Healthy and Delicious Seasonal Recipes for Mother and Daughter

November 16, 2009 by Administrator
Filed under Health & Wellbeing

By: Rona Lewis.

iStock_000007101304XSmall

Looking for something delicious, nutritious, and made with pumpkin this Thanksgiving? Then look no further! Rona Lewis, author, fitness trainer, and health expert, has some wonderful recipes to share with you. “Having a great body at any age can be done, but it takes a commitment to working out regularly and eating smarter” says Lewis. Some of her famous past clients include Kyra Sedgwick and Supermodel Iman and now you can share her simply sinful, but oh-so-healthy pumpkin delights with your family!

Enjoy these 3 seasonal pumpkin recipes perfect for moms and daughters to make together!

This easy-to-make soup is a great starter course at Thanksgiving. Kids and adults alike will enjoy the sweetness of the pumpkin and carrots along with the subtle but savory flavor of the onions, ginger and garlic. This soup freezes well and the recipe works perfectly when you double it.

*********************************************************************************************************************

Rona’s Pumpkin Soup

Prep time-15 minutes
Cook Time-15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Butter spray
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced thin
2 tbsps fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
15 oz chicken broth, low sodium
1 15oz can pumpkin
1 C low-fat milk, preferable 1%

In a large saucepan well sprayed with the butter spray, cook onions, carrots, cilantro, ginger, garlic, allspice and nutmeg over medium heat. Stir occasionally until all the vegetables are soft.

Using a food processor, puree the vegetables along with a cup of chicken broth. Mixture should be almost smooth.

Wipe the saucepan clean and add pumpkin, milk and the rest of the broth. Heat until just bubbling. Add back vegetable puree. Stir until completely mixed together and heated through. Serve as an appetizer, a side with a salad or sandwich for lunch or hearty winter snack!

Per Serving

Calories: 122
Total fat: 2gr
Sodium: 90gr
Carbohydrates: 22gr
Protein: 7gr
Sugars: 11gr
*********************************************************************************************************************

Rona wanted to work pumpkin into a main course dish and have it be simple to make yet unique. This recipe has similar ingredients to the soup, but the added cider and spices make it “fancier.” The pumpkin puree makes the sauce thick and flavorful without adding any extra fat.

Pumpkin Chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Split chicken breasts, about 3 pounds worth, skinned
Fresh pepper
1 tsp nutmeg, ground
Olive Oil Spray
1 C spiced Apple Cider
2 medium sweet onions, chopped
1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground sage
3 garlic cloves, mashed
3/4C low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp sea salt

Pre-heat oven to 350. Season chicken with pepper and nutmeg. Heat skillet sprayed with oil over medium heat. Brown chicken pieces. Add cider over the chicken. Stir and transfer to 3 qt baking dish.

Respray skilled and saut$(D+1 onions over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until soft and brown. Add to baking dish. Mix pumpkin, all spices and broth together until smooth. Pour over chicken. Season with black pepper to taste.

Cover dish with foil and bake 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more or until done. Place pieces on a serving plate, make sure sauce is mixed fully and pour over the chicken.
Per Serving

Calories: 84
Total fat: 1gr
Sodium: 64gr
Carbohydrates: 9gr
Protein: 10gr
Sugars: 3gr

*********************************************************************************************************************

Rona promises you won’t miss the sugar and extra fat in this addictive pancake recipe. You’ll be thankful you can eat more and still feel like moving! Moms, if you want to watch your weight, use agave, lighter taste and with less sugar, instead of maple syrup for the topping for nd give your daughters a choice of either.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pancakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2C whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger
1 egg, beaten
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3 packets Stevia (or Splenda)
2C 1% low fat milk
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Butter Spray

Sift together dry ingredients. Set aside

In another bowl, mix egg, pumpkin, stevia, milk and oil. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to this bowl and mix until smooth. If mixture is too thick add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

On a non-stick griddle with butter spray, heated over medium-low heat, pour a heaping tablespoon or small ladle to make pancakes. When bubbles start to appear towards the edges, flip over. When brown on both sides, take off heat. Keep warm in oven.

Serve with light butter and agave syrup instead of maple. It tastes much like maple, but it’s lighter and has less sugar. Makes 12-14 pancakes.

Per Serving (about 1 pancake)

Calories: 112
Total fat: 3gr
Sodium: 85gr
Carbohydrates: 19gr
Protein: 5gr
Sugars: 3gr
*********************************************************************************************************************

SPECIAL NOTE TO PARENTING PINK MOMS: If you have a favorite recipe you’d like me to make a little healthier for you, send it to me and I’ll re-engineer it. Have a wish list of dishes you like but don’t know how to fix them without all the fat and calories? Let me know what they are and if it’s possible, I’ll make it happen for future articles. Email me through my website at www.doesthiscookbookmakemelookfat.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since 1989, Rona Lewis has specialized in fitness training for moms and women over 35, two groups that want the bodies they once knew. Rona, age 49, understands firsthand the physical challenge of maintaining a woman’s ideal weight after age 35, when a slower metabolism often takes root. But look at some of her famous past clients, Kyra Sedgwick and Supermodel Iman (amongst them), and seeing is believing in Rona’s work! “Having a great body at any age can be done, but it takes a commitment to working out regularly and eating smarter” says Lewis. Rona is a graduate of Penn State University and a fitness trainer certified by The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Rona lives in Los Angeles, California and is available for signature “Does My Life Make Me Look Fat?” motivational fitness, health, and nutrition phone coaching to moms anywhere in the U.S. Rona is the author of Does This Cookbook Make Me Look Fat? Healthy Recipes Even HE Will Eat! Her upcoming sequel cookbook is, Does This Cookbook Make Me Look Entertaining? Healthy Recipes to Impress Your Guests!