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New Year’s Eve is almost upon us and of course, as with every other holiday, the parties are plentiful.  Just as with other holiday parties, New Year’s Eve parties are rife with tempting spreads of rich appetizers.  The best way to ensure that your New Year’s Eve partying doesn’t blow your healthy eating is to make your own healthy appetizers.  Here are some of my favorites healthy appetizers for ringing in the New Year.

To replace that calorie-laden spinach and artichoke dip that seems to come standard at every party, try these Spinach-&-Brie Topped Artichoke Hearts from eatingwell.com.

Another classic appetizer that tends to be a crowd pleaser is a shrimp cocktail.  Instead of taking the easy route and buying bottled cocktail sauce, try this healthier and zestier version, Wasabi Cocktail Sauce featured on The Food Network.  Don’t worry, despite its name this cocktail sauce won’t result in watering eyes, but it does offer a noticeable punch.   The recipe is simple and only takes a few minutes to throw together:

*  1 cup chili sauce

* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

* 1 tablespoon prepared wasabi or horseradish

* 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Whisk together until mixed well then refrigerated.  Serve with cooked shrimp.

If you want to keep things simple, you can’t go wrong with some traditional chips and salsa.  This Salsa Picante recipe from Cooking Light tastes great served with toasted pita chips.

With these healthy appetizers you can focus on what the party is really about, socializing with friends and toasting to a happy and healthy new year.

It may seem like only yesterday that you were in the kitchen slaving away over Thanksgiving dinner, but the days of feasting are upon us again.  Cooking for the holidays can be tricky when you are trying to stay healthy.  This is especially true when your guests may not  make  eating healthy a priority and when they expect to be treated to the great flavors of their traditional holiday favorites.  Fortunately you can make everyone happy, including yourself, with these healthy holiday recipes that are deceptively tasty.

It wouldn’t be the holidays without a spread of delicious appetizers to stave off hunger pangs as guests wait for the main course.  You can keep it simple with shrimp and cocktail sauce or whole-wheat crackers with a low fat cheese.  If you want to whip something up in the kitchen then check out this Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms recipe that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Most holiday meals aren’t complete without some mouthwatering side dishes.  Mashed potatoes, a holiday classic, is often packed with calories and fat, but this dish doesn’t have to be taboo for the health conscious.  This recipe from The Eating Well Diet is one of my favorite sides for the holiday.

*  2 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into chunks

* 2 cloves garlic, peeled

* 2 teaspoons butter

* ¼ cup nonfat buttermilk

* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs

* Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Add the garlic.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.  Drain then add butter and buttermilk and mash with potato masher to desired consistency.  Stir in fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper.

The main dish for your holiday dinner can be a healthy protein-packed dish if you avoid fatty meats and heavy sauces.  Pork makes  a delicious yet healthy entrée especially when paired with a sweet fruit to give it some extra flavor.  This Pear Stuffed Pork Loin recipe from Taste of Home certainly fits that description with its sweet stuffing and glaze.

It wouldn’t be a holiday meal if it wasn’t finished off with homemade cookies.  These delectable cookies, appropriately named “Lusciously Nutty Holiday Logs” from eatingwell.com, are a great way to complete your holiday meal.

With a little pre-planning, you can satisfy the most finicky guest and take pleasure in knowing that your holiday meal was a healthy one.  Happy Holidays.

As you look at your calendar of social engagements for the next few weeks you may notice an abundance of holiday parties cluttering your weekends.  Celebrating with friends at festive gatherings, schmoozing with colleagues at the annual holiday party, or attending a neighborhood holiday gift swap can be so much fun.  These events can also be a major source of stress for those who are watching their waistlines.  Don’t let the daunting task of eating healthy at these holiday parties spoil the fun this year.  Check out these tips to help you survive the holiday season without packing on the pounds.

1. Don’t come hungry!  Arriving to a party hungry is a surefire way to guarantee you will overindulge in rich holiday spreads.  Don’t skip meals during the day thinking that you are saving calories. Research shows that people who skip meals end up eating as much, if not more, than those who eat regularly. Have a snack or light meal before attending the party so that your focus can be on socializing instead of quenching those hunger pangs.

2. Bring a healthy dish to share.  The best way to ensure that there is something healthy to eat at a holiday party is to bring something you whipped up yourself.  That way you will have at least one fallback dish to enjoy. Plus your healthy contribution to the buffet table will be greatly appreciated by all.

3. Easy on the alcohol.  Though that eggnog may be a tempting traditional holiday treat, it is also packed full of empty calories.  Try to limit your alcoholic drinks especially those made with sugary mixers.  Drink lots of water to quench your thirst without the extra calories.

4. Fill up on the veggies.  Most parties will undoubtedly have the staple veggie platter and dip.  Dig in guilt free, but skip the dip if you can or limit it as much as possible.

5. Chat it up!  Though at times it may seem that holiday parties are more about eating than socializing, don’t be afraid to do the mingle before scoping out the food.  Catching up with friends and family is what these parties are supposed to be about after all.  Chatting it up with friends or colleagues is the perfect way to distract yourself from the food and have a great time.

6.  Nothing should be off limits.  Depriving yourself entirely is a recipe for disaster.  If you have a favorite dish you desperately want then allow yourself a small portion to satisfy your craving.  Just don’t go overboard.

Have any other holiday tricks that help you stay on target with your goals this time of year? We’d love to hear about them. Share your comments here.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Vtrim!

Thoughts of the holidays invoke visions of relaxing family time, tables filled with good food and drink, and quiet evenings by the fireside.  Unfortunately for most of us, this tranquil image is far from reality.  The holidays tend to be some of the busiest days of the year and between shopping, cooking, and traveling there is little time for anything else.  This often means exercise gets thrown to the wayside. But don’t let the craziness of the holidays be an excuse to shirk on your fitness routine.

One of the best ways to fit fitness into the holidays is to take full advantage of the numerous errands you will undoubtedly be running.  To start with, park as far from the entrance to the mall or store as possible. Before you start shopping, walk around the perimeter of the mall once or twice. Those extra steps might not seem like much, but they will add up and you can enjoy a little window shopping at the same time.  Another great way to take advantage of those shopping outings is to carry your own bags back to the car.  It can be tempting to dump everything in a cart, but carrying bags can be a great way to tone your arms, especially if you sneak in a few bicep curls.

Because the holidays truly are supposed to be about spending time with the family, get your entire family involved in being active.  Go out for a family walk or bike ride if the weather is nice enough.  One of my favorite activities is to go for a walk at night with the family to take in the neighbors’ Christmas lights and decorations.  This way you can get in that quality family time and squeeze in some fitness activity at the same time.

Having relatives over for the holidays tends to push us into cleaning overdrive.  Though this may seem like a mundane task, try turning it into a mini workout.  Play some holiday music to dance around to as you clean.  You might be surprised at the sweat you can work up if you clean with a vengeance.

Do you have any favorite holiday activities that allow you to stay fit through the holidays? We’d love to hear them!

November 2009 brought Vermont a new honor: the healthiest state in the nation. The 20^th Annual America’s Health Rankings released last month declared Vermont the healthiest state based on 22 health-related factors. The two largest risk factors for our nation’s health today? Obesity and smoking.

The United Health Foundation releases the health rankings each year based on state rates for factors such as percentage of children in poverty, availability of health care and physicians, mental and physical health scores, health insurance rates, air pollution, infectious disease rates, and more. Vermont was ranked 4^th in 2008 and jumped to 1^st this year. The study results showed that Vermont ranks higher for health determinants than for health outcomes, indicating that overall healthiness should remain high over time.

In this year’s report, the Foundation noted that while smoking has been our nation’s biggest health challenge in the past two decades, obesity is poised to become our next big health issue. The Foundation states on their website, “Obesity is growing faster than any previous public health issue our nation has faced. Today, more than one in four Americans are considered obese (31 percent). If current trends continue, 103 million American adults – or 43 percent of the population – will be considered obese by 2018, making obesity the nation`s next health battle.”

We at Vtrim are happy to see Vermont at the top of the new health rankings as it resonates with everything we’ve been researching and sharing for almost two decades now ourselves: healthy habits make for a healthier quality of life. Want to learn more about lowering your health risks and establishing a better lifestyle through smarter health behaviors? Check out our class listings for 2010 and find out more about Vtrim…a program grown out of the nation’s healthiest state!

For more information on the 20th Annual America’s Health Rankings, visit http://www.americashealthrankings.org/