A Healthy Winter Recipe That's Simple & Soooo Delicious! Hearty soup with potatoes, leeks, broccoli and lots of love. Enjoy as a main dish or side!

Its freezing outside! Good thing, I get to be indoors in my sweats working on my personal website...coming soon you guys! 

Because of the weather and my mood today..I just wanted some warm hearty soup.

So I made this delicious soup with potatoes, leeks, broccoli and lots of love. 

My recipe is much lower in calorie than the traditional potato soups with no butter or heavy cream. 
I promise you won't miss it..this healthier version is just as delicious!I always use skim milk and non-fat sour cream when possible to save on fat and calories. It tastes just as good to me!

I still recommend skim milk over whole milk to all my patients because I prefer less saturated fat in our diet.

Check out the recipe below:

STEPS:
-Peel 6 potatoes and boil them in a pot of water until soft
-Cut potatoes into cubes and set aside

In a large heavy pot do the following:
-Sautee the whites of 5 sliced leeks until light brown
-Add in 6 cloves of minced garlic
-Add in 1 bag of steamed brocolli (use fresh if available)
-Add in 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme (can use dry as well)
-Add in 1 teaspoon dry oregano
-Cook until brocolli is bright green and soft
-Add in the potatoes
-Add in 4 cups of skim milk
-Add in 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream
-Add in 3 tablespoons of cream cheese
-Add in 1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
-Mix it all up
-Bring to a boil and then lower flame
-Cook until cheese is melted
-Pour it into a blender or use a hand blender to puree the mixture
-Add salt and pepper to taste
-Add in a small piece of toasted bread for a garnish with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese



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Holiday desserts don't have to be unhealthy and high calorie. Check out this healthy recipe for apple crisp made with olive oil and no butter!

What are you all eating for dessert today?

The holidays tend to focus on desserts. Some of my patients don't believe me that desserts can be healthy and delicious, but they can be...I promise! 

I love apple crisp bc it's so comforting. 
I make crisps with any type of fruit, and always choose this over fruit pies for the following reasons:
2) It can be made with less butter and still tastes great
3) Making this sugar-free can still be delicious
4) Its super easy to make
5) Allows me to use olive oil rather than butter to cut out the saturated fats!

Here's my easy recipe for apple crisp. Enjoy!

-Preheat oven to 375 
-In a separate bowl add in:
1/2  cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup steel cut oats
-Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil 
-With your hands combine the mixture making small clumps (like you would picture at the top of a crumble)

-In another bowl mix in:
4 apples cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-Mix well
-Transfer apples to a coated baking dish, and sprinkle with topping mixture 
-Bake for 60 minutes or until golden brown


Enjoy the rest of the holiday season everyone! 
More of my holiday recipes to come <3

Follow me on Instagram & Twitter: @Doctor_Deena 

**PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND/OR BEFORE STARTING OR STOPPING ANY TREATMENT OR ACTING UPON INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE, YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER**

Happy holidays!! Here's an easy holiday recipe for yummy apple spiced mulled wine AKA the holidays in a cup!!!

Happy holidays everyone!! I hope you are all having a wonderful day with family, friends, or whomever...as long as you have a smile on your face :)

During the holidays I try to reflect on what I am thankful and grateful for. After visiting India recently and spending time with the less fortunate....I keep reminding myself how lucky I am to just have the support of such a loving husband and family. I would really be nothing without them...and I would definitely not be on Instagram or have this blog if it wasn't for my husband <3 He was the one who inspired me to follow my passion for public health outreach and education through social media and the internet. Even if I can help just 1 person out there, its so worth it to me.

For me - no holiday is complete without some good ole mulled wine! I just love it. It's like the holidays in a cup - warm, cozy and yummy!

Here's my secret recipe which I don't share with many, but will share with you!

Apple spiced mulled wine:

1) In a pot combine the following ingredients:

-4 cups of apple cider

-1 bottle of red wine (I like it with Merlot)

-1 cup fresh orange juice

-Zest of one large orange

-2 cinnamon sticks

-4 star annise

-4 cloves

-1/4 cup honey

2) Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes

3) You can add in an orange slice for garnish too! 

Cheers!! Let me know what you think!

Follow me on Instagram & Twitter: @Doctor_Deena 

**PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND/OR BEFORE STARTING OR STOPPING ANY TREATMENT OR ACTING UPON INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE, YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER**

Pizza can be healthier when you make it at home. Here's an easy & gourmet recipe for roasted acorn squash and mushrooms with fresh mozzarella and goat cheese!

Sometimes you just crave heavier foods, like pizza, and that's OK. 

What's important is that you recognize that these foods are high calorie & to limit them when dieting.

Even the heavy foods can be made less calories in simple ways 💜

Making your own pizza at home is usually healthier than ordering one from outside.

Its easy too!

As an example, a slice of HAND-tossed Domino's pizza with mushrooms will be roughly 190 calories versus my pizza above which is around 100 calories per slice.

My friends love my pizzas, so I wanted to share this with all of you! 

Here's a gourmet recipe for mushroom pizza with fresh mozzarella and goat cheese. So yummy!
The entire pizza was roughly 1300 calories, and I cut it up into 12 slices so each slice was 110 calories.

Steps:

-Preheat oven to 350

-Take a pizza crust (fresh or ready made)

-Dice up 6 cloves of garlic
-Slice up 1/2 a vidalia onion

-In a warm pan, sautee the onions in some olive oil until golden brown and add in the garlic

-Add in 1 cup of chopped mushrooms

-Add in 1 cup of chopped spinach
-Add in 1 cup of roasted acorn squash

-Add in 1 teaspoon rosemary

-Add in 1 teaspoon thyme

-Add in 1 teaspoon oregano

-Cook until mushrooms are soft

-Add salt and pepper to taste

-Brush on some olive oil onto pizza crust

-Cut up fresh mozzarella and cover the entire pizza crust with cheese

-Spoon on the mushroom and garlic mixture

-Spoon on some fresh goat cheese in between

-Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes and you are done!

Bon appetit! 

Please feel free to ask any questions! 
Email me at DoctorDeenaMD@gmail.com or ask/follow me on Twitter/Instagram @Doctor_Deena!




**PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND/OR BEFORE STARTING OR STOPPING ANY TREATMENT OR ACTING UPON INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE, YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER**