Tag Archives | holidays

Are You Ready For Some Conversation (Hearts)?

By on February 5, 2013 in Food for Fun and Thought, Holidays

“Be Mine,” “Kiss me,”  “Sweet Talk, ” “Tweet Me.” Candy hearts, originally called motto hearts, the brightly colored heart shaped candy with the stamped red sayings, have been iconic Valentine’s Day treats since 1902. Also known as conversation hearts, motto hearts, and sweethearts, they’re manufactured by NECCO, the New England Confectionery Company, which has been [...]

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What To Eat On New Year’s Day For Good Luck – And What To Avoid!

By on December 30, 2012 in Food for Fun and Thought, Holidays

Pork products, fish, beans, cakes with coins, grapes, pickled herring? Sound tasty?  Maybe yes, maybe no?  So what do they have in common?  They’re a sampling of some of the foods people eat on New Year’s to bring good luck. Food has power and especially at transitional points – like holidays and feast days — [...]

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Are You A Smart Snacker When You’re Out Shopping?

By on December 26, 2012 in Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Holidays, Manage Your Weight, Shopping, Cooking, Baking, Snacking, Noshing, Tasting

There are food courts and coffee shops around every bend and on every corner – and all of them seem to sell peppermint and gingerbread goodies that scream, “Holiday.”  That can really test your willpower. A hot skim latte is a great snack – soothing, calorie controlled, with a nice amount of protein.  A nice [...]

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Rudolph Really Does Have A Red Glowing Nose!

By on December 24, 2012 in Food for Fun and Thought, Holidays

Poor Rudolph  —  he’s had to put up with all of those clown nose jokes over the years. But wait — it turns out that scientists have determined that reindeer have more abundant blood vessels in their noses than humans. The British Medical Journal reports that a team of scientists and researchers used a hand-held [...]

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Leftovers Will Defeat The Best Laid Diet Plans

By on December 20, 2012 in Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Entertaining, Buffets, Parties, Events, Holidays, Manage Your Weight, Snacking, Noshing, Tasting

You open the fridge door right after the holiday party and what do you see?  Leftover pie, cake, stuffing, turkey, ham, potatoes, lasagna, pizza – you name it. With all of that tempting stuff staring at you, how can you possibly not nibble away? The best laid plans have been defeated by left over stuffing [...]

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What’s A Latke – And Is It Always Made From Potatoes?

By on December 7, 2012 in Holidays, Shopping, Cooking, Baking

Not a fritter and not a flat dough circle hot off the griddle, a latke — commonly called a potato pancake — is traditionally made from potatoes, grated onions, and some form or combination of binders like eggs, flour, and matzoh meal. The potatoes aren’t the fancy kind.  Russets (Idaho potatoes) are commonly used because [...]

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It’s The Holiday Nibbling That Will Get You!

By on November 29, 2012 in Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Holidays, Manage Your Weight, Snacking, Noshing, Tasting

Most of those waistline hugging, thigh bulging holiday calories don’t come from the “day of” huge holiday meals but from unrelenting nibbling over the holiday season. It’s way too easy to add on an extra 500 calories a day over and above your average daily calorie needs.  An additional 500 calories a day translates into packing [...]

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Let’s Talk Turkey – How Long Can It Safely Stay On The Table And In The Fridge?

By on November 21, 2012 in Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Entertaining, Buffets, Parties, Events, Holidays, Shopping, Cooking, Baking

Turkey, the centerpiece of most Thanksgiving meals, is a low in fat and high in protein nutritonal star. A 3 and 1/2 ounce serving is about the size and thickness of a new deck of cards. The fat and calorie content varies because white meat has less fat and fewer calories than the dark meat [...]

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Is Food The Main Focus Of Your Holiday?

By on November 19, 2012 in Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Eating with Family and Friends, Food for Fun and Thought, Holidays, Manage Your Weight

Is your holiday mindset:  lots of food = good time; not so much food = bad time? Can you possibly revel in holiday spirit without accompanying gluttony?  You bet you can – but often the celebrations themselves become intertwined with the need or obligation to cook and/or eat not just because we’re hungry, but because [...]

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Do You Swipe Candy From Your Kid’s Trick Or Treat Bag?

By on October 19, 2012 in Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts, Eating with Family and Friends, Food for Fun and Thought, Holidays, Manage Your Weight, Snacking, Noshing, Tasting

If you do, you can start shedding your guilt because you’re certainly not alone. Let’s put it another way:  Is it almost a foregone conclusion that there’s Halloween candy in your future? The candy assault on your senses is pretty hard to escape.   It’s everywhere in glowing Technicolor on shelf after shelf in big box stores, [...]

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