Makeover Momma

Winter weather can make even the most angelic of eaters want to curl up with a cup of soup… and add a side of triple-sized-carbo-bread and super-choco-cake. Comfort food seems to be the catch of cold weather and holiday merriment, and can add an extra pinch in your pants faster than you can say “pass some more turkey.” As a mother, holiday seasons can be even more stressful with all of the cooking, planning, baking, standing, demanding, reprimanding, wrapping, packing, and department store attacking…leaving most of us too tired to even think about a healthy meal.

Worry no longer, “Oh Winter Weary Nutrition Mommas”, for below we have listed the top 5 brainless and painless “comfort food” healthy meals for on the go moments=

1. Warm Easy Breakfast: Quaker Oatmeal instant oatmeal packed in “Maple Sugar”, with ¼ cup of walnuts, and ½ cup of Craisons (dried cranberries.) It’s like a warm maple cobbler crunch for breakfast!

2. A Seasonal Smoothie: Try this make-shift Pumpkin Cinnamon Protein smoothie*= blend 8 oz. of new Silk Pumpkin Spice Soymilk, pinch of cinnamon (it raises the metabolism!), one 60-calorie container of Dannon Light n’ Fit yogurt in vanilla, and ½ a banana or cup of ice (for texture). Simple but yummy!

3. Toasty Deli-Style Lunch: Try Healthy Choice’s new grilled Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Panini, with one 100-calorie mini bite bag of Sun Chips on the side. It just sounds…warm, doesn’t it?

4. Take-Out Worthy Hot Dinner: Heat up a whole grain Lean Pocket in Supreme Pizza flavor (because nothing says comfort food like pizza), and add a small side salad for nutrients. Salad seem like too much effort? You can grab pre-packaged spinach, pre-cut baby carrots and cucumber, and all you need is 2 tablespoons (no more) of a clear dressing of choice

5. Pie-Inspired Parfait: Take a Yoplait Light yogurt in “Apple Turnover” flavor and mix in 100-calorie pack of Blue Diamond almonds (does the portion sizing for you), and ¼ cup of chopped apple (or fruit of choice.) It’s like calcium filled apple pie!

Stay tuned each month for more Healthy Meal in a Hurry! Please leave suggestions or comments for healthy meals you busy Makeover Momma’s would like to see!

*All meal ideas and suggestions at Makeover Momma™ will offer gluten-free alternatives, for children with celiac disease, allergies, or other health concerns. Note — above recipe is not dairy or soy free.

Staying fit can seem nearly impossible as a new mother…and can seem down right impossible if you have a full family to boot. Many women report gaining weight or a decline in overall physical fitness after becoming married, let alone after they’ve had children. Although, some wives or partners are blessed with spouses who are Tri-Athletes or naturally fit (hello, Angelina Jolie), the majority of us ladies may have a hard time keeping ourselves fit while balancing the needs of our families. In my case, those needs most often include my husband’s overwhelming desire to watch NFL highlights in his boxers while eating a box of Drumsticks (either the ice cream cones or the chicken- takeout, your pick). Needless to say, in order to keep everyone healthy, you just might have to employ some sneaky tactics to get everyone involved.

To kick off our “Fit with Family” monthly idea, we realized that one of the easiest ways to get the family involved isn’t an elaborate class or work-out regimen, but rather simply changing the channel on the station they’re watching. So pop in one of the following workout DVDs reviewed in the weeks to come, and you just might get everyone up off their feet…and lifting something other than ice cream cones.

• Dynamic Partner Yoga is a DVD that practices the idea of using your significant other to stretch deeper and find more strength in basic yoga postures. Although the uber-yogi in me secretly wishes I could stretch and twist intimately with my hubby, finding a closer bond and spirituality with our exertion…I know that this is really just an open invitation for him to make more weird bodily noises, and crude pretzel jokes. I think most women should probably keep the yoga chants to ourselves, unless we have particularly enlightened and open-minded spouses.

*LESSON LEARNED: Yoga might make our muscles lean and long, but it might just be too much of a stretch for the average Joe

• Leslie Sansone Family Health Package features 3 different family oriented “Walk at Home” workouts: Family Walk, Kid’s Walk, and Teen Walk. I greatly recommend trying all of these DVDs, or whichever one pertains to your family the most. The Family Walk is geared mostly for parents with children of all ages, and helps them follow along with your movements (or in some cases, simply run wild) while you get a low-impact aerobic style workout. However, The Kid’s Walk and Teen Walk are targeted specifically for your children to do (and not for you), but I would jump in and try these if my daughter was old enough!

*LESSON LEARNED: Personally, all of these DVD’s provide cardio, movement, and calorie burn (and who can argue with that), but probably something you’d rather do once your child is long past the toddler age

Stay tuned for next weeks conclusion to Fitness Momma DVD reviews!!