I drink about one glass of eggnog a year. One glass is all I really need to get my fix. This year I decided to create my own eggnog so I could control the ingredients and not waste half a container of the store bought stuff. So, I stepped into the Fitness & Spice test kitchen and gave eggnog a healthy shake. Ladies and gentleman I give you…

Eggnog My Whey

• 1/3 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup Egg Beaters*
• 1/4 cup Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Milk, NuVal score – 90
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 t vanilla extract (or rum extract)
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 3-5 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients together in your Magic Bullet or blender. Pour into a really cute glass, sprinkle with nutmeg, sip, enjoy!

* From the Egg Beaters Web site: Because they’re pasteurized, Egg Beaters are safe and convenient to use in recipes that require uncooked eggs.

Now I really must go whip up another protein mocktail. Two servings of eggnog in one year? Yes, I’m totally getting carried awhey!

Today’s Random Acts of Fitness & Spice (RAFS) challenge comes from one of the 25 most influential people in the lives of children according to Children’s Health magazine (and I).

This must have been a pretty good year for Dr. Katz because he was also nominated for the position of U.S. Surgeon General to the Obama Administration by the American College of Physicians, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, among other national and international health organizations. I wonder how he’ll top all of that in 2010? I can’t wait to find out!

I wrote about Dr. Katz a few weeks ago after his visit to the Hy-Vee Whole Health Experience. You might remember me telling you about two programs he founded: NuVal, a nutritional scoring system, and ABC for Fitness© (Activity Bursts in the Classroom), a free program that encourages teachers to introduce short bursts of cardiovascular activity in the classroom.

Here’s our Random Acts of Fitness & Spice challenge from Dr. Katz:

My challenge is, in fact, best summarized in a program; it is a challenge to schools, and to an extent parents, to make physical activity fit into the daily routine of every child.  Here it is- http://www.davidkatzmd.com/abcforfitness.aspx.

We can do this, right? Let’s grab our favorite kid and do some random bursts of fitness with them everyday. Not only is this a great way to teach our children great habits but it also helps us work in some extra exercise, too!

Once you’re done with your daily workouts, why not celebrate and reinforce your kiddos success by recording it in a fitbook junior?

One Wisconsin teacher is passing out fitbook junior, a 12-week interactive fitness and food journal for kids, to teach students the importance of goal-setting, engaging in daily physical activities and making nutritious food choices, while balancing their tasks at school and home. “My goal is to teach students the importance of taking care of their health. I want them to have fun while doing it, and they’ll also be graded,” says Beth Ivey, a Physical Education teacher at St. Francis de Sales. “More than ever, taking responsibility for your health is a critical subject kids must learn while they’re young.”

Lisa Greenwood, a mother and Program Director of Fleet Feet’s Zoomerang Kids Running Club in Connecticut says “I use the grown-up book, and my son and I make our plans together. His goals include running eight laps and eating five new fruits this week, while I’m working on strength training and stretching.”

Want to win a fitbook junior for a fit kid you know? Simply tell us how you are going to incorporate daily bursts of exercise with a child as proposed by Dr. Katz. Here are a few ideas to get you started..

• Download the ABC workbook to get some great ideas
• Tell your school or Parent Teacher Association about the ABC Program
• Add some bursts of exercise with your kids in your own home, your backyard, or a playground near you
• If you’re like me and you are not a parent, tell a mom or dad you know and enter the contest anyway. I’m sure you might know a kid that could benefit from this program and would love to own a fitbook junior!

Enter the drawing by telling us how you’re going to participate in this Random Act of Fitness & Spice challenge in the comments section below. Be sure to submit  your comments by 11:59 P.M. on Tuesday, December 15th and check back on Wednesday to see if you are the lucky winner of a fitbook junior!

Now I really must go make a play date with my neighbors kids, I think we’ll have a blast channeling our inner Katz.

…Whoopie Pies that is!

I’m pretty sure it was our family friend Mrs. Covais who introduced me to my first Whoopie Pie when I was a little Fitness & Spice girl. Ahhhh…the sweet, sweet memories when I didn’t have a care in the world!

Now that I’m a few years older I care a little bit more about what I put into my body. When Michelle and Katy sent an email challenging me and a whole host of other writers to go vegan for a day, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to see how the vegan’s make Whoopie…pies.

A few months ago I bought a cookbook called BabyCakes by Erin McKenna. Erin is the chef and owner of vegan, gluten-free, and mostly sugar-free bakeries in New York City and West Hollywood. All sorts of cool people recommend BabyCakes like Mary-Louise Parker, Pamela Anderson, and I.

I pooled together two BabyCakes recipes and made…

Vegan Whoopie

(BabyCakes calls this recipe Cookie Sandwiches by the way)

Ingredients for the chocolate chip cookies

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 6 Tablespoons homemade applesauce or store-bought unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups evaporated cane juice
• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal (I used Bob’s Red Mill, NuVal score – 100)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven the 325 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla, and evaporated cane juice. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed through the dough.

Using a melon baller, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.

Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk (I used Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Milk, NuVal score – 90)
• 3/4 cup dry soy milk powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour (I forgot to buy coconut flour so I skipped it)
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups coconut oil
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (Confession? I didn’t use this either)

In a blender or mixer, combine the soy milk, soy powder, coconut flour, agave nectar, and vanilla. Blend the ingredients for about 2 minutes until well combined. With the machine running, slowly add the oil and lemon juice, alternating between the 2 until both are fully mixed. Pour the mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before frosting.

Once your cookies have cooled completely, frost and sandwich your cookies together. Roll the sides with extra chocolate chips.

It’s safe to say this a very grown up version of the traditional Whoopie Pie. You won’t find any Crisco, animal products, or fluff in this recipe, just good wholesome ingredients. And, while these cookies are very good and very vegan, they are not low in calories so please eat these little bundles of joy in moderation.

While I admit, I do have the cutest little BabyCakes, the vegan lifestyle isn’t exactly for me, I don’t think Little Miss Muffet would want me to live without my Curds and Whey.

When I am president of the world, I am going to shake up the food pyramid and make Italian a food group. While I love just about everything about Italian food from the olive oil and bread, to the pasta, cheese, and wine, I do not love what it can do to my waist line.

I’m pretty sure it was The Candid RD, who finally convinced me to try spaghetti squash as a substitution for pasta. I have to confess it is quite fabulous, in fact, on my first attempt I ate the entire thing in one sitting. Thank goodness spaghetti squash only has 42 calories per cup!

Besides being low in calories, here’s what else I love about spaghetti squash:

• It’s filling (yes, I know I ate the entire squash on the first try, but I enjoyed a more appropriate serving size last night so I can confirm that this really is a true statement)
• It is included in Dr. Jonny Bowden’s book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (a book I highly recommend and refer to frequently)
• It earned a NuVal score of 93!
• It’s easy to make and quite versatile

Here’s how I prepare Amore Faux-Pasta Squash:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Bake cut-side down for 45 minutes then turn and bake until the skin is tender. Use a fork to release spaghetti-like strands and place them in a bowl. Season the squash to taste.

There are probably a million ways you can season your spaghetti squash. Here are 4 ideas:

• Olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, spinach, roma tomatoes
• Marinara sauce and roasted vegetables
• Carrie told me she mixes spaghetti squash with marinara and cheese and bakes it…I did this last night and it was tasty!
• Salt and pepper (clever, eh?)

Speaking of seasons, spaghetti squash just happens to be in season, so it should be easy to find in the produce aisle.

Now I really must go work on my campaign to become president of the world and make some more lean-guini. Ciao!

I used to take a class at the gym called Butts & Guts where we focused on nothing but lower body and abdominal exercises. I thought about this class yesterday when attending the Whole Health Experience put on by Hy-Vee, a grocery store chain in my neck of the woods.

One of the presenters was David Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, his credentials read like an eye chart, don’t they? The title of his presentation was Feet, Forks, and Fate. In a nutshell, Dr. Katz explained if we use our feet for physical activity and our forks for fueling our bodies with healthy foods we can impact our fate of getting heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. In other words, if we get off our butts and care about what goes into our guts, we can look and feel better, and live healthier lives.

Not only does Dr. Katz educate audiences about using exercise and nutrition as components in preventative medicine, he also develops programs to help children and adults live healthier lifestyles. Dr. Katz discussed two programs during his presentation: one for fitness and one for nutrition.

Dr. Katz developed the ABC for Fitness© (Activity Bursts in the Classroom) program for schools. The free program encourages teachers to introduce short bursts of cardiovascular activity in the classroom periodically, adding up to about 30 minutes a day. What a great way to teach lifelong habits and turn restless-energy into healthy activity! No wonder Dr. Katz was named one of the 25 most influential people in the lives of children by Children’s Health magazine.

As adults, I think we can all take away a valuable lesson from the ABC for Fitness program. Short duration cardio exercise throughout the day can add up to make a big difference for big kids like us, too.

NuVal, the nutritional scoring system that scores food on a scale of 1 to 100 is another solution founded by Dr. Katz. The NuVal program helps shoppers make sound decisions about food quickly and easily just by looking for one number on the grocery store shelf. The higher the number, the healthier the food. Lucky for me, Hy-Vee has the NuVal system in their stores so I can benefit from this program every time I shop. If it’s not in a store near you, chat with your grocery store managers, and find out more on NuVal.com.

I’m so impressed with Dr. Katz, a man on a mission to teach others the ABC’s of fitness and the 1-2-3′s of nutrition. Changing the way schools and grocery stores look at fitness and nutrition takes butts and guts!

It does not surprise me that my parents decided to retire in Tennessee, the Volunteer State, as they are two of the most selfless volunteers I know.

Since moving to the beautiful state of Tennessee they have become die hard Tennessee Volunteer sports fans. I have to admit, even though I’ve never lived in Tennessee, it’s hard not to catch their Tennessee football fever.

I channeled a little Tennessee Volunteer spirit to bring you two recipes using one of the worlds healthiest foods, the sweet potato! Let’s kick off with…

BIG ORANGE Mashed Sweet Potatoes

• 1 medium sweet potato (NuVal score – 96)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 T pecans (optional)

Scrub sweet potato and bake at 450 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until tender. Remove at once and poke with a fork to let steam out. Cut the potato in quarters and mash with a fork or toss into your Magjc Bullet blender. Mix in Greek yogurt and top with pecans if you’re a sports nut. Note: You can remove the skin from the sweet potato before mashing or leave it on and benefit from the extra fiber!

Now for the second half…I love baked sweet potato fries prepared simply by spraying them with Pam Olive Oil and sprinkled with salt (and/or cinnamon). But last night, I decided to spice them up a little bit more. Remember when we made Fitness & Spice Pumpkin Nut Mix? Well, I decided to use the same seasoning to flavor these….

BIG ORANGE Sweet Potato Fries

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 egg white
• 1 T Splenda for Baking
• 1/2 t seasoning salt
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice sweet potato into thin wedges. Beat the egg white until fluffy. Coat the sweet potato with the egg white. Place remaining ingredients into a small bowl and blend well with a fork. Add spice mixture to the sweet potatoes and stir to combine everything well. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet and bake until crispy for approximately 20-25 minutes, turning half way.

Sweet potatoes make a great addition to a post-workout meal. Speaking of which, I could use a workout partner today…any Volunteers?

I love everything about Fall from the crisp leaves and apples to the fresh air and college football. Ok, ok, truth be told, I don’t really love football but everyone in the state of Nebraska seems to be a little obsessed with the sport.

In fact, I think it’s mandatory when you move to this state they issue you a Nebraska Cornhusker sweatshirt or a personalized license plate that reads some clever version of HSKRZ.

I’m thinking of starting a committee where we change that unwritten rule. Instead, I think we should just assume everyone in the state loves Nebraska football and only those that don’t should tell us on their personalized plates. That might spice things up a bit.

Speaking of football and spice, I thought I’d spice up some apples tonight and attempt to channel the spirit of Nebraska football and make…

Big Red Baked Apples

• 1 apple, cored – (NuVal score 96)
• 1 T Splenda for Baking
• 1 T vanilla protein powder
• 1 t cinnamon
• 2 T water
• 1 T pecans, chopped – (NuVal score 100)
• 1 t Earth Balance Butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together Splenda, protein powder, cinnamon, water, and pecans. Spoon mixture into the center of the cored apple and top with butter. Place the stuffed apple into a shallow dish filled with about 3/4 cup water. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Serve with ice cream, or, if you’d rather have a tight end, go with Greek yogurt instead.

Remember when I told you about NuVal, the nutritional scoring system that scores food on a scale of 1 to 100? Well, let’s give it up for plain Chobani Greek Yogurt for scoring a 94…that’s an A in my book!

Plain Chobani Greek Yogurt is one of my favorite go-to, high protein snacks. Right now I’m hooked on mixing in a little cinnamon and stevia right into the container and sometimes I’ll add vanilla protein powder to shake things up.

When I was visiting the Chobani Web site, I was thrilled to learn some new ways to enjoy Chobani. Melissa made the guacamole recipe found on their site a few weeks ago and said it was amazing. I was monkeying around with their Cho-bana Bread recipe and came up with…

Jo-nana Cho-bana Bread

• 1 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter
• ½ cup natural applesauce (no sugar added)
• ¾ cup Splenda for Baking
• 2 large eggs (I used Egg Beaters)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large overripe bananas
• ½ cup Chobani® Plain 0% Greek Yogurt
• ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (not optional ;-))

Preparation

Grease large loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, stir protein powder, baking soda, and salt.

Peel bananas. Cut each in half lengthwise and then cut each half into halves. Chop quartered bananas into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and Splenda into a smooth paste. Add applesauce and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add eggs and stir until incorporated.

Add dry mixture to wet ingredients, and mix well. Add chopped bananas, nuts and/or chocolate chips and Chobani®.

Bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes.

This bread, like the Chobani NuVal score, is nothing but good! You know what else is nothing but good? Chobani is GIVING AWAY an entire case of assorted fruit flavor Chobani to one lucky Fitness & Spice reader.

Here’s how you enter the drawing:

• Visit the Chobani site and check out their Nothing But Good line of t-shirts.
• In the comments section below tell us which shirt you’d proudly wear or tell us another word you think is Nothing But Good!

The contest ends October 31st at 11:59 P.M. and the winner will be announced on Sunday, November 1st.

Now, I really must go finish my banana bread and enjoy this beautiful Fall day because that, my friends, is nothing but good!

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Wholly Guacamole and Wholly Salsa will be dressed in my favorite color, pink!

Fresherized Foods, the makers of the Wholly product suite, is donating 15 percent of proceeds from October “PINK” sales to help fight for a cure.

I love the Wholly line of products to top eggs, soups, and especially my favorite Mexican dishes like a…

Holy Fitness & Spice Tostada

• Low-carb tortilla
• Blended black beans*
• Sharp cheddar cheese
• Wholly Salsa
• Wholly Guacamole (NuVal score 59! Scores for refrigerated dips range from 1 to 62)

Spray a low carb tortilla with PAM Olive Oil and place under the broiler until nice and crispy. Remove from the oven and top with beans and cheese and place back under the broiler until the cheese melts. Top with salsa and guacamole. Can I get an Amen?

Not only is Wholly Guacamole doing good for a good cause, it’s good for you, too.

“Avocados are super-foods and loaded with nutrition and even cancer-fighting power,” says nutritionist, Dr. Marcia Walker at Fresherized Foods.

I don’t know about you, but I do not mind putting great-tasting super-foods into my body, especially when they come from a company that supports breast cancer research.

If you want to do some good and spice things up this month, pick up some Wholly Guacamole, it just might have you doing the salsa!

Things to do on a cold October day:

• Brew a Whole Latte Protein
• Bake some cupcakes
• Make some soup
• Go to the grocery store (NuVal? How did I function without you?)
• Watch a video

Whatever you do, enjoy your day because:

“A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content.” ~Proverb