January 2019 Hot Flashes

The Secret to New Year’s Resolutions? Keep It Simple.

Interesting fact: 45% of all Americans will make resolutions this year. Unfortunately, only 8% of them will be successful in achieving what they set out to accomplish. There’s a simple secret behind their success: keep your list simple and achievable.

Instead of a large bucket list, jot down only a handful of realistic and achievable goals, somewhere between one and three. For example, just start with walking once around your house. Do it a couple of days. Then go for two laps. Build on that until you’re zipping around the whole block. If you’re mind starts to talk too much about not doing or skipping it, tell your brain to STOP! Then go do it. You can do this!

Taming a Gassy Gut

Ever have that uncomfortable feeling in your stomach, where something just isn’t sitting right? We have all had it and the culprit a lot of times is gas. Your gut produces excessive gas for a number of reasons — swallowing too much air or changes in your diet, for example. Other common causes of gas are food intolerance and difficulty digesting certain foods. “Gas can be an uncomfortable experience physically and socially, but it is a natural part of digesting food,” says Kelly Kennedy, RD, resident nutritionist for Everyday Health. “Some foods, especially foods high in soluble fiber and some carbohydrates, cause more gas than others because of the way that they break down in the body. Knowing which foods to eat and how to eat them can make a world of difference.” Keeping a log of what you eat and how it makes you feel is a great way to deduce what foods irritate your digestive system and which ones make you feel great.

Pizza Soup

It’s got pepperoni, cheese, and sauce, BUT it even includes a few vegetables! This is a fun soup they’ll love to make with you. It’s toasty and warm on a cold, winter night.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
• Kosher salt
• 8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup chopped pepperoni, plus more slices for topping
• 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 crusty baguette, cut into 4”-long pieces
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. In an ovenproof Dutch oven or so In an ovenproof Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and peppers and season with salt. Cook until slightly tender and golden, 3 minutes, then add mushrooms and cook until browned and juices have evaporated, 8 minutes more. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add chopped pepperoni and stir until combined.
2. Add Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth and bring to a simmer, 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream. Heat broiler.
4. Top pot with bread and sprinkle with mozzarella. Place remaining pepperoni on top and carefully transfer soup to oven until cheese is melty and golden.
5. Garnish with parsley and serve.