We love eating health over here-but the holidays are a great time for a special treat! These pecan pie brownies are a new spin on a Thanksgiving classic-they're also easy to pack up & send home with your guests (or save for yourself!). 

Ingredients: 

1 box brownie mix

Pecan Pie Filling: 
1 cup sugar
1.5 cups light corn syrup
4 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecans, roughly chopped

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven according to brownie package instructions.

2. Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter and vanilla in a small saucepan. Place on the stove top over medium high heat and begin to cook, stirring continuously.

3. Mix brownies according to package instructions.

4. Pour brownie batter into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan and place in oven to bake for 20 minutes.

5. As the brownies bake, the filling in the saucepan should thicken enough to cover your spoon (about 15 minutes). Stir the pecans into the mixture and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture reaches the consistency of runny oatmeal. You want it to be loose enough to pour over the brownies but not liquid.

6. When the brownies have finished pre-baking, remove them from the oven and pour the pecan pie filling over them, spreading it out to cover the brownies completely. 

7. Place back in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until filling only juggles slightly in the middle when you move the pan. 

8. Let cool to room temperature before cutting. Enjoy!

Just some friendly reminders:

1. Be sure to use up any of your flexible spending account (FSA) before the end of the year!                                            
2.Your deductible will reset for most insurances at the start of the 2021 calendar year. If you have already met your deductible, now is the time to come in to treat any aches & pains before they get worse!

3. Physical therapy benefits will also reset for most insurance plans at the start of the 2021 calendar year. If you exhausted your benefits for this year, start thinking about setting up a January appointment. 

As always-make sure to check with your insurance provider to confirm benefits as all plans are different. ​

Sweet potatoes: a Thanksgiving classic. This recipe gives them a new, tasty twist with homemade parsley pesto. And (you guessed it)...it's healthy! 

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes:
4 pounds sweet potatoes, thinly sliced.
1/4 cup olive oil
​2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 gloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper, to taste

Parsley Pesto:
​2 cups packed italian parsley
1/4 cup walnuts
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

For Sweet Potatoes: 
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine olive oil, melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl.
3. Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish.
4. Arrange sweet potato slices in the dish and brush potatoes with remaining olive oil mixture. 
5.Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. 
6. Remove foil and increase to 450 degrees.
7. Roast potatoes for an additional 15 minutes, or until potatoes are slightly browned. 

For Parsley Pesto:
1. Combine parsley, walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor.
2. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
3. Brush tops of prepared sweet potatoes or serve on side. Enjoy! 

We asked staff & patients what they are most looking forward to on the Thanksgiving table next week. Email us YOUR favorite Thanksgiving dish and we will feature the recipe in next weeks newsletter! 

Liz, PT: Sausage Stuffing
Kyle, PT: Cream of Spinach
Ashley, Front Desk: Turkey with LOTS of gravy
Josh, PT: Sweet potato casserole with brown sugar & cinnamon
Hannah Kubacki, Patient: Pie (any kind but pumpkin!)
Marco & Remo Capolino, Patients: Pumpkin pie & stuffing

This week we have another delicious, easy side to add to your Thanksgiving menu starring Beets! Beets are a great source of fiber, magnesium, iron and B6 and their cancer-fighting pigment also helps detoxify your liver. This dish pairs them with ricotta & honey-so tasty! 

Ingredients:

1 lb. golden beets peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb. purple beets peeled and cut into 1/2 cubes
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. fresh rosemary finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine beets, olive oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl and toss beets until completely coated. 

3. Place beets on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast for 35-40 minutes, flipping beets halfway through. 

4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine ricotta, 1/4 tsp. salt, honey, and rosemary. Whisk until combined and refrigerate until ready to use. 

5. Serve beets warm with honey-ricotta and top with additional rosemary, if desired. Enjoy! 

Sometimes, your metabolism works against you even when you think you’re doing everything right. It’s time you took a good, hard look at how your metabolism really works.

Check out the metabolism myths below and then use your new knowledge to put your metabolism to work…

​Myth 1: Metabolism Works from 9 to 5
Difficult as it may be to believe, your body’s metabolism does not stop working when you do. In fact, your metabolism works all day, every day. If it didn’t, you wouldn’t even have the energy to get out of bed in order to read this article. (You are out of bed, aren’t you?) Also the time of day that you eat isn’t what makes you gain pounds. It’s what you eat. So if you think you can get away with eating that quarter-pounder with cheese, bacon, mayo, and bun; a large order of greasy fries; and a 32-ounce milkshake without any consequences—just because you ate it at lunch and not late at night—think again! Eat smart all day long, have a healthy snack at night if necessary, and then sleep well, knowing your metabolism is doing its thing even while you’re catching some Zzzzs. 

Myth 2: It Can’t Be Controlled
You’ve probably met someone who seems to be able to eat anything they want without gaining weight. You may have even dreamed of having such a metabolism. Well, there’s good news. You may not have the metabolism that lets you do that just yet, but you can work toward it. Help boost your metabolism by lifting weights, getting a good night of sleep, eating enough protein to power you through the day, and drinking plenty of water. Want something more than water? Here’s another smidgen of good news: a little caffeine in your daily intake will help you get rid of calories faster than going without. Just make sure your caffeine isn’t bathed in sugar and unnecessary calories. 

Myth 3: Skinny Folks Have Higher Metabolism
Yes, a high metabolism can help you burn more calories than a low metabolism. But don’t let that fool you into thinking the skinniest people around have the highest metabolism. Quite the contrary. If the thinnest individuals had the highest metabolism, they would likely be dangerously underweight. As it is, when you are very thin, your metabolism will likely be lower, as there’s not much of you to burn away safely. 

However, you shouldn’t grab the ice cream carton in order to put on extra pounds to up your metabolism. Instead, focus on adding muscle pounds via the weight room.

Myth 4: Getting Old Makes Your Metabolism Go Bye-Bye 
There is a bit of truth to this myth. As you age, your metabolism will drop a tiny bit. Not enough to make a meaningful difference, but it does drop. Much of this decrease (again—it is almost negligible) is due to the typical muscle loss that accompanies aging. 

Want to curb your body’s age-related drop in metabolism? Include resistance training in your exercise routine. As you age, keep up the weight training and you’ll keep your metabolism strong and steady throughout all the stages of life. In the event it does drop a little, you’ll be in such good shape you won’t notice.

Myth 5: You Can Eat Your Way to Higher Metabolism
Occasionally, the world is taken by a weight-loss idea that is so simple you’d be a moron not to give it a try. One of these recent ideas is that you can eat or drink certain things to boost your metabolism and lose weight with greater ease. 

While eating peppers on a regular basis and drinking gallons of green tea each week offers some health benefits, it won’t do more than temporarily boost your metabolism. Approximately half an hour after consuming these supposed metabolism mega-boosters, the boost is over and you’re back to your normal metabolism. A normal, well-balanced diet is a much better option. 

When it comes to achieving and maintaining your most effective metabolism, a consistent and challenging exercise routine is key. Call or email today and I’ll get you started on an exercise program that will take your metabolism to the next level. 

Don’t wait around for another year to pass. We are now almost at the end of 2020! – are you any closer to achieving your fat loss goals?