Winter Issue of Weight Matters Magazine

One of the perks of Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) Premium Access Membership is receiving hard copies of the Weight Matters Magazine mailed to your home. It's an awesome publication always jam-packed with great articles about health, weight, nutrition, emotional wellness, stories about real people and OAC community members making a difference. I love it when I open the mailbox and the latest issue has arrived. I highly recommend upgrading to receive the magazine as well as some other great benefits, like early registration for OAC's annual convention (BTW that's open now.)

If you already receive the magazine, turn to page 32 in the Winter issue. I had the privilege of writing the issue's Kids Korner article. For those of you that don't know, Early Childhood Education is my first love and I enjoyed tapping into that part of my world by sharing some fun family activities to combat winter boredom. If you have kiddos in your life, I hope you and your family enjoy the ideas and recipes presented... and if you do... I'd love love love to hear about it!

Oh, and please do me a favor, after you are finished reading your magazine. Drop it off somewhere in your neighborhood (coffee shop, hair salon, doctor's office, some waiting room somewhere in America, etc.) so someone else can benefit from the great information and learn about the OAC. It's one of my favorite, super easy ways to take #OACAction to help further the mission of the OAC.

Learn more.

Homemade Hummus Recipe (Plus Healthy Tips & Variations)

Once you make hummus at home you'll never go back to store-bought. Making hummus is super easy and tastes better than anything store-bought plus you know exactly what's in it, no mysterious, long, chemical-sounding ingredients. Below is my basic healthier hummus recipe and a ton of ways you can change that basic recipe up. Plus low carb dippers ideas and a few suggestions for any leftover hummus you might have. Leftover hummus! What's that? Don't count on it... maybe just make some extra.

Basic Healthier Hummus 

1 (15 oz. can) Chickpeas (aka Cece, Garbanzo Beans), rinsed and drained
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (you can omit and use more water)
2 Tablespoons Tahini  (Sesame Paste)
juice of 1/2 a Large Lemon
1/4 cup Water
2 cloves of Garlic, peeled
Salt to taste

Blend all ingredients in a mini food processor to desired smoothness. Scraping down sides with a small spatula to make sure everything gets processed. This recipe serves 3-4 people a nice sized dollop. You can double the batch. Lasts several days in the fridge.

Cook notes: I prefer a little texture to my hummus but for super creamy hummus fans microwave the chickpeas for 3 minutes before blending them. Find Tahini in middle eastern markets, kosher food sections, sometimes near peanut butter in regular markets. I buy mine at Trader Joe's it's near the dressings. You can't leave the Tahini out it's what makes hummus, hummus.

Change it up:
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: Omit Olive Oil and add 1-2 Roasted Red Peppers (jarred)
Black Olive Hummus: Add 6 pitted, Kalamata Olives or a Tablespoon of Olive Tapenade
Roasted Garlic Hummus: Roast the Garlic (instructions) first and add to taste
Pesto Hummus: Omit Olive Oil and add 1 Tablespoon Storebought Pesto Sauce
Cilantro & Cumin Hummus: Add a Tablespoon of fresh Cilantro and a dash of Cumin
Eggplant Hummus: Omit Olive Oil and 1/4 cup of Roasted Eggplant Cubes
Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus: Omit Olive Oil and add 1 Tablespoon Storebought Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce
White Bean Hummus: Swap rinsed and drained Cannelini Beans for Chickpeas
Black Bean Hummus: Swap rinsed and drained Black Beans for Chickpeas

Toppings:
Toasted Crushed Nuts (Pine Nuts or Pistachios are great)
Everything Bagel Spice
Zaatar
Crushed Whisps or Parm Crisps
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Olive Tapenade

Dippers:
Carrots
Celery
Bell peppers
Cucumber
Cherry Tomatoes
Grilled Chicken or Beef Skewers
Cold Cut Roll-ups or Skewers
Grilled Shrimp
Whisps or Parm Crisps

Ways to use leftover hummus... mix it in deviled eggs, jazz up roasted cauliflower, make this award-winning Greek Hummus Rounds appetizer or bump up the protein and make a little leftover go a long way by mixing equal parts of hummus and Greek yogurt together.

Cauliflower Cheese Egg Bites (Trader Joe's Copy Cat Egg Frittata Recipe)

Trader Joe's plays great music... at least my store does. It's usually 80's or 90's songs that I haven't heard in forever but still somehow remember every word to. That's a life mystery right there... why is it I can recall every lyric to a 30-year-old song playing in the store but have trouble remembering things I'm supposed to buy without a shopping list?! True confession: I have actually taken another turn around the store even though I've done my shopping in order to finish a particularly great song all while trying to restrain myself (sometimes unsuccessfully) from breaking out in song.

The other day as I was holding back bursting into a rousing rendition of a Duran Duran hit. I spotted this product in the frozen section: Trader Joe's Egg Frittata with Swiss Cheese and Cauliflower. I scanned the protein-packed ingredient list and ooooh cool it looked like something that would work on my plan. I tossed a box in my cart. They were $2.99 for a pack of 2 teacup saucer-sized frittatas. 12 grams of protein and just 5 grams of carbs per frittata. They were super convenient (you just heat in the microwave from frozen) and tasty. Perfect breakfast on-the-go or add a veggie or salad for lunch or dinner.

As I was eating them I thought I really need to try and recreate these...  they are super similar to the Egg Bites I make. I scribbled down the basic ingredient list before I tossed the box out... eggs, onions, cauliflower, swiss cheese, chives and a week later I experimented and came up with this copy cat, knock-off version. They were pretty darn close, super yummy and will be on permanent rotation at my house.

Shelly's Cauliflower Cheese Egg Bites

1 (10 oz.) Frozen Package Riced Cauliflower (I used Birds Eye Steamfresh Cauliflower with Italian Cheese added*)
1 Yellow Onion, diced
5 Eggs, beaten
1/3 cup Shredded Gruyere Cheese (Swiss will work too)
3 Green Onions, diced (I didn't have chives)
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Cook Riced Cauliflower per bag instructions. Empty into a mesh strainer. Set aside to allow to drain and cool. I used Italian Cheese seasoned riced cauliflower *If you use plain I'd add a Tablespoon or 2 of grated Parmesan Cheese. Saute yellow onion till golden. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon into a lightly greased (Pam non-stick spray works great for this) mini muffin tin.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Let them cool a few moments they pull away and pop right out. Makes 24. Keep in fridge for several days, they reheat great in the microwave or toaster oven... or freeze.

Whether you try the storebought version or my copy cat recipe I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you think.

Heads Up: Six Factors to Fit Book and Giveaway!

For those of you that read the blog regularly or follow me on my social media pages you know, I have the honor of serving on the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) National Board of Directors. The OAC is a non-profit group dedicated to educating, supporting and advocating for people with obesity. Learn more and become a part of the OAC Community. The work the OAC does is guided by a National Board of Directors made up of people who are affected by obesity or who love or care for people who are affected. The knowledge and passion of the leadership of the OAC leave me in awe and gratefulness that I have had the opportunity to learn from and get to know some amazing people.

One of those amazing people is world-renowned weight management expert, Dr. Robert Kushner. Read more about Dr. Kushner. Many of you know Dr. Kushner and his co-author and wife Nancy Kushner, MSN, RN from OAC's annual Your Weight Matters (YWM) National Convention from his presentations and in the evening as the best dancers on the dance floor. He and his wife Nancy, with the help of another past speaker at YWM, Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN just published a book I want to let you know about called: Six Factors to Fit. FYI This is not a sponsored post. I just trust this trio implicitly and want to share the book to hopefully help you cut through the diet scams and noise we all face every damn January.

Now you'll find this book in the diet and weight loss section of a bookstore but this is not a diet book. I really think it needs the tagline "the un-diet book" because unlike most diet books that give you generic weight loss advice forcing everyone to conform to a set of behaviors and regimes, Six Factors to Fit starts with helping you identify the barriers to managing weight that are unique to YOU and YOUR LIFE. Listen, if you are like me you have been on a zillion diets and forced yourself to suffer through a few weeks or months of a program only to have real-life throw you off track. Identifying what YOUR real-life barriers are coupled with practical tools to help you with those personal challenges will make a real and lasting difference in your life and ultimately your health and weight.

I highly recommend adding Six Factors to Fit to your reading list. I also encourage you to attend this year's Your Weight Matters Convention. You'll get to meet Dr. Kushner (he's one of the key folks that designs the educational programming for the weekend) and Nancy and if you have read the book I'm sure they'd love to chat with you about it and the impact it's having in your life.

Order a copy.
Try to win a copy of the book over on my Twitter account

Giveaway ends Sunday, January 12th, 11:59 PM Pacific, US Mailing Address Only, Odds of winning dependant on the number of entries. See the tweet for entry details. Good Luck!