Getting in shape for spring - healthy recipes can help

  • Published
  • By Iris Reiff
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  Winter is cold and dark, and people often feel tired and without energy. Many share these thoughts and uncomfortable feelings on grey winter days. A good way to overcome this state of mind is to make a change -- like reducing weight or starting a healthier lifestyle to feel fit again. And there is no better time than now.

With spring approaching, now's the time to re-attack New Year resolutions and get in shape. Review eating and nutrition habits, and supplement healthy eating with a spring fitness schedule.

To get in shape for spring, eat lighter and focus more on foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and whole grains. Also eat less fat, fewer sweets, less animal protein and plenty of salads, fresh vegetables, potatoes and fruit. Keep portions small and spread meals or snacks throughout the day. Drink a lot of water and try to avoid sodas or alcohol. ,

In order to maintain nutritional values, foods should be treated and cooked gently or steamed.
When shopping for vegetables, choose crisp, firm, well-colored vegetables or fruits. Experts recommend fresh, organic vegetables. If supermarkets don't have a particular vegetable in stock, visit an open market in the area or shop at local German "bio" markets, which offer fresh products year-round and typically aren't sprayed with pesticides or herbicides.

To help with goals, here a few healthy recipes:

Morning fitness vitamin drink
Combine the ingredients into a blender and blend.
100 grams fresh pineapple
Juice from half a lemon
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Mineral water with carbon dioxide (bubbles)

The blender transforms fruit and vegetables into a rich and delicious liquid with lots of vitamins.

Bratlinge
125 grams of whole-grain or seven-grain rice mix, or Soya mix
350 ml vegetable broth
100 grams of Quark or cottage cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons mixed herbs
Salt, pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
Small amount of fat for frying
Prepare Bratlinge:
Cook rice in vegetable broth for about 15 minutes
Stir with Quark or cottage cheese, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, herbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a bowl
Form and shape hamburger-sized "Bratlinge" and fry in small amount of fat in a pan
May be served with a green salad or with tomatoes

Fitness salad
½ a cucumber
1 carrot
1 shallot
1 sliced tomato
5 green olives
1 clove garlic
1 artichoke hearts
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons of sunflower or olive oil
½ teaspoon mustard
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 fruit (apple or orange)
3 walnuts
Prepare:
½ cup vinegar dressing: mix balsamic vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt, sugar, oil
Serve dressing over a green salad or a vegetable salad and decorate with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, walnuts, artichoke and/or fruit

Marinated herring (12 servings)
Soak 24 herring in water for three hours
Change the water twice. Cut off the heads and tails. Split herring. Remove the milt and remove bones and discard them. Cut the fillets into pieces about 3 inches long. Place in a crock in alternate layers with herring:
2 sliced lemons
2 thinly sliced onions
1/3 cup mixed pickle spices
1 tablespoon sugar
Cover these ingredients withMalt or other vinegar
Crush with a fork and addThe remaining milt
Dilute the vinegar with a little water if it is very strong. Cover the crock and put it in a cool place. Serve after 48 hours.
Serve marinated herring with potatoes

Marinated herring with sour cream
Prepare as above:
6 milted herring
Use only 1 lemon, 1 onion, 2 ½ table spoons mixed spices and ¼ cup vinegar.
Add:
1 cup cultured sour cream
Keep in a cool place. Serve after 48 hours
Serve marinated herring with potatoes

Potatoes
Cook potatoes unpeeled
Peel potatoes later and serve with herring or salad
Serve with herb Quark or cottage cheese, sour cream
Decorate with parsley

German "Mautzen" cookies
(a traditional German cookie, similar to the famous "Berliner")
(Beware that one cookie has about 35 calories and does not support a diet) Enjoy one cookie as a dessert supplement.)

125 grams margarine or butter
100 grams sugar
Citronella flavor
1 package of vanilla sugar
4 small eggs

Stir butter, sugar, vanilla sugar and one egg for about 5 minutes; then add remaining eggs, citronella taste and stir mix for another 3 minutes. Add 350 g flour mixed with 2 teaspoons baking soda; add salt and 250 g Quark of sweet cottage cheese.
Heat up 2,000 g of frying fat in a pan. Insert 1/2 tablespoon of dough for each cookie into pan with heated fat, fry for about 3-5 minutes until brown and crisp.
Take Mautzen cookie out of pan and let cool.

(Information from MyPyramid.gov was used in this article.)