“Whether it is holiday season or not, stop thinking [you] have to avoid certain foods,” she tells us. “Try concentrating on ‘adding’ foods to [your] regimen.” So if you’re a meat and potatoes kind of gal, try adding fish. Or, add new veggies, like kale or Brussels sprouts. But don’t feel like you have to eat 100 percent healthy all the time.

“Everything you like can be incorporated into a healthy food regimen,” Chef Vesterman reminds us. “The most important thing to remember is to choose ‘whole’ foods more often.  Whole foods are foods that have not been processed like whole fruit, vegetables, whole grain cereals or breads, low-fat or fat-free milk, nuts, seeds and lean meats, just to name a few.”

Add some fruit to your diet this week by checking out Chef Vesterman’s Wild Berry Soup. It’d make a healthy dessert at your next party, or as a way to jazz up a family dinner!



Ingredients: 8 servings

3 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 whole star anise (can be found at the grocery store)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 – 12 oz basket fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced
1 – 6 oz basket fresh raspberries, washed
1 – 4 oz basket fresh blueberries, washed
1 pint fat-free vanilla yogurt
Mint leaves (optional)

Directions:

Wet decorative glass with water and place in freezer for at least 2 hours. This will make the glass frosty and cold. Combine everything in a large saucepan, except the yogurt and 8 assorted berries. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 10 minutes. Cool slightly.