Win Chobani Greek Yogurt!

Photo courtesy of Chobani Greek Yogurt: www.chobani.com/kitchen/just-add-good

Chobani has whipped up six new blended Greek yogurt flavors and they want you to try them! They're sponsoring a giveaway here on the GoodFood blog. One lucky winner will receive six 16-ounce containers of Chobani in the following fantastic new flavors:

Photo: chobani.com/products

• Low-fat Mango
• Low-fat Vanilla Chocolate Chunk
• Non-fat Black Cherry
• Non-fat Blueberry
• Non-fat Peach
• Low-fat Pineapple

I am a major Greek yogurt-lover and eat it every day--plain, with fruit, with granola or nuts and on top of potatoes, chili and soup. But these new flavors have inspired me in a whole new way. And the deliciousness doesn't stop there--you'll find tons of recipes featuring Chobani's yogurt on their website. It's a great way to cut the fat and boost the nutritional value of appetizers, main dishes and sweets. Yum.

Enter the contest using the handy little Rafflecopter widget below. No purchase is necessary and the more actions you take, the more entries you get! The winner will be selected on December 14th, so you'll get your yogurt just in time to whip up some fantastic holiday dishes. Check out the recipes and get prepared.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Half Your Plate Video Winners!

The USDA recently sponsored the MyPlate Fruits and Vegetables Video Challenge inviting participants to create short videos showing how they add fruits and veggies to their diets without spending lots of money. "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables" is one of the key messages found in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, highlighted by the release of MyPlate last year. I was so pleased to see so many great videos, many of them from our nation's youngsters! I hope they inspire you to find new ways to add fruits and veggies to your diet too. Check out how the winners do it:












Click here to view the rest of the winning videos.

Shop the GoodFood Store on Small Business Saturday!

Looking for the perfect gift for the foodie on your list? Check out the GoodFood Store for hand-picked items they're sure to enjoy. You'll find cooking gadgets, appliances and utensils, handy storage and prep solutions and my favorite healthy-eating cookbooks. No matter if you're looking for a big gift or some stocking-stuffers, you'll find great options here.

The GoodFood Store links up with Amazon.com, so you don't have to set up a new account. Just sign in using your Amazon ID and password. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you'll also get free shipping!

By shopping in the GoodFood Store, you're supporting small business. A small portion of each purchase you make goes to the Good Food Tastes Good blog and will help us keep going strong (and that's no additional cost on your end). Your support is very much appreciated.

So do something good for the food-lover, clean-eater or nutrition buff in your family! Shop the virtual GoodFood Store in your PJs this Saturday. Happy shopping and happy eating!

Cranberry-Orange Relish

The Thanksgiving turkey just isn't complete without the accompaniment of cranberry sauce. As soon as I start to see bags of cranberries in the produce department at the grocery store, I get excited! Fresh cranberries are a seasonal treat and, to me, are another sign of the holiday season.

Cranberries have a unique tart flavor and also offer many health benefits. Per 1 cup raw, cranberries contain only 45 calories and 12 grams of carbohydrate, while packing in 4 grams of fiber! They also contain markedly high levels of antioxidants--nutrients that fight free radicals and help prevent disease. To enjoy cranberries after the fall/winter season, freeze leftover cranberry sauce for later or use dried cranberries year-round.

This Thanksgiving, don't settle for the canned cranberry sauce (that still looks like a can when you get it out). It's so easy and quick to whip up a fresh cranberry sauce at home! Here's my favorite recipe--it has a hint of orange.

Cranberry-Orange Compote

Serving size: 1/4 cup. Serves 16.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 (12 oz.) bags fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
• Zest, juice and pulp of one orange
• 1 cup sugar

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. 
2. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cranberries will start to soften and pop within 2-3 minutes. 
3. Stir until most of the cranberries have popped and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat to cool and thicken. 
4. Refrigerate.

Nutrition information (per 1/4 cup):

Calories 75 | Total fat 0g | Sodium 0mg | Total carbohydrate 19g | Dietary fiber 2g.

Liz's Tip: Substitute a granulated sugar substitute (like Splenda) for the sugar to reduce calories and carbohydrates.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Wishing you and your loved ones a fantastic Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, fun and fabulous food.

Related Posts:

How to Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Baked Oatmeal

Don't Let the Holidays Weigh You Down! How to Use All That Food to Your Advantage

Thanksgiving is in one week. WHAT?! Where did this year go?

I feel safe saying that most of us love the holidays, but those fond feelings are often accompanied by worry...about weight management plans, dieting, blood sugar control or heart health. Well don't worry. You can enjoy the holidays and stick to your health plan at the same time--it just takes a little forethought and advanced planning.

Maintaining your weight (or losing weight) is all about balancing the calories you take in and the calories you burn. Although a Thanksgiving meal can add up to several thousand calories, this one meal won't make or break your weight loss plan. The keys to maintaining your weight throughout the holidays are:

1. Healthy selections
Make smart selections that have fewer calories and less fat such as lots of veggies, white meat vs. dark and beverages with fewer calories. If you're in charge of a dish, choose something healthy to bring.

2. Recipe modifications
Use simple recipe swaps that reduce calories, fat and sugar. Click here for a free downloadable list of simple recipe substitutions.

3. Portion control
Love your grandma's pumpkin pie? You only get it once a year, so go for it! Just have one slice and skip other desserts. Or take a very small portion of a couple.

4. Managing leftovers
The Thanksgiving feast shouldn't last for days on end. That's how calories can really add up over the holidays! Click on the link below to get tips on managing leftovers--use them to your advantage and save yourself some time in the kitchen over the busy holiday season!

5. Exercise
Do not, do not, do not slack off on exercise just because of the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Yes, you may have some additional tasks on you plate...shopping, wrapping, cooking, etc. but that is no excuse to let exercise go completely. Burning calories is key to balancing the ones you eat! Click on the link below for some fall/winter activities that burn calories and don't even feel like exercise.

Just because you choose to indulge a little on Thanksgiving (and you should) doesn't mean you have to go off the deep end and continue the pattern until the New Year begins! Think ahead, make a plan you can stick to and enjoy time with those you love.

Read more about these tips in my Yahoo! Voices article: Don't Let Thanksgiving Leftovers Weigh You Down This Year!

Photo attributed to LeeBrimelow via Flickr. Use of this photo is subject to Creative Commons license.