Month 2

November 2016

Inside this issue:

Page 1: Updates Page 2: Avoiding

Thanksgiving Weight-Gain

Page 3: Simple Ways to Get More Steps into

Your Day Page 4: Healthy

Recipe

Welcome to Month 2 of the

Yes We Can Challenge Maintain, Don’t Gain!

Fall is officially in full swing, and so is the challenge! We hope your team is working together to make healthier choices and encouraging one another to log your points! Remember, the team with the most points after each month will win an at-home personal training session! Keep up the good work!

Looking for more information? Check out the blog for weekly posts on how to stay physically active and how to make healthful choices in regards to food and cooking! Each month, team points will be posted on the blog, as well as each county's schedule of classes offered through the cooperative extension. The website contains all information regarding logistics of the challenge, how to create your teams, papers for participation, and more!

Blog Link:

http://sites.udel.edu/yeswecan/

Website Link: http://extension.udel.edu/fcs/healt

hy-living/

Page 2 Yes We Can Challenge Avoiding Thanksgiving Weight Gain

Yes, Thanksgiving is all about food and indulging, but that doesn't mean you have to let the meal derail your diet. Here are some easy tips to help you enjoy the holiday without packing on the pounds. Preparing • Wear a tight-fitting outfit. This will make you less likely to overeat because it becomes

too uncomfortable. • Don't arrive starving. Eat before the big feast. A small healthful meal with lots of fiber

(oatmeal, whole-grain sandwich, salad with beans) keeps you feeling full until dinner. • Make time for exercise every day, especially on Thanksgiving Day. • Establish some ground rules in advance of the meal that allow you to indulge but not

pig out -- for example, only one sliver of dessert. • Buddy up with someone who is also trying to keep his or her weight in check. • Keep a food journal and write down everything that you eat. This is an incredibly

powerful tool, especially when you are tempted to overeat. • Start a new family tradition. Take a bike ride, go for a hike, or play tennis

Thanksgiving morning.

Meal Time • Enjoy higher-calorie food in smaller

portions. • Don't eat food just because it is there.

Save your calories for the foods you love.

• Munch on fresh fruits and veggies instead of high fat appetizers.

• Scan the buffet and carefully choose the foods you love. If they are high in calories like the gravy, just take a smaller portion. Take larger portions of the simply prepared foods such as baked sweet potatoes, steamed vegetables, and skinless white meat of turkey.

• Limit yourself to one plate of food, no second helpings.

• Eat slowly and savor every bite. Give the food a chance to let you feel the satisfying feeling of fullness.

Drinks and Dessert • Enjoy a small serving of dessert.

Choose pumpkin over pecan pie and save a few hundred calories.

• If you drink alcohol, save those calories for a glass of wine with the meal

• At the end of the meal, drink a glass of water and move away from the table to help you realize you are full

Yes We Can Challenge

Page 3 Simple Ways to Get More Steps in Your Day

Walk More! It’s advice you have definitely heard before. But taking the stairs instead of the elevator will only take you so far. Here are some quick tips to help you ramp up your mileage.

1. Pace the room while waiting at the doctor’s office.

2. Grocery shopping? Make an extra tour around the perimeter aisles before checking out.

3. Use the restroom one floor down (or up) at work instead of heading for the one just down the hall.

4. Hide the remote so you have to actually get up to change the channel. Better yet, turn off the TV.

5. Instead of fighting other drivers for that single open spot near the door, do your blood pressure a favor and park several rows away.

6. Walk around the block while your kid is taking dance class/playing soccer/whatever.

7. Get off the bus or subway one stop early. 8. March in place while brushing your teeth 9. Going to the mailbox? Take a tour around

the house first—then take the time to say hello to that chatty neighbor who flags you down.

10.Make it a nightly habit to go for an after-dinner stroll with the family.

11.Wander the room while chatting on the phone.

12.Walk your child to school instead of waiting in the endless carpool line.

13.Headed to the mall? Stroll the length of it once before you start buying

14.Tell yourself that you’re allergic to escalators and act accordingly.

15.Whenever possible (and safe), take the scenic route!

Yes We Can Challenge

Page 4

Healthy Recipe: Butternut Squash and Tomatillo Soup

Ingredients: • 3 ½ pounds butternut

squash • 1pound tomatillos • 1 ½ cups water • 1 tablespoon cumin • 1 teaspoon ancho chili

powder • ¼ teaspoon white pepper • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg • ¼ teaspoon Allspice • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more

to taste • *Mexican crema (Mexican

sour cream), for garnish • *toasted butternut squash

seeds, for garnish • *cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 400F. 2. Peel and halve the butternut squashes.

Place them on a slightly oiled baking sheet, and roast them for 40-45 minutes until soft.

3. Chop the roasted butternut squashes into smaller pieces. Set aside.

4. Remove the paper skins off the tomatillos. Halve them and place them on a slightly oiled baking sheet. Broil them on high until the skins are slightly charred. Remove the charred skin and set the tomatillos aside.

5. In a blender, or food processor, combine the butternut squash, the tomatillos, the water and all the spices. Blend until smooth. Taste for additional salt and add if necessary.

6. Serve warm with a drizzle of Mexican crema, toasted butternut squash seeds and cilantro leaves.

Butternut Squash and Tomatillo Soup's tomatillos add a lighter, citrus flavor to an otherwise traditional, cold-weather soup. Top off this soup with a drizzle of Mexican crema and a flurry

of cilantro leaves, and add a pumped-up Latin flare to your meal.