Labor Day Reboot – HMR-Style
Ahh, Labor Day. End of summer, back to school, one last picnic or BBQ, anticipation of leaves turning colors… a long weekend of eating in The Gap. Wait, hold on a minute… scratch that last one because it just doesn’t have to go down like that this year!
Labor Day, also known as the “workman’s holiday” was first established in 1882 to celebrate the American worker – union and non-union, men and women, stay-at-home moms and work-at-home dads – basically anyone in the labor force. The holiday’s founder, Peter J. McGuire, was an active labor organizer and established Labor Day to “dedicate a day to American workers and all of their accomplishments.”
Let it be declared in 2012, by Jenny E. Berk, that this year’s Labor Day be dedicated to all the hard work being done by participants in the HMR program and all of their many accomplishments. We’ll call it HMR Labor Day (if you’ve got a better name, I’d love to hear it!). To celebrate heartily on this momentous and deserving day – here are some Labor Day recipes to make your healthy BBQ or picnic extra special, extra delicious and, of course, extra healthy.
Happy Labor Day to all my fellow dieters and lifestyle changers! It’s hard work indeed, and we all deserve to enjoy the “fruits” of our labor with wonderful weight-loss results.
“Mocktail:” Hibiscus Tea Smoothie (Decision-Free and Healthy Solutions-friendly)
Steep 2 packets of hibiscus tea bags (found at supermarket) in hot water for 5 minutes. Pour liquid into glass and refrigerate for 2 hours until cold. Add the cold tea to your blender with ice and your favorite HMR vanilla shake and blend.
Entree: Ravioli with Heirloom tomatoes, basil and fresh corn (Healthy Solutions and Phase 2-friendly)
Step 1: Go to your local farmers’ market and buy fresh heirloom tomatoes. You won’t regret it!
Step 2: Also buy basil and fresh corn while you’re there.
Step 3: At home, slice up the tomatoes and julienne the basil and cut off the corn kernels from the corn.
Step 4: Heat up your HMR Cheese and Basil Ravioli Entrée, add your ingredients and a dash of salt and pepper and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!
Dessert: Smoothie Pops
Blend up your favorite HMR Shake or fruit smoothie recipe, either a single, double or triple batch. (For recipe ideas, click here.) Pour into ice pop molds and freeze. Makes deliciously creamy frozen treats!
What other recipes would you consider adding to our HMR Labor Day table?
About the Author
Jenny has been a health educator at HMR since 2002, helping patients build healthier lifestyles and lose weight. She has 3 little girls at home and uses all the skills she’s learned at HMR to be a role model to them while at the same time making living a healthy lifestyle lots of fun!
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2013 (43)
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August
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June
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April
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March
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November
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August
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