The weather is getting colder...that means more comfort foods
 

I don't know if anyone else out there goes through the same cycle as I do, but here's an example:

Spring is all about berries and fresh fruit and loads of bright green veggies

Summer - I could live the whole season on nothing but peaches, tomato sandwiches and cucumber

Fall & Winter- starches. I crave starchy / creamy / fatty comfort foods and loads of hot drinks. I also bake like a mad woman. cookies, breads, cakes ect..

So I'm reminding myself and anyone else out there that gets the same seasonal cravings - be prepared. I know it happens every year and it's NOT going to go away. I thought I'd pass on a few tips on getting through the "eating season" alive. I'd like to maintain long enough to hit my first "thinnaversary" - lol

Hot drinks:

Good Earth Original blend tea - available in most grocery stores - has a naturally sweet and spicy flavor with strong notes of anise and cloves. It's a fantastic heavy hitting tea that needs no sugar at all. It has 7 of the nine healing herbs in it and stops my sugar cravings right away.

Swiss Miss (No sugar added - plus calcium) - it has 50 calories per pack and no fat. Unless something has changed from last year, One pack a day is core - but only one a day. That particular brand, in my opinion, has the closest flavor to real cocoa. I usually mix it in with some hot coffee and top it with some cool whip free. I think the cool whip on top makes it feel sinfully bad :D

Starchy Cravings:

Butternut Squash - so many people overlook this gem of a squash (I think mostly out of fear of the unknown). This is one of those extraordinary foods that can be served hot or cold, sweet or savory. I cut mine in half (lengthwise) and drop the halves face down in a casserole dish.. put a little water in the dish and bake for about an hour - or until soft. Once they cool down I scrape the flesh out of the hull into a mixing bowl and whip it up with a little splenda, pumpkin pie spice, and a tiny bit of skim milk.....or.....I just eat it naked....it's that good. It has a starchy texture and fills you up fast.

Brown rice and veggies made with (98% fat free cream of mushroom soup)... just cook the rice and the veggies, creamy it up with the soup ...maybe add some chicken stick it all in a casserole dish cover it with some fat free shredded chesse and bake it till the chees kinda melts (it is fat free cheese after all - it's not really going to melt - lol.

I hope this helps someone. I am not a weight loss / core expert. I'm just a girl that loves to eat - healthy.

Good thread, Jane.

There are some really great Core recipes in our files too, like soups made with turkey, canned tomatoes, pinto beans, and corn ... and don't forget about potato soup! Also, there's chili; if you make it with lean ground beef and don't thicken it with cornstarch or flour, it would also be Core. Plus, there are recipes for Core cornbread and polenta cakes.

YUM!!! Chili sounds good for tonight and I make it with morningstar farms griller crumbles. Fall and winter, for me, have been synonomous with heavy dishes. I love that I can stay core and keep having those things. I think I'll rifle through the core recipes this afternoon.

I'll be baking alot this month too, but I found a recipe for mandelbrot (its kind of like a biscotti cookie) that is flavored with orange zest, and very little sugar and oils. It's an awesome treat that I don't have to sacrifice anything for, isn't going to do me in if I have one too many, and goes really well with coffee :D

Can you share the mandelbrot recipe?