Thanksgiving is a tricky holiday for college students. If you’re within commuting distance of home, you probably can’t wait to burst through your front door to wafting aromas of a decadent home-cooked meal. But if you’re one of the many students who opted to go to school out of state or far from Mom & Pops, you might find yourself stranded in College Town USA, especially if plane tickets home are too expensive to rationalize a short round-trip for Turkey Day when winter break is just around the corner. So don’t despair if you’re holding down the fort in your dorm with other grounded co-eds, here are some foolproof recipes that taste like home. Read More »

That's going straight to your thighs, ladies.

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time to seriously over-indulge in some delish foods without feeling like a total piggy. A time to eat until you can’t button your pants anymore. A time when the leftovers are better than the original.

But hold on a second – have you ever stopped to think about how many calories you’re ACTUALLY consuming? Between the piles of mashed potatoes and second helpings of pumpkin pie, you are most likely taking in enough calories to last you a week.

Yes, it’s true, Thanksgiving can definitely be a time when you can cut loose and not worry about your diet and exercise regiment, but do you really want to totally sabotage that healthy diet?

If you answered yes to that question, stop reading now and go indulge in a few plates of stuffing for me. Everyone says ignorance is bliss and that couldn’t be truer than at Thanksgiving dinner.

If you answered no, here’s a list of the average amount of calories in some of our favorite holiday dishes. Read it, learn it, know it, then choose wisely

Turkey: Thankfully, the centerpiece to any Thanksgiving dinner is also one of the healthiest parts – before you add that delicious gravy, that is. Four ounces of white meat is only about 180 calories, but if you go for dark meat, 4 ounces goes up at 323 calories. And with gravy, it can be as much as 350 calories. (And remember, most of us eat a lot more than 4 ounces, so these numbers obviously vary.)

Stuffing: My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, I usually take 2 or 3 giant scoops of this stuff. Or at least I did, before I realized that the average stuffing recipe has 165-190 calories per half cup. That means I’m probably taking in 600 calories in stuffing ALONE. Read More »

Happy Thanksgiving, ladies!

Right now you are either working out in anticipation of tonight’s food fest, or diving face first into a plate of sweet potatoes and marshmallows. Yum.

Instead of running our regularly scheduled “Love Em or Hate Em” column this week, I decided to honor my favorite holiday with a special fashion poll. Because who really cares what everyone thinks of Leather Leggings when there is a giant Pumkin Pie in front of you!? And more importantly, who the hell can fit into them after a full day of stuffing yourself with stuffing?

So, let’s get to the real important questions on this gluttenous holiday: When you head out to Thanksgiving dinner today, will you be wearing unforgiving pants, or a nice roomy dress?

I became a sweet potato convert when I was introduced to Weight Watchers. Sweet potatoes are one of those bang-for-your-buck foods. They’re incredibly filling, they’re not that bad for you if you don’t drown them in butter (or in my case, substitute real butter for nonfat spray butter), and they actually are pretty delicious. The other perk? They’re incredibly easy to prepare.

Since you’re not always going to be in the mood for a straight-up baked sweet potato, or Thanksgiving-style yams, however, I discovered one summer a perfect way to incorporate these babies into my snacking routine. By baking them as fries, you’re treating yourself with no need to feel any guilt, AND getting in some of those veggies. What’s not to love? Read More »

How fantabulous is that special time of the month when Auntie Flo comes to town? You know, the time where we cry over nothing, breakout like we are in 9th grade, look like we just got breast implants, and want to remove our uterus ourselves with the sharpest untensil we can find because it hurts so badly.

Oh, and we proceed to eat every fatty, salty, chocolaty, everything that is in our path no matter how hard we were working out the week before.

So, when searching for this week’s recipes- I thought, “IDEA! Why not give our faithful CC readers some easy recipes that will satisfy your PMS cravings and not pack on the pounds?“

So sit back with some Midol, a heating pad, a good ‘ol sappy movie and a big, huge fork and indulge — sans guilt!

Oven Baked French Fries

(with ketchup, and a little salt they will taste like the real deal- try sweet potatoes if your feeling crazy!)

What you need:

6 lg. russet or other baking potatoes, scrubbed

Vegetable spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch strips or leave thicker if you prefer more of a potato wedge. Lightly spray baking pan with vegetable spray. Lay potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet.

Spray strips with vegetable spray before placing pan in oven. Bake 15-20 minutes, turn them and continue baking until crisp and browned, approximately 15-20 minutes more. Read More »

And so it is, that time of the month. Being a woman is great, but when PMS meanders into our lives we need to know what to do to subside the pain, bloating and fatigue. Here are some food options to consider. And, by the way… according to my yoga instructor, it isn’t a good time to stand on your head.

Yeah, um, got it.

Dark Chocolate: Enjoy some chocolate and indulge. Organic dark chocolate keep sugar levels in check, which is crucial during the more moody moments.

Sweet Potatoes: These pretty orange numbers are also great for managing blood sugar levels and are more complex than the regular white potatoes in terms of carbohydrates.

Fennel: Never tried it, but I’ve been told if you eat fennel a week before your period begins it works as a great diuretic.

B-vitamins: B-vitamins (potatoes, bananas, and beer[!] are good sources) are great for stress levels and energy. Read More »