Chocolate-Covered Fresh, Raw Cranberries
I’m always looking for healthy, vegetarian snacks. Okay, this one is not so healthy, but I needed a dessert to take to Christmas. One of my professors brought these chocolate-covered fresh, raw cranberries to school the day we discussed the gastrointestinal tract and exercise. I loved them and thought these chocolate-covered cranberries would be a “healthy” dessert option for my family for Christmas. Cranberries are a big industry in Wisconsin so I thought it would be patriotic to my home state as well.
Here’s what I did:
1) Rinse and completely dry 1 pint of fresh, raw cranberries.
2) Melt 1 bag of milk chocolate chips in the microwave. (You’ll need about 1 bag of chocolate chips per pint of cranberries.)
3) Coat each cranberry with chocolate and set on wax paper. (I had trouble with my chocolate seizing so I melted chocolate, spread the chocolate on wax paper, and coated each cranberry in chocolate that way. I then separated the cranberries and set them individually on wax paper.)
4) Refrigerate to set the chocolate.
I love these chocolate-covered cranberries. Some of the cranberries are solid and firm, but some of the cranberries break as you bite so you get a surprise burst of tart cranberry juice with chocolate… I think it’s delicious!
How well did it go over at Christmas? Not well. I made 4 pints of cranberries and I estimate less than 1 pint of them got eaten over two days. This was one of those lucky situations where I made something I loved to eat so at least when I got stuck with leftovers, they were leftovers I loved to eat. I did learn an important lesson: Making food that no one eats, no matter how much I love it, is a waste of money.
The fresh cranberries cost $3.99 a pint. Hershey Toll House Milk Chocolate chocolate chips were on sale for $2.50. Here is what you get nutritionally from one batch (1 pint of raw cranberries + one bag of Hershey Milk Chocolate chocolate chips) for about $7:
1632 calories
222 g Carbohydrates
99 g Fat
22 g Protein
Enjoy! Let me know if you have any suggestions!
Give the Gift of Zumba
Are you still Christmas shopping? (Don’t feel bad – I haven’t even started.) Why not give the gift of Zumba?!?
For the athlete… You already know she (or he) likes to exercise. Why not help them mix up their workout with Zumba?
For the dancer… You already know she (or he) loves to dance. Why not give them the gift of a workout they’re going to love?
For the couch potato… OK, she (or he) says she doesn’t like to exercise. She says she doesn’t dance. Zumba is the perfect gift for that couch potato of any age you’d like to start exercising. All she has to do is follow along. There are no rules. There is no right or wrong. Just keep moving and pretty soon, she’s dancing and exercising!
How can you give the gift of Zumba?
DVD’s: Two sets of Zumba DVD’s are available through the Zumba shop or Amazon.com. Zumba DVD’s let you start doing Zumba right in the comfort (and privacy) of your own home.
Video Game: Two Zumba video games are available for Wii, Playstation, and XBox Kinect. These are video games that will make you sweat, again, in the comfort (and privacy) of your own home,
Live Class: Pick up a punch card or gift certificate to a gym or group fitness studio near your loved one that offers Zumba classes. Some Curves locations now offer Zumba in the Circuit. There are Zumbatomic classes for kids and Zumba Gold classes for beginners, deconditioned exercisers, or older adults. Ask your favorite Zumba instructor for recommendations!
Happy holidays!
Filed under Zumba, exercise, holiday | Tags: athlete, Christmas, comfort, couch, Curves, Dance, dancer, dvd, dvds, exercise, gift, give, group fitness, gym, home, instructor, Kinect, live, Playstation, potato, privacy, punch card, shopping, studio, Video Game, Wii, XBox, Zumba, zumba gold, Zumba in the Circuit, Zumbatomic | Comment (0)Zumba Gift Packs
Just in time for Christmas, Zumba now has gift packs available in the Zumba Shop!
The gift packs contain a variety of Zumba items. The gift packs currently available are:
- “Show Your Charm” Zumba charm bracelet variety gift pack,
- “Funky Flavor” Zumba gift pack of 49 popular Zumba rubber bracelets,
- “Gear Up” Zumba gift pack with Zumba-branded bags and towels,
- “On-The-Go” Zumba gift pack with Zumba-branded bags and towels,
- “All-In-One” Zumba gift pack with a little of everything: Zumba hats, balloons, key chains, and socks,
- Finally, the “Hair Today, Party Tomorrow” Zumba gift pack of Zumba-branded hats (like Beto’s fedora) and hair accessories.
Prices rang from $12 to $35 USD. These Zumba gift packs are amazingly affordable and will not last long in the Zumba Shop. If you’re looking for a gift for a special Zumba lover in your life, buy now. These gift packs would work great as giveaways at Zumba classes and events, so Zumba instructors: Buy now!
The Very First Nightingale’s Song
Even though I cry every time I hear it, one of my favorite Christmas songs is “The Gift.” The song is about a girl named Maria who finds and injured bird. She nurses it back to health and gives it as a offering at church on Christmas. It flies to the rafters and sings “the very first nightingale’s song.” The song is actually called “The Gift.” I first heard the Garth Brooks version.
“The Gift” was written by Montana singer/songwriter, Stephanie Davis. It appeared on Garth Brooks’ 1992 holiday album, Beyond the Season. A young Canadian pop and Celtic music singer, Aselin Debison also recorded and released “The Gift” on Sweet is the Melody in 2002. Enjoy!
The Gift
Stephanie Davis
A poor orphan girl named Maria
Was walking to market one day
She stopped for a rest by the roadside
Where a bird with a broken wing lay
A few moments passed till she saw it
For its feathers were covered with sand
But soon clean and wrapped it was traveling
In the warmth of Maria’s small hand
She happily gave her last peso
On a cage made of rushes and twine
She fed it loose corn from the market
And watched it grow stronger with time
Now the Christmas Eve service was coming
And the church shone with tinsel and light
And all of the townfolks brought presents
To lay by the manger that night
There were diamonds and incense and perfumes
In packages fit for a king
But for one ragged bird in a small cage
Maria had nothing to bring
She waited till just before midnight
So no one would see her go in
And crying she knelt by the manger
For her gift was unworthy of Him
Then a voice spoke to her through the darkness
Maria, what brings you to me?
If the bird in the cage is your offering
Open the door and let me see
Though she trembled, she did as He asked her
And out of the cage the bird flew
Soaring up into the rafters
On a wing that had healed good as new
Just then the midnight bells rang out
And the little bird started to sing
A song that no words could recapture
Whose beauty was fit for a king
Now Maria felt blessed just to listen
To that cascade of notes sweet and long
As her offerings was lifted to Heaven
By the very first nightingale’s song
Christmas Gifts for Zumba Lovers
Do you have a Zumba lover in your life? Want to give them a Christmas gift they’re going to love? Here are some Christmas gift ideas from a Zumba lover for Zumba lovers:
Zumba Wear
Some people wear their everyday gym clothes to Zumba, but Zumba wear is different than gym clothes. It’s a cross between street wear and dance wear. Zumba wear is available from the Zumba online shop and will cost you anywhere from $14.95 for a pair of Zumba flip flops to $94.95 for a pair of Zumba athletic dance shoes. A safe bet for any Zumba lover is a top to wear to class. A Zumba wear top will cost you anywhere form $14.95 to $39.95 + shipping. Shop now if you want it to arrive by Christmas!
Zumba DVDs
The gift that keeps on giving – a Zumba class right in your very own home! There are two authetic Zumba DVD sets available: the Total Body Transformation System (as seen on TV) or the Zumba Exhilarate DVD Experience. There is even a set of Zumba DVD’s for children called Zumbatomic. The DVD sets are expensive ($89.95 for Exhilarate on Zumba.com, $49.95 for TBTS on Amazon.com), but contain five DVDs including a live workout and choreography to tone the arms, abs, buns, and thighs. Shop for DVDs on Zumba.com or Amazon.com.
Zumba Video Game
I was lucky enough to participate in the Best Buy release of the original Zumba Fitness video game for Kinect on the XBox 360 at the Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota last year and let me tell you, it is amazing! The Zumba Fitness video game is available for Wii and Playstation and WILL give you a workout. This year, the Zumba Fitness 2 video game is also available for Wii. Shop for DVDs on Zumba.com or Amazon.com.
Here are some other ideas for Zumba lovers:
- Dance lessons – Maybe they’re ready to start salsa dancing???
- Exercise clothes – Bright, neon colors are popular in Zumba classes. Popular exercise clothing brands in my classes: lululemon athletica, lucy, C9 from Champion available at Target, Victoria’s Secret PINK (yes, Victoria’s Secret), Old Navy
- Hip Scarf – Belly dance and Bollywood songs in Zumba have inspired some Zumba lovers to wear colorful hip scarves during class.
Zumba lovers, do you have any other suggestions?
Filed under Zumba, holiday | Tags: 360, amazon, amazon.com, athletic, Best Buy, c9, champion, Christmas, clothes, coin belt, coin scarf, Dance, dvd, dvds, exercise, Exhilarate, flip flops, flipflops, gift, hip scarf, ideas, Kinect, lessons, love, lover, lucy, lululemon athletica, Mall of America, Minnesota, MOA, old navy, online, pink, Playstation, salsa, shoes, shop, skirt, target, Top, Total Body Transformation System, tv, victoria's secret, Video Game, wear, Wii, XBox, Zumba, zumba clothes, zumba dvds, Zumba.com | Comment (0)What is the Christmas song about Maria and “the first nightingale’s song”?
“The Gift” is one of my favorite Christmas songs about a girl named Maria who finds an injured bird and nurses it back to health.
“The Gift” was written by Montana singer/songwriter, Stephanie Davis. It appeared on Garth Brooks’ 1992 holiday album, Beyond the Season. A young Canadian pop and Celtic music singer, Aselin Debison also recorded and released “The Gift” on Sweet is the Melody in 2002. Enjoy!
The Gift
Stephanie Davis
A poor orphan girl named Maria
Was walking to market one day
She stopped for a rest by the roadside
Where a bird with a broken wing lay
A few moments passed till she saw it
For its feathers were covered with sand
But soon clean and wrapped it was traveling
In the warmth of Maria’s small hand
She happily gave her last peso
On a cage made of rushes and twine
She fed it loose corn from the market
And watched it grow stronger with time
Now the Christmas Eve service was coming
And the church shone with tinsel and light
And all of the townfolks brought presents
To lay by the manger that night
There were diamonds and incense and perfumes
In packages fit for a king
But for one ragged bird in a small cage
Maria had nothing to bring
She waited till just before midnight
So no one would see her go in
And crying she knelt by the manger
For her gift was unworthy of Him
Then a voice spoke to her through the darkness
Maria, what brings you to me?
If the bird in the cage is your offering
Open the door and let me see
Though she trembled, she did as He asked her
And out of the cage the bird flew
Soaring up into the rafters
On a wing that had healed good as new
Just then the midnight bells rang out
And the little bird started to sing
A song that no words could recapture
Whose beauty was fit for a king
Now Maria felt blessed just to listen
To that cascade of notes sweet and long
As her offerings was lifted to Heaven
By the very first nightingale’s song
(Corrected 12/23/2008.)
Filed under holiday, music | Tags: Brooks, Christmas, Garth, last peso, lyrics, Maria, music, Nightingale, Nightingale's Song, The Gift | Comments (3)