Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Thanksgiving was wonderful; wasn't it?

But now, like everyone else, I've got a lot of leftovers. In the past, I would just continue the gluttony and "eat off" the leftover food (so as not to be wasteful, of course.) But those days are over. Anything I can't send home with the dinner guests in to-go containers is given a day or two and then....adios. And let's face it -no one wants YOUR leftovers because they have plenty of their own so you can't pawn them off on friends. 

I typically make a sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving dinner (that even with the makeover I've  given it, is still pretty decadent.) Inevitably, I cook too many sweet potatoes to prepare this dish which means my leftovers now have leftovers.

Thankfully, I've got a solution for that! (Now you won't have to be wasteful.)

Yams go yummy with the smoky flavor of chipotle 

The Missing Ingredient in Thanksgiving

Gratitude: the cornerstone of happiness

Rather than allow that second piece of pumpkin pie to become my undoing, I boosted my feel-good serotonin levels without that lingering sugar-guilt trip aftermath.

Let me explain. Last week I wrote that exercise provides a little cushion around the holidays when you’re going to indulge. I put that strategy into action last Christmas morning with a killer body-weight workout in my sister’s basement in Connecticut.

Invigorated, I looked forward to a delicious feast that, yes, included some well-earned carbs. I partook in the lavish dinner and then enjoyed a piece of pumpkin pie. Realizing I had built in some serious dietary cushion thanks to my morning workout (plus that pie was sooo good), I decided a second sliver might be in order.

That’s when I had an epiphany. In my family and probably yours,

10 Strategies to Keep Consistent Workouts During the Holidays

Can you really keep it going during the holidays?

“But it was their big one-day sale!” my client said, exasperated I appeared a little annoyed she had blown off our last session. “No way could I fit in our hour workout and hit Macy’s one-hour linen sale. I mean, come on, they had Ralph Lauren duvet covers 60 percent off!”

I gave my client a shocked What planet do you live on look and stood by my word: Not only was I upset she insouciantly blew off a session, I was charging her double for missing out. (See strategy number four.)

It wasn’t about the money. I was going to donate any “doubles” to a homeless war veterans fund anyway. My policy was based on making a commitment and sticking to it.

To my client, a Macy’s one-day sale (don’t they have those every day during the holidays?) became more important than getting lean, toned, and healthy. Her priorities had become out of whack, and I was hitting up her wallet to get them straight.

Still, I spared an ounce of pity here: The holidays can become a challenge as you

12 Pearls of Wisdom from a Recent Exercise and Cancer Conference

You CAN exercise while undergoing  cancer treatment

You know someone and so do I whose life has been dramatically cut short by cancer. I’ll make this short: protocols to prevent cancer or cancer recurrence often give short shift to exercise.

“We just don’t have time to discuss it,” doctors and specialists candidly tell me. That’s unfortunate. The American Cancer Society very conservatively recommends 20 minutes of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking most days. That’s less time every week to reduce cancer risk or its complications than watching a sappy Lifetime Movie of the Week!

“More and smarter” becomes my mantra here. Walking provides a good foundation, but I also want to see patients incorporate burst training and weight resistance. I ambitiously want