; Wash Up!

The shortage of flu vaccine has many of us talking about how to avoid not only the flu, but also seasonal colds. To reduce the transmission of illness, public health experts have taken up a refrain of moms everywhere in saying, “Wash your hands!” The fact is that germs spread when you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Encourage everybody at your house to be especially conscientious about scrubbing up this winter: after coming home from a public place, when returning from a doctor’s office, right after disembarking from an airplane when you travel. Some Whole Body Studio clients have suggested that hand sanitizer (but not the antibacterial kind) and packaged moist towelettes are useful alternatives when there’s no soap and water handy.

And if you work at a desk, consider cleaning its surface regularly. A study conducted by University of Arizona researchers and funded by Clorox found that the average office desk harbors 20,961 germs per square inch -- that’s 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. Turns out that moms do have excellent advice when it comes to washing up.

Fitness Q&A: Ask Cheryl

This month’s newsletter introduces a new feature in which Cheryl answers a fitness-related question. All queries will be read and considered, although space does not permit every submission to be answered. Send your questions to: cheryl@thewholebodystudio.com

Q. I love doing Pilates. Do I need to add other forms of exercise to my routine?

A. Pilates can be a great whole body workout, it can strengthen, stretch & tone every muscle in the body. A consistent regimen of Pilates 2-3 times per week, cardiovascular exercise at least 30 minutes 5-7days per week & proper nutrition will promote a strong and healthy body.

Recipe of the Month: Cranberry and Ginger Chutney

So-called “raw food” is said to preserve the nutritional content of its ingredients. To the extent this may be true, this uncooked cranberry and ginger chutney has a lot going for it: cranberries and onion for antioxidants, ginger to promote digestion. As a bonus for the time-pressed, you need to prepare this garnish a day or two ahead of Thanksgiving dinner to allow the flavors to develop.

We crave the spiciness added by the onion and ginger, so we might add extra to the amounts you see below. Trader Joe’s is a convenient place to buy crystallized ginger and organic sugar.

Ingredients

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 whole orange -or- 2 Clementine’s or tangerines cut into pieces, seeded if necessary; peel if not organic

1 medium sweet onion, such as a Vidalia or red onion, peeled and cut into pieces

1/2 to 1 cup sugar (to taste); use organic sugar for a wonderful flavor

1 tablespoon or so crystallized ginger chunks (type used for baking)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

To prepare

Pulse cranberries, orange/Clementine/tangerine pieces, onion pieces, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and crystallized ginger in a food processor until chopped into small pieces. Add more of the sugar, to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Put processed chutney in another container; store in refrigerator to mellow for at least 1 day before serving. Keeps refrigerated for several days.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Adapted from the Fresh Cranberry Relish recipe found in Al Roker’s Hassle-Free Holiday Cookbook: More Than 125 Recipes for Family Celebrations All Year Long

Risotto with Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Jack Cheese

1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, & cut into ½ inch cubes (about 3 ½ cups)

Cooking Spray

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 1/3 cups water

2 tablespoons Madeira wine or sweet Marsala

1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

4 ounces chopped pancetta

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced

¾ cup uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice

2/3 cup (about 2 ½ ounces) ½ inch-cubed Monterey Jack cheese

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Fresh tarragon sprigs (optional)

1.   Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2.   Place squash on a nonstick jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender, turning after 10 minutes.

3.   Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

4.   Combine broth, water, wine, and tarragon in a saucepan; bring to a simmer.  Keep warm over low heat.

5.   Cook pancetta in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove pancetta from pan; drain on a paper towel.  Discard pan drippings.  Add onion and oil to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until onion is tender.  Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.  Add rice to pan; sauté 1 minute.  Stir in broth mixture; bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat, and simmer over low heat uncovered, for 10 minutes.  (Do not stir; rice will have a liquid consistency similar to stew.)

6.   Place pan in oven; bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Stir in the squash, pancetta, cheese, salt and pepper.  Cover with a clean cloth; let stand 10 minutes (rice will continue to cook).  Sprinkle with pine nuts.  Garnish with tarragon springs, if desired.  Yield:  4 servings (serving size:  ¾ cupCalories 423 (30% from fat); Fat 14.2g (sat 5.5g, mono 5.6g, poly 1.9g); Protein 14.5g; Carb 57.3g; Fiber 6.6g; Chol 28mg; Iron 2 mg; Sodium 783mg; Calc 235mg

From Cooking Light Magazine  www.cookinglight.com

Coming in December

• Health-Conscious Holiday Gifts
• More Winter Wellness Tips
• Fitness Q&A: Ask Cheryl