Bring on the Pumpkin!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, it’s that time of year again.

The leaves are changing colors.

It’s getting dark earlier in the evening.

Halloween candy is being packed onto grocery-store shelves.

ABC Family’s 13 Nights of Halloween will start on TV soon.

It’s getting colder…
Okay, let’s not think about that one. Let’s think about the positives, like the abundance of pumpkins that are beckoning to be used in any and all meals we can possibly think of.

Pumpkin rolls. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin spice lattes. Pumpkin. Pumpkin. Pumpkin. And if you’re like me, you don’t mind because you fully embrace the fall season and all the delicious recipes it brings with it.

In honor of this special time of year, here are 10 of my favorite healthy (well, healthier), pumpkin recipes. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

Healthier Pumpkin Bread

Healthier Pumpkin Pie

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Skinny Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pumpkin Pie Protein Overnight Oatmeal

Low-Fat Pumpkin Cake Roll

I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-Dairy Pumpkin Bisque

Pumpkin-Seed-Coated Lentil Patties with Ginger Dipping Sauce (Vegan)

4-Ingredient Homemade Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

Try not to let the cold weather that is quickly approaching get you down. But if it does, use the weekend to dish out some of these pumpkin recipes. I hope these keep you busy!

This blog entry was contributed by Adena Siefert, a PR and Marketing intern at Hedstrom – Ball, Bounce and Sport. She recently graduated from Ashland University with degrees in Sport Communication and Public Relations. She loves pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling.

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Sweet Corn Has Antioxidants!

August is here, September is approaching, and Midwesterners everywhere are celebrating sweet corn season. While summer is usually ushered in with commitments to work out and eat healthier in order to be in tip-top shape for swimsuit season, the festivities and parties of summer can have the tendency to shove those commitments to the wayside.

But never fear! Summer is not yet over and you can remain committed to choosing one of the healthier options offered at lavish picnics and outdoor barbecues. Take a look at sweet corn. For all the buzz about Monsanto’s GMO corn, sweet corn isn’t all bad. (Also, the hype about GMO corn mostly applies to field corn which is fed to livestock. Most sweet corn isn’t genetically modified, and the sweet corn that is hasn’t had the most success penetrating the markets.

1. Antioxidants-Sweet corn is full of antioxidants. The best part is, those antioxidants are still active when cooked. Eating boiled or grilled corn on the cob won’t reduce the benefits that antioxidants have. The antioxidants may help reduce risk of cancer and prevent inflammation.

2. Fiber-A cup of corn has about 3.5 grams of fiber. Fiber helps prevent constipation, which is enough reason in itself to prove beneficial. Fiber has other perks as well, such as lowering cholesterol levels and chance of heart disease. And one more thing, fiber is also useful for those who are trying to maintain weight or lose it, because it will give you the feeling of being full for a longer period of time.

3. Lutein and Zeaxanthin- These fancy words are carotenoids. You should be excited about this because they promote healthier eyes. Reduced chance of macular degeneration…I’ll take it!

4. Thiamine-This is also known as Vitamin B1. Sweetcorn has high levels of thiamine, which could be useful for enhancing your memory and reducing risk of Alzheimer’s.

5. Potassium-A cup of corn may contain between 300 to 400 milligrams of potassium. Potassium can help lower blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, increasing your potassium is something you might want to consider.

6. Sugars- This is an argument that people might refer to and avoid sweet corn when reality is that a serving of corn has less sugar than an apple or a cup of pineapple. (Just remember that adding butter will not make your corncob healthier for you!)

This entry was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.

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Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth... in a healthier way

You exercise. You eat right. Maybe you don’t go out with your friends because you don’t want any temptations—just the slightest whiff of a burger, fries, or any kind of dessert could make you cave.

Then comes cheat day. The day that allows you to reward yourself for all that you’ve done the past week—the salads, the squats, the running…

If you’re like me, you have a love-hate relationship with cheat day. You get to indulge in what you’ve been missing all week, but sometimes it can be taken too far. Sometimes it’s hard to convince yourself to eat healthy again the next day because, let’s face it, that chocolate chip cookie just tasted so good. And sometimes you might slip before cheat day arrives, and it can send you down the slippery slope of going back to your old ways.

“I have self-control. I know I won’t overdo it,” you might say. And that’s great! But, unfortunately, not all of us possess that kind of self-control, and that is nothing to be ashamed of.

Don’t worry—there is a solution. You can still satisfy your sweet tooth on cheat day—you deserve to!—but do it more wisely.

But how?

There’s an answer to that, too. (And it’s easy, I promise). Find recipes that are still healthy but also give you the indulgence that you need. It’s cheating without really cheating.

Now, I don't mean eat some fruit when you're craving sweets. Fruit is wonderful, but that's not always what you want on cheat day. I'm talking about truly treating yourself—ice cream, cookies, pie.

To save you some time, here are 10 of my favorite sweet and healthy desserts. Give these a try on your next cheat day!

• 40-Calorie Cake Batter Ice Cream
• Clean Eating Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
• Skinny Oreo Milkshake
• Blueberry and Lime Yogurt Cookies
• Kitty Chow
• Skinny Addicting Cinnamon Banana Bread 
• Quinoa Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Iced Cherry Lemonade—No sugar!
• A Healthier Fudge
• Healthy Blueberry Pie  

Again, the key is to have these only on occasion and in proportion, but I hope these recipes allow you to enjoy your next cheat day (without all the calories).

For more recipes (sweet and savory), follow BOSU Fitness on Pinterest.

Do you have a favorite cheat day recipe? I’d love to hear it!

This blog entry was contributed by Adena Siefert, a PR and Marketing Intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She recently graduated from Ashland University with degrees in Sport Communication and Public Relations. She loves puppies and flowers.

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