Good afternoon and Happy Tuesday! I hope you are having a great week and are surviving the drop in temperature. I’ve been trying to get out for an hour long walk every night as even though it’s dark and cold and I don’t feel like it, I soon warm up and feel so much better for it when I get home. Make sure you dress in layers and if you have a heart condition it's best to cover your chest and neck and mouth to keep the cool air away from your chest/lungs.
 
This year we are hosting 50 (yes 50) of our neighbours for pre-Christmas drinks. As we are the ‘newbies’ it’s certainly one way to meet the neighbours!  I am on 'snack' duty and will be making some healthy snacks amongst some of the naughtier ones (mini mince pies).  Some ideas that I've had to limit the calories consumed include:

  • Vegetable sticks with hummus - carrots, cucumber, peppers
  • Bowl of satsumas
  • Plain popcorn with a touch of salt or other spices to add flavour
  • 1/2 cherry tomato, slice of mozzarella and a basil leaf joined with a toothpick and drizzled with balsamic vinegar
  • Prawns with a dash of sweet chilli sauce
  • Plain almonds (much better for you than salted/roasted/glazed)
  • Fruit kebabs (a mix of fruit that doesn't go too slushy is grapes, pineapple, melon and apple)
  • Zucchini slice - http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/5546/zucchini+slice

Other tips to keep off the party bulge are:

  • Try to exercise every day including Christmas morning – a long walk counts!
  • Plenty of water, fresh fruit and a healthy breakfast so at least one meal is light!
  • Not overdoing anything – alcohol, stress (let someone win an argument rather than fighting it!), food
  • Keeping your mind active to prevent boredom which leads to mindless snacking - play a card game, charades, celebrity heads, etc
  • Enjoy a few 'blow out' meals for a day or two and then get back on track - a whole week and you'll find it harder to get back into your healthy habits
  • Don’t buy those huge boxes of Celebrations chocolates – you’ll eat so many more than you should!

Let me know if you have any questions at all!

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