That’s why we’re sharing our favorite healthy holiday recipes in our first cookbook. The DietsInReview.com Holiday Cookbook is available from TasteBook and features 25 recipes that offer all the traditional flavors of the season, with less of the guilt, fat and calories.

Inside this colorful hardback cookbook we’re sharing appetizers, desserts, entrees and sides that will help you set a healthier scene as you and your family gather to give thanks and celebrate the season. These recipes are ideal for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other winter event.

And since it comes from TasteBook, you can add up to 75 more of your own family favorites and personalize each recipe page to create a one-of-a-kind holiday cookbook.

Order your DietsInReview.com Holiday Cookbook to start preparing healthy recipes yourself, or share the gift of wholesome food with a loved one. The book comes with 25 DietsInReview.com recipes, plus credits to add 75 pages of your own, for $34.95.

Visit TasteBook now to preview the cookbook and order.

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DietsInReview.com’s Holiday Cookbook Shares Healthy Recipes

Plus, you can put their busy little hands to work to help you prepare these for their school parties or for a fun-filled Halloween night at home.

Trick or Treat Trail Mix

A simple snack to fill goody bags, or just keep handy during a scary movie, this trail mix takes minutes to prepare. Pretzles, reduced-fat cheese crackers, dried fruits, nuts and a few M&M candies will have them asking for more!

Sugar-Free Dirt and Worms

This is a funny little snack that sends imaginations running wild. Fill tiny flower pots or Halloween paper cups with pumpkin pudding, homemade granola and sugar-free gummy worms you make yourself for an unforgettable treat.

Caramel Apple Salad

Forget the sticky mess that caramel apples typically yield, and instead serve this twist on fruit salad. It’s made with fresh apples, butterscotch pudding, pineapple and Cool Whip, and even the big kids are going to enjoy it.

Caramel Apple Dip

Kids love finger foods and dipping – so let them scoop up this creamy, sweet fruit dip with apples, pears or even a carrot stick!

Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

Whether for breakfast or a snack, these bite-sized muffins are perfect for tiny hands and enjoying all the warm flavors of fall.

Frosty Pumpkin Smoothie

Halloween a little warmer where you live? Then whip up this sugar-free treat, that tastes like a pumpkin pie in a glass!

Crock Pot Chili Mac

Set the slow cooker and go! This tasty and hearty meal will make your Halloween evening more manageable. The kids will love that the goulash presentation looks a bit gory, too.

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Healthy Halloween Recipes for Kids

By day, guest blogger Maris Callahan is a publicist in New York City. In her spare time, she is a freelance writer and food blogger at In Good Taste, a blog about cooking and eating good healthy food when you’re busy or on-the-go (with a few indulgences, because everyone needs those!) When she isn’t cooking or writing she enjoys running, knitting, photography and a good latte.

We all know to put honey in our tea when we have sore throats, but most of us don’t stop to ask why. For centuries, honey has been used as a topical application to help prevent infection, due to naturally occurring antiseptic and antibacterial qualities. With the invention of antibiotics, this practice became less frequent, but consuming honey is still said to have health benefits and might even reduce sensitivity to certain environmental allergens.

Honey is great drizzled on toast, but that alone isn’t a substantial dinner. However, if you add a reasonable portion of cheese for a protein boost and some of your daily calcium, you can’t go wrong with this recipe for honey-drizzled cheese toasts that I posted on my food blog in August.

I adapted this recipe from the Southern Farmers Market Cookbook, one of my favorite books for healthy comfort food.

Honey-Drizzled Cheese Toast
(Serves one, but for a larger group, see note below)

Ingredients:
1 (3 oz) piece whole grain baguette (sliced in half horizontally, then into 2 inch pieces)
1 1/2 – 2 oz. soft, pungent cheese, such as Brie or Camembert
1 tablespoon honey (local, if possible)

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler to high. Slice bread in half horizontally and cut into 4-6 inch lengths. Top each with a generous portion of cheese (I used brie, my favorite!).
2. Broil in the center of the oven until the edges of the bread have browned and cheese is bubbling, about five minutes. Watch carefully to ensure that the cheese doesn’t burn.
3. Remove from oven and place a couple of toasts onto a serving plate. Drizzle with a tablespoon or so of honey and serve immediately.

For a well-rounded meal, serve with fresh fruit or a mixed green salad.

NOTE: For a larger group (or a big appetite), use approximately a pound of cheese and 1/2-cup honey to one twelve-ounce baguette. The whole recipe serves 8-10 people and is also a great alternative to garlic bread as a side dish or appetizer.

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Health Benefits of Honey

What do those three sentences have in common and how can you use that commonality to your advantage while pursuing healthy eating? Both call for easy, hearty meals, and both can be resolved with my greatest kitchen friend – the slow cooker. Thick, rich, hearty soups and stews are comforting and filling, and can be made inexpensively – always a bonus in these tough economic times.

Using the slow cooker helps transform that cheaper, lean piece of meat to a juicy meal, and cooking beans in the slow cooker takes almost no effort at all. Crock Pot cooking also has the bonus of requiring very little oil and therefore, many Crock Pot meals are extremely diet friendly. One other added bonus – using a slow cooker means you spend less time in the kitchen, which has a double benefit of keeping you out of the kitchen (less snacking!) and frees up your time for exercise. It’s a win-win situation for all involved!

There are tons of recipes available, and many of them are Weight Watchers friendly, if you are using the Points system. Make a commitment to use your slow cooker three times a week, and you’ll be amazed at how much extra time you have – time you can use for exercise! Not to mention, you may have leftovers, perfect for healthy lunches during the week.

Here are some of our favorite Healthy Crock Pot Recipes – sure to please everyone in your family!

• Provencal Beef Stew
• Chicken Picante
• Chili Mac
• Pineapple Chicken
• Crock Pot Pizza
• Sweet and Sour Pork
• Turkey and Black Bean Chili

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Slow Cooker Meals are Key to Diet Success

The Pro: A nutrition boost! Soups can be a wonderful way to get more veggies, fiber, and plant-based protein in your diet. Soups made with low-sodium broth, veggies, beans, and lean protein have a lot of nutrition to offer for 100-200 calories per serving.

The Con: Most people worry about the sodium content of soups so they avoid them altogether. The reality is you have room in your sodium “bank account” for about 600-700mg of salt per meal. If you generally eat a healthy breakfast and lunch then you have room for a soup-salad combo at dinnertime every once in awhile.

The Pro: Makes meals last longer. Did you know that one of the keys to weight management is making meals last 20-30 minutes? That’s the time needed for hunger hormones to get the message that you’re eating and starting to feel full. Hot soups take some time to eat, so by starting your lunch or dinner with a modest one cup serving, you’re adding about 10-15 minutes to meal time.

The Con: No downside to this one! If you’re a 5-minute-meal eater, this is an easy way to start your new weight loss plan, by simply slowing down your eating pace. Instead, speed up your walking or running pace!

Soup-er Short Cuts

If you don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen, you can still have soup that tastes like you did. Here’s a way to get a nice big pot of steaming soup ready in no time.

• Start with a large pot or dutch oven.
• Place a quart of low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock or broth.
• Combine a 16 ounce bag of frozen vegetables. Anything will do. Use mixed veggies for a standard vegetable soup or try something like spinach.
• Add in one can of rinsed and drained beans. Again, any kind will do, but cannellini, white beans, or kidney beans work best.
• Sprinkle in some black pepper and any of your favorite herbs and spices. Try some red pepper flakes for some subtle “heat.” If you have fresh herbs like basil and cilantro, save them for adding at the very end of cooking.

How to Find a Healthy Convenience Soup

• Bravo for broth. Look for a broth-based soup over cream-based soups, which will be high in artery-clogging saturated fat.
• Say “whoah” to sodium. Some soups at the grocery store can have a half-day’s worth (1000mg) of sodium in a single serving! The good news is there are many low- and reduced-sodium soups available. I recommend looking for a soup with less than 600mg sodium per serving.
• Believe in beans and veggies. Look for soups made with beans and legumes like black bean, lentil and split pea soups. They will have more protein and fiber than other soups, which will help you feel full and satisfied. Any veggie-based soup, whether it’s vegetable barley, roasted red pepper, or butternut squash, will offer vitamins and minerals.
• Love your label. You wouldn’t buy a pair of jeans without knowing who made them so give your groceries the same label love. Flip the can before sticking it in your cart to make sure the calories, sodium, and saturated fat are low and the protein and fiber are high. Avoid soups that say “creamy,” “cream of,” or “bisque” unless the saturated fat is really low on the label (less than 3-4 grams per serving).

Also, check-out the healthy soup recipes right here at DietsInReview.com, including:

Artichoke Soup

Hearty Zucchini Soup

Mom’s New Beef Stew

Peter’s Grill Vegetable Soup

Tomato Pesto Soup

Now it’s your turn to sound off. What’s your favorite way to do soup? Have any ideas for making a cream soup healthier?

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Healthiest Soups for Fall

Tonight Curtis also has a pop quiz prepared for the contestants, sure to test their nutrition knowledge. It might only be week two, but we’re hoping to see nothing but right answers.

If you missed his season seven appearance, then you must try these recipes:

7 Layer Dip – King crab, lima beans, yogurt and more replace the traditional version of this appetizer, just in time for football season!

Turkey and Black Bean Chili – Now that fall has arrived, it’s the perfect time to simmer this hearty new chili recipe.

Rosemary Skewered Chicken with Orange Glaze – Rosemary sprigs replace wooden skewers for a simple dish that will impress any dinner guest.

Grilled and Spiced Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce - Rich in flavor, you didn’t know eating well could taste so good!

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Tune In: Curtis Stone on Biggest Loser

So as you grocery shop for snacks and cookout grub, consider some of these healthy tailgating recipes and food swaps. Odds are, they’ll taste better and no one will recognize the difference as they polish off a platter of leaner foods.

Tailgating Food Swaps

• Pork Bratwurst for Turkey Brats: It’s a difference of 450 calories and 37 grams of fat for the pork, versus 160 calories and 9 grams of fat for the turkey. Still boil in beer and soak in mustard and they’re really quite tasty.
• Burgers for Chicken Sandwiches: A 6 oz. angus beef patty yields 500 calories and 43 grams of fat, whereas a 6 oz. grilled chicken breast yields 281 calories at 6 grams of fat. Season any way you like, and still add a slice of reduced-fat cheese!
• Queso for Salsa: Choose a baked corn chip and feel free to dip into a fresh or store-bought salsa. Just two tablespoons of the cheese dip has 40 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. Hearty salsas offer about 10-15 calories and zero fat per two tablespoons. Also consider guacamole or hummus.

Healthy Tailgating Recipes

Here are a few of our picks from DietsInReview.com that are sure to please a crowd!

Tunisian Spiced California Raisin Hummus

Rosemary Skewered Chicken

Southwestern Chicken PileUp

Chicken Chili

Black Bean Mushroom Quesadillas

Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers

All American Potato Salad

Fresh Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Macaroons
Find more healthy recipes here at DietsInReview.com.

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10 Healthy Tailgating Recipes and Food Swaps

I decided to try my hand at making my own, and scouting around I found a really great recipe original to Faith and Family magazine and reposted on several blogs. It appears to be fairly healthy, with whole wheat flour and oats and sweetened with honey, which doesn’t affect the blood sugar as badly as honey. A bonus when you make your own is the lack of high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, and you can literally whip up these bars in minutes.

When they are cool, cut and wrap individual bars in wax paper and pop them in the lunch boxes. Or, you know, eat them all in one day. (I’m not telling which happened in my house!)

Homemade Granola Bars Recipe

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour, or spelt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter, softened*
1 cup honey

Add-ins: 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped walnuts, peanut butter, soy butter, cocoa powder. Other options include dried fruits, sunflower seeds, coconut, nuts.

Lightly butter a 9×13-inch pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and honey first. Then add all ingredients except add-ins. Beat hard until combined. Stir in add-ins. Press mixture into pan — really jam it in there – use your hands so your bars don’t fall apart.  (Note – I FORGOT to add the flour and then had to pull the batter back out of the pan, and when I did add it in, it was very wet and sticky, so I added another 1/2 cup of flour – which made the bars very dry. I thought that the batter needed to be less moist in order to stick together – don’t make that mistake.) Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and serving.

Also try this Homemade Granola recipe with Grape Nuts and raisins.

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How to Make Your Own Granola Bars

Guest blogger Rebecca Bailey returns to DietsInReview.com for Healthy Back to School Week. She is a stay-at-home mom to four little boys and is committed to fitness and health. She blogs at Life With Boys where she shares her experiences as a mom, and her journey toward weight loss and fitness.

It’s the most important meal of the day, yet so often it gets ignored or we eat something on the go that is loaded with sugar. Not exactly the way we want our kids to start the day, whether they are starting preschool, high school, or anything in between. What can we do on those rushed mornings to eat a healthy breakfast that can even be eaten on the way to school?

Plan ahead and freeze breakfast burritos. With whole wheat tortillas, scrambled egg substitute and a variety of toppings, these are easy to pop in the microwave and grab and go. Put your prepared burritos on a cookie sheet and freeze. Then place the frozen burritos in a zipper bag. This makes an easy, fast and filling meal. Try this recipe:

• one eight-inch whole wheat tortilla
• ¼ cup egg substitute (scrambled)
• 1 slice chopped turkey bacon
• 1/8 cup chopped green peppers
• 1/8 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese

These provide a good dose of protein and healthy carbs. Made as above they are 250 calories, and 8 grams of fat. 

Most muffin recipes can be made healthier by substituting applesauce for oil and switching some or all of the flour for whole-wheat flour. For example, here is a great on-the-go Zucchini Carrot Muffin recipe:

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup nonfat milk
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Stir the remaining items together and then add to the dry ingredients. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Extra muffins can be frozen and reheated for convenience. The recipe makes twelve muffins at 156 calories each and only 2 grams of fat.

With school starting, it’s as important as ever to have a nutritious breakfast. Health and convenience can go hand in hand with a little planning.

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Healthy Breakfast Recipes for Back to School

There are lots of smoothie bars out there – places to buy a quick, delicious treat or even a meal replacement. Jamba Juice and Tropical Smoothie are quick and convenient, but can be loaded with extra sugar and fats. Making your own takes only minutes and allows you to control the ingredients, ensuring it’s good for you.

Here are a few healthy smoothie recipes to get you started:

Banana Split Smoothie

Blueberry Smoothie

Strawberry Smoothie

Lemonade Smoothie

Fruit Smoothie

Frosty Pumpkin Smoothie

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How to Make a Healthy Smoothie 101