Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Fun and Fit

I recently "won" a "Fun, Fit and Guilt Free House Party" (it wasn't hard to win---all I did was apply on the house party website). This meant that they sent me a box of goodies, including the new Jenny McCarthy Your Shape Wii game, coupons for Jello Mousse Temptations to serve at the party, and headbands, napkins, spoons and coupons for all of my guests. All I had to do was invite friends over to try out the new Wii game and eat yummy healthy food.

It turned out to be a lot of fun! I don't know if I am too wowed by the Jenny McCarthy game, but the Jello Mousse Temptations are soooo good and only 60 calories each. They have three flavors: dark chocolate decadence, chocolate indulgence and caramel creme. I am an admitted chocoholic, but I thought the caramel creme was amazingly good.

While I wasn't impressed with the Jenny McCarthy game (it might be great for someone who likes exercising with the Wii, but I much prefer running on the treadmill and doing my own weight training), there was a bonus game included in the party package that I WAS impressed by. It is call "Just Dance" and it has quickly become the favorite game in our house. To play, you hold the Wii remote in your hand and just follow the dance moves on the screen. It is not like DDR, you are actually doing real dance moves. There are 30+ songs and several different dance styles. Up to 4 people can play at one time. We play almost every night as a family. It is great exercise and it is a lot of fun! (For a picture, check out the end of THIS post)






Fun, Fit and Guilt-Free House Party


According to CBS News, approximately 45 million Americans diet each year, so I know I am not alone in my New Year's resolution to eat healthier and lose weight! One of my favorite websites for low-cal food recipes is Hungry Girl. You can sign up for a daily email service or search her website for all kinds of great recipes. She is known for making healthy versions of favorite foods. She also has two cookbooks with a third on the way.

Here are some of my favorite healthy eating recipes (some from Hungry Girl, some from other sources):

Creamy Vanilla Cinnamon Dip (combo of two Hungry Girl recipes)--I made this for the party and it was a huge hit! I served it with apple slices.

1 1/2 cups Cool Whip Lite
4 oz Fat-free Cream Cheese
6 T Granulated Splenda
1 T Jello Sugar Free Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Mix all ingredients until smooth.

2 T = 32 calories


Holy Moly Guacamole (by Hungry Girl)--I made this for the party too and you would never guess that there is a can of peas in it!


1 15 oz can young peas, drained
1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium avocado's worth)
1/3 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (or fat-free sour cream works too)
4 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
Additional salt and black pepper to taste
Optional: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped jarred jalapenos, hot sauce

Place peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or fork. Add avocado, yogurt, lime juice, garlic and seasonings. Continue to mash until blended. Stir in tomatoes, onion and optional ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

1/3 cup = 78 calories


Easy Chicken Tetrazzini (by Betty Ann, aka "Mimi")


1 8 oz pkg whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1/2 of a 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/2 cup skim milk
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms

Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Drain and place in 2 quart casserole dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Mix soup, milk and yogurt. Add diced chicken and drained mushrooms. Combine chicken mixture with noodles. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6, 254 calories per serving.



Souper Chicken (I think it originally came from Eat and Be Lean)

2 C brown rice, (raw)
4 C chicken broth
1 C mushrooms, whole or sliced (or 1 4 oz can)
6 chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
1 pkg. Dry onion soup mix

In a large non-stick casserole pan, combine rice, chicken bouillon, and mushrooms. Place chicken breasts, meat side down. Sprinkle dry onion soup over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours. Serve. Makes 6 generous servings.

Per serving: 420 calories

Swiss Chicken (modified by Rachelle)

4-6 Chicken Breasts (about 2 lbs)
1 can 98% Fat Free Cr. Of Chicken soup
6 slices lite Swiss Cheese
Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing Mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with Pam. Layer chicken breasts in baking dish. Place slice of Swiss cheese on top of each. Dilute cream of chicken soup with ½ can of water. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing mix over all Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings

Per serving: 257 calories (for 6 servings) , 194 calories (for 8 servings)


Our family LOVES smoothies---we probably have them 2-3 times a week. These are our two favorite recipes that we have perfected (click on picture to enlarge):



Speaking of FUN and FIT, the Wilkinson kids were recently spotted doing some fitness activities of their own...

Kassidy


Kaydence


Rustin


Kyndall


Ryder


Kaiya (dancing)


Riley making his first-ever basket during a game! (It is also the only time he has ever attempted a basket during a game, so he has a 100% shooting average :-) )

If anyone else has a healthy, family-friendly recipe, I'd love to hear about it! I am always on the lookout for new ones!


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13 comments:

Crazy Granny said...

What happened to Kyndall Dancing? It didn't show up on the screen. Kyndall's split pose is grandpa through and through. He used to do that when he would warm up for sports. Those much younger days.

Mum2twopreciousgifts said...

I LOVE the photos of the children going through their exercise paces. Fabulous!

Crazy Granny said...

Oops! I guess it was Kaiya dancing. Cute!

Stephanie said...

Thanks for the awesome recipes!! I will have to try a few of those!!!
The kids are so stinking cute doing their exercises!!!

Agne said...

Hilarious Wilkinson Gym !!! :D

Julie said...

Cute pics of the kids!!!

Grandma Honey said...

Check out my blog today. I just posted a healthy recipe.
www.adventuresofgrandmahoney.blogspot.com

I think I will try your Souper Chicken. I like how it has no creamed soups in it!

Dorinda said...

How did your House Party go? I am hosting one tomorrow - a Potty Party and I am not sure what to expect!! Did you post a lot on the site or just on your blog?

Rachelle said...

Dorinda--

The house party was great. I didn't post much on the house party site. I filled out the survey they sent me when it was over. I don't think my guests were that impressed with the Jenny McCarthy game, but at least two of my guests went right home and ordered Just Dance. Most of the guests loved the Jello Mousse Temptations.

I bet your potty party will be great! I probably should have applied for that one too, but I am in denial about potty training!

--Rachelle

natesarah2@msn.com said...

How do you find time to run on the treadmill and workout period? I have 14 month old triplet girls and I can't find any time for that. You are awesome!

Messy Musings said...

Here's some great - and healthy - brownies!! Found on my next door neighbor's recipe blog...

http://myreciperoom.blogspot.com/2009/10/gluten-free-brownines.html

Anonymous said...

Instead of a calendar, you should do a cookbook! Put together all these great recipes and then put pictures of your family or the babies eating. I would buy lots more of those!!!!

Ann said...

The kids sport posting is so cute. How they make it?