Happy Thanksgiving!

Another thanksgiving and I can't be more thankful for my supportive family, loving friends, food on the table, a shelter over my head, good health, a job I love and the ability to live everyday. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

When Thanksgiving rolls around we tend to lose sight of all our hard work [in the gym] this year. Some quick Smart Snacker tips to carry you [and your slim waist line] through the average 3700 calories every American OVEReats on Thanksgiving day!

- Eat a small, smart breakfast and lunch
- Eat your turkey meal in a "nice outfit." If you show up in our sweats we are more prone to overeat
- Remember this isn't your last supper! If your family is anything like mine, you'll have plenty of leftovers to enjoy so be mindful that this meal will last longer then one evening
- Slow down and savor the taste, the slower you eat the easier it will be for your brain to signal that you're full
- Only indulge on your true favorites. Don't care so much for pumpkin pie? than don't eat it just because everyone else is
- Drinking alcohol? sip on water inbetween each alcoholic beverage or chose a mocktail (club soda and lemon, etc)

Thanksgiving is a great reason for everyone to get together...so don't forget to enjoy your friends, family and company. Again, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Site Update

Site Update! Be sure to check out some of my lastest and greatest resources on the lower right-hand side of the blog site. I have made grocery shopping, meal planning and recipe finding A LOT easier : )

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Straight to you from Yoplait

Hey guys! Yoplait has been kind enough to provide me with this opportunity, information and a coupon link (below) to share with my readers! The video below features Lisa Lillien, a.k.a, Hungry Girl, talking with other fellow consumers about Fiber One yogurt and their search for tasty low-calorie, waist-friendly snacks.

Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt has 50 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat
· Fiber One yogurt is available in four flavors – Strawberry, Vanilla, Peach and Key Lime Pie – One yogurt can contribute as much as 20% of the recommended daily value of fiber and is a good source of calcium as well as vitamins A and D
· According to a recent survery, Americans are fed up with flavorless, boring snacks and claim they are a contributor to diet failure. Fiber One yogurt is a guilt-free, tasty way to help watch waistlines and avoid snacking boredom
· What's in it for you? The video provides all of you, Smart Snacker's, with a downloadable $1.00 off Fiber One yogurt coupon, which you can share with your friends via Facebook and Twitter
 
Enjoy!
 

New Things to Come...

Hey guys! Quick update on this lovely Thursday afternoon. I have some exciting news coming to you from Yoplait Fiber One yogurt so stay tuned! I'll give you hint- think coupons, Hungry Girl and smart snacking, of course!

[Cup]cake

Hi guys! Hope you enjoyed your weekend- I still am...this is my "Sunday." I spent the better part of my day driving back from MD/DC where I spent my [birthday] weekend finding a healthy balance between food, cocktails with friends and fun! So, as I mentioned previously...(and I hope you didn't hold your breath), my killer birthday [Cup]cakes!

In this cute box hides a dozen of the best cupcakes you will ever taste!

I told you the weekend may include Georgetown Cupcakes :) If you have not tried one yet- you have got to! If you are ever in the Bethesda, MD or DC area you need to peel away from your crazy day and stop in for a sweet bite! With flavors like pumpkin, lemon, coconut and red velvet [among others] to chose from you are bound to find the best one to suite your "buds."

Cupcakes are a great alternative to your ordinary birthday cake- it's instant portion control among other things! In my family, we love to cut each into four bites and share them all!

What's your favorite birthday treat?

Pin-less

Good afternoon- enjoying the fall weather here in Maryland! I come to you with a quick [kitchen] tip!

Last night Mom and I were preparing dinner (well, she was and I watched); while making dinner we ran into quite the conflict...the rolling pin was missing- [we were pin-less]! This was obviously an important tool for the evening as we needed to roll out some pastry dough. Good thing she had her Smart Snacker watching over her shoulder....I present to you, my quick fix tip...

My quick pin-less tip...a glass! It works just as well as the real thing [if not better]! Using other household items like this glass, for different uses was like having a, total Real Simple moment  ;)

Have you had a "Real Simple Moment," and put an everyday household item to good use?

Enjoy your Friday! This weekend brings birthday celebrations...wait until you see my "Birthday Cake!"

Snackiversary

Can you believe I missed Smart Snacker's Snackiversary!? It was a year ago on November 5th that I started Smart Snacker!  It has been an interesting year of blog page face lifts, over 100 posts, lots of tips, tricks and products, tons of support from you guys and my life in a nut shell! If your a longtime reader you also know that when this blog was started there were two of us and along the way I have lost my side kick but nonetheless, I stuck it out and I am glad to have done so! So...thank you readers for all of your support, without you I'd be writing to myself!? :)

How could I forget the Snackiversary? I know your wondering...well, only because I was at the single most important conference of my profession...the Annual American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo [can you blame a gal]!? At the conference I saw/met tons of nutrition "super stars," attended some awesome seminars and ate my way through the expo, all while getting a taste of the great city of Boston, MA!

Boston at Night.

 

At the expo I tried every type of gluten free product on the market, vegan cheese, protein bars, hemp and almond milks, Greek yogurts, cheeses, frozen yogurts, ensure nutrition supplement ice cream and frapp and the list goes on! It was easily my favorite part!

The Expo.



I have another trip coming up this weekend and it may or may not involve traveling, Georgetown cupcakes, good friends and [more] fabulous food ; )

My Take on Cravings

Keep the questions comin'! I got a great question regarding cravings...should you or should you not allow yourself to give into a craving?

I love this question!!- especially because I am a Registered Dietitian and everyone thinks I will take their cake away, but seriously people...I'm only human and I need my cake [or sweets] too ; ) 

My weakness at the moment is the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks! I'm not kidding when I say I think about it daaaaily! I know it's not reasonable (to the wallet and the waist line) to indulge in the creamy drink DAILY so I allow myself a weekly indulgence and if I can make it two weeks...even better!

Sometimes you've got to have something sweet [or salty] (whatever your vice may be) and of course I say, GO FOR IT because you know what? You don't do it daily (right!?!); it is a "treat" to yourself and you will probably (and when I say "probably," I mean you will) find time to burn/work it off; Whether it's taking the stairs a couple extra times that day, parking a little further from the office or doing an extra mile on the treadmill!?  Some how you'll even it all out and when discussing weight maintenance...that's whats key! Remember my birthday last year? I obviously didn't want to miss out on the Birthday Cake...that would just be so unhuman of me!

My Take on Cravings? So go on and eat what your craving because if you don't...you'll eat everything in sight. You'll do this in hopes of satisfying that craving and ultimately, do MORE damage than you would have if you just ate the [enter favorite "naughty food" here]!

So, go on...tell me what your craving...??

My Guide to Portions

Hey guys! Thanks for the great emails with awesome suggestions! I got one question regarding portion sizes...

 Portion control can be a deciding factor in weight loss vs. management. It is usually what anyone can make a simple modification with and see results! Often times it is hard to measure our portions percisely using a scale so I like to use different objects and tricks in order to keep my portions in [quick] check! Follow My Guide to Portions and feel confident about your plate...

• Tip of your thumb: about 1 tsp of peanut butter
• Handful: about 1/2 cup cooked or raw vegetables, a piece of fruit or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta
• Check book: equivalent to a 3 oz serving of fish
• CD: equivalent serving size of a waffle, pancake or slice of bread
• Computer mouse: one serving of a baked potato
• Deck of playing cards/ palm of your hand: a serving or meat, fish or poultry
• One domino: 1 oz serving of cheese
• Golf ball: about 1/4 cup of dried fruit or nuts
• Tennis ball: about 1/2 cup of food (ie. ice cream)
• A baseball/ size of your fist: equal to a serving of fruit or vegetables

   

A real quick tip...fill your plate with 1/2 vegetables!

What's your portion control trick?