Comfort food & big sweaters....

ahhhhhhhh, Fall. The beginning of the 'nesting' period for me. I love striking the fire, watching the leaves change and then fall. Enjoying the Charlie Brown specials for the 1000th time. The snuggling onto the couch on a cold night in my comfy sweats, soft sweaters and big, fuzzy socks. I also love breaking out my favorite comfort food recipes too...mmmmm.....mac n cheese, chili, soups, casseroles, etc....

For me, someone who has lost an incredible amount of weight (140 lbs!) and now has to constantly police what she eats to keep the weight off, this time of year can pack on the pounds! We move less, we wear bigger clothes and we eat differently (and heavier) than we do in the warmer months. There is a great article in the News & Observer today called "Maximize comfort, Minimize calories" that I found very helpful in making substitutions. It really is not about denying yourself all that good stuff, rather substituting for lighter dishes that will still give you that warm-in-the-belly feeling. There were some great suggestions in the article, like instead of big, heavy creamed up soups, how 'bout Tomato soup with cracked black pepper? For your favorite mac-n-cheese, use low-fat cheese instead of full-strength. Can I just tell you now--don't go 'fat free' on cheese, you might as well chew on a pencil eraser....seriously, just don't go there. On grilled cheese, use 1 slice of cheese instead of 2. For me, this equation would be: use 2 slices instead of my usual 4! = ) See? I cut it in half...that does make a difference!

I love the idea of a baked apple with maple syrup or a bowl of warm, homemade applesauce with cinnamon instead of double crusted apple pie. If you want that pie, make it single crust instead of double crust. Spiced gumdrops and jellybeans are a good little snack instead of leftover Halloween candy. Use chicken broth in mashed potatoes instead of cream and butter. Use maple syrup (natural source) in your sweet potatoes this year instead of all the brown sugar (processed source) and butter. The article also suggests other 'comfort' signals too, like when it's dark at 5 p.m. this winter, light a candle in the kitchen or put some mulling spices on the stove.

Don't set yourself up for unpleasant surprises this spring when you pull our your shorts and tank tops and find none of them fit. It's not about denying yourself or eating all 'rabbit food'... just some simple substitutions can help make these upcoming holidays and cold winter months a little lighter and healthier, yet still with all the comfort you want and need!