Categories: Recipes

Shavuos Tips From Tanya

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May 28, 2014, 8 PM ET

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1. As always, plan your meals ahead of time. If you are eating at home, this is even easier. If you are eating out, and feel comfortable enough, find out what is on the menu and make your choices AHEAD of time. The general rule is, ONE plate with ONE serving of protein (or a combo of 2), ONE (small) serving of starch, and lots of vegetables. Dessert can be a fruit (fruit salad, sugar free compote, low calorie ices, etc.)

2. Eat breakfast EVERY single morning. Many people are tempted to skip this meal and “save up” their calories for the other meals, but this only backfires! Eating a good healthy breakfast will stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day and will make you less likely to overeat at the actual meals.

3. Be a great guest or an overgracious hostess! Make yourself busy serving, chatting, helping to clear, etc… Anything that distracts you away from sitting at the table for very long periods of time.

4. Stock up on Diet Center’s Say Cheese diet cheesecakes, or Global’s diet cheesecakes

These are delicious, low calorie, and great for when everyone else is having “the real thing.” 5. Cheat… A little bit! It’s ok to cheat a little but follow these guidelines:

Make sure it’s worth it! Think your kids’ leftover noodles versus a spoonful of penne vodka, or cheesecake batter while you’re making it versus a (very small) piece of cheesecake for dessert. If you’re going to have it, make it worth it!
Plan for it! Spontaneous cheating is always worse than planned cheating. If you plan for it, you are in control of it. So plan ahead what it is that you want to have and stick to that.
No regrets! Have it and forget about it. Don’t talk about it, think about it, or even worse, go off your diet completely because of it. (Plus, no one wants to hear you vent)
Make up for it! If you had a piece of cheesecake for dessert on the first day, take a brisk walk afterwards, or skip dessert that night or the next day. Treat it like a bank account, if you withdraw, you need to deposit, to keep the balance more or less even.

6. Write it ALL down! As soon as Yom tov is over, write down everything you ate. This will give you the accountability and may even make you think twice before having something.

7. Walk it off! A brisk walk will not only burn some calories, it will also put you in the right mindset and get you away from the table/pantry/kitchen…

Remember: The goal on Shavuos (or any Yom tov) is not necessarily to LOSE weight, but at least not to gain weight!

Good luck, and enjoy!

Tanya

Zucchini Souffle - Low Carb, Fat Free (Dairy or Parve) From Nechama Cohen, Jewish Diabetes Association

Ingredients:

non-stick cooking spray
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
4 large zucchini or other summer squash, peeled
2 whole eggs plus 2 egg whites, or 1 (4-ounce) container of Egg Beaters
1 (8-ounce) package Farmer cheese
2 tablespoons soy or regular flour
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x13-inch casserole dish with baking paper. 2. Saute onion and set aside. 3. Grate the zucchini and squeeze out excess liquid. 4. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and cheese, mixing well. Add the flour and season with salt and pepper. 5. Combine zucchini with the cheese mixture. Add the onions. Mix well. 6. Pour into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for about 1 hour.