Healthy Holiday Meals By Johanna Hicks
Basic Recipe Alterations for More Healthful Holiday Meals
Thanksgiving weekend is a great time to stop and reflect on blessings. It is also a great time to think about your own health and good nutrition. Holiday meals can be healthier and taste just as good by using some basic recipe substitutions or alterations. The sugar, fat, or sodium content of almost any holiday recipe can be reduced without a noticeable difference in taste. Reducing sugar, fat, and salt are the most effective means of making holiday meals healthier.
If a recipe calls for a cup of sugar, use two-thirds of a cup. If it calls for a half-cup of oil, shortening or other fat, use one-third cup. Remember that low-fat doesn’t always mean low-calorie, so be aware of both when making holiday food selections. Using reduced-fat or non-fat cheese, milk, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt or mayonnaise instead of their high-fat counterparts will make your recipes more health-friendly.
Processed foods typically have a higher sodium content, so consumers should be vigilant and check food labels for sodium content and other nutrition data. If you would typically use one-half teaspoon of salt in a recipe, try a quarter-teaspoon or leave the salt out entirely (except in breads).
Modifying more complicated recipes may not always produce the desired texture, so it’s best to test the recipe before serving to friends and family. Many traditional holiday foods can be healthy and nutritious choices as long as they are prepared properly and not ‘embellished’ in ways that take away from nutritional value. Example: if cooking a turkey, leave the skin on to contain the flavor, but then remove it afterward to reduce the fat content.
For vegetables, the healthiest method of cooking is either steaming or roasting using a small amount of oil or cooking spray. Try adding herbs and spices to enhance the flavor without adding any fat or calories.
Sweet potatoes have fiber, vitamins A and C, and manganese and are also low in calories, with a medium-sized baked sweet potato containing only about 100 calories. The problem comes when you embellish them with added sugar, butter, and other ingredients. A baked sweet potato with a hint of brown sugar and cinnamon is a far healthier option than one topped with butter and lots of marshmallows.
Another popular holiday item, the cranberry, which is loaded with phytonutrients and known for having anti-inflammatory properties and promoting health, as well as possibly reducing risk for disease. Adding fresh cranberries to salads and baked items such as muffins, cookies and pies is a good way to sneak in some extra nutrition and flavor.
Even with healthier ingredients and preparation techniques, it’s important to remember to exercise restraint at holiday meals. Because holidays provide more opportunities to eat due to social gatherings, office parties and other festivities, try to plan accordingly so you can keep your caloric intake in check…and don’t forget about getting some physical activity to help burn off extra calories and help relieve some of the stress often associated with the holidays.
Christmas Sewing Workshop
Calls are beginning to come in about the Christmas Sewing Workshop. Don’t miss this fun event! We’ll have several make-and-take projects to help you save time and money…and they make great gifts for teachers, Sunday School class members, neighbors, or anyone else! Or if you have a project you would like to work on, bring it! We’ll give you a short list of items you’ll need to bring. I’ll have eight sewing machines available for using, or you may bring your own. Regardless of sewing skills, you will have a great time!
The dates are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, December 11-13, at the Extension Office, 1200 W. Houston, Sulphur Springs. We’re located next door to the Southwest Dairy Museum and directly in front of the Civic Center. We’ll start around 8:30 a.m. and end around 3:30 p.m. Seating is limited due to the hands-on nature of the workshop, so please call 903-885-3443 if you would like to participate.
Closing Thought
Be a river of blessing, not a lake of accumulation – Vicki Hitzges
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
Chamber Connection November 23, 2017
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 2017 has been a fast and furious year, and now here we sit at Thanksgiving Day! Friday is a day often referred to as Black Friday. It was named Black Friday because it described the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Many people shop Black Friday, and that’s fantastic. But, there’s an even better day for shopping! Saturday is called Small Business Saturday. It is a day labeled to remind us to shop locally for the holidays. Our small business owners are giving everything they’ve got to live their dreams, and we in return, can benefit from those dreams! Hopkins County offers wonderful local shopping! Please make sure you spend at least some of your day at your favorite local place… stores, restaurants, venues, all of them. We love our Small Businesses, and we want them to continue to thrive and be successful in all they do. Shop local for the holidays, and enjoy Small Business Saturday!
The Sulphur Springs Hopkins County EDC and the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce are hosting their annual Economic Outlook Conference at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center on Wednesday, December 6th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We are so excited to welcome Mr. Richard Froeschle, current Labor Market Economist, as our keynote speaker at the 2017 Economic Outlook Conference. Mr. Froeschle will present Hopkins County the economic outlook for Northeast Texas for 2018. Sponsorships of the conference and tickets are available. Lunch will be provided. For further information, please call the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce at 903-885-6515.
I’m excited to let you know that we have begun work on the 2018 Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Directory. We distribute over 7,000 of these directories to visitors, relocation hopefuls, and even home town heroes who are interested in learning more about our local businesses. They include historical information as well all things to the see and do in Hopkins County. The best part is, they include an alphabetical and categorical listing of your business. Echo Publishing creates this book for us. LeeAnn Peugh, with Echo Publishing, will be contacting you in the next few weeks to see if you are interested in placing an ad in the directory. The rates are affordable, and one of the best ways to represent your business. We redesigned the 2017 directory to look more like a beautiful magazine, and 2018 will follow suit. I hope you will consider this a wise investment with over 7,000 opportunities for business exposure. You may also contact the Chamber, and I will pass your information along to her. I’m proud to produce this book telling all about the place we love. I hope you will join me in the journey!
Heritage Park will host Christmas in the Park on Saturday, November 25th at 6:00 p.m.
The Hopkins County Historical Society presents Christmas in the Park on Saturday, November 25, and Saturday, December 2, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $3.00, and children under seven are free. Visit with Santa, see the light displays, listen to live music, enjoy hot cocoa, old-fashioned cider, coffee and cookies, and begin your Christmas shopping in the Country Store.
Merle Norman hosting their Christmas Open House
Merle Norman, located at 212 N. Davis Street in Sulphur Springs, is having their Christmas Open House on Tuesday, November 28th. There will be drawings for prizes, a free gift with purchase, and 10% off your entire purchase for the day! Make sure to stop by and see Gay and Sue to start your Christmas shopping!
Centric Healthcare is hosting a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, November 29th
Centric Healthcare is hosting their ribbon cutting celebration on Wednesday, November 29th at noon at the Chamber of Commerce. Please stop by to network and welcome this new company to Hopkins County!
The Senior Citizen Center is offering an Affiliated Driving Class
The Senior Citizens Center is offering an Affiliated Driving Class on Thursday, November 30th. This class is good for a ticket dismissal or a ten percent discount on your liability insurance. The cost is $ 25.00 for Ticket Dismissal and $15.00 for the insurance discount. The discount is good for 3 years. Please call Karon Weatherman at (903) 885-1661 if you are interested in joining the class. This class is open to ALL AGES.
CASA hosts their annual Cookie Walk
CASA is hosting their annual Cookie Walk on Friday, December 1st, from 9 a.m. to noon at First United Methodist Church Family Life Center. Cookies are sold for $5.00 a pound. Go by there and load up on Christmas cookies while supporting our local CASA!
Lion’s Club will host the 10th Annual Christmas Parade on Friday, December 1st at 6:30 p.m.
The Lion’s Club is hosting the 10th Annual Christmas Parade presented by Carriage House Manor on Friday, December 1st at 6:30 p.m. The parade begins at Buford Park and goes East on Connally Street to the square. It turns left onto Church Street and left on Houston Street to end in the Gerald Prim Stadium parking lot. Line-up begins at 3:00 p.m. on December 1st. You may pick up registration forms and rules at the Chamber of Commerce. The entry fee is one toy, to be donated to the Blue Santa Program. Charitable cash donations also accepted, and checks should be made payable to the Sulphur Springs Lions Club. Registration forms must be received by noon on Tuesday, November 28.
Help Blue Santa Build His Float
Christmas Light Parade spectators are encouraged to bring a toy or financial donation to the parade for the Blue Santa program and can be turned in either at the Hopkins County Courthouse before the parade, or during the parade to the Blue Santa trailer. The Blue Santa program is a partnership between the Hopkins County Law Enforcement Association and the Sulphur Springs Law Enforcement Association to provide Christmas gifts and financial support to needy families during the Christmas season. Thank you for your generosity to this worthwhile program.
The Alcove2 hosts a wine and food pairing event
The Alcove2 has teamed up with Los Pinos Winery to offer a wine & food pairing event at The Alcove2 on Monday, December 4th. They have chosen three amazing wines for the night. Each wine will be paired with a full course made by their chef. They will offer two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts for each guest to choose from. All food is paired perfectly with the designated wine for that course. Tickets are $40 and must be purchased at The Alcove2 in advance. Tickets are limited, so stop by and grab yours today!
The Reilly Springs Jamboree is hosting a special dance
The Reilly Springs Jamboree is not having their regular third Saturday Jamboree. Instead, they are hosting a special Christmas Jamboree Dance on Saturday, December 9th, at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center located at 150 Martin Luther King Drive in Sulphur Springs. Admission is $10 per person or by donation. Make plans to go by, listen to some music, enjoy refreshments and be on your way OR stay for the entire evening and dance the night away to favorite country/western music performed by some of the best country musicians in the area, including recording artists Don Woods Jr. and Shanna Carter. What a wonderful way to enjoy some country music and support the fundraising efforts of the Senior Citizen Center at the same time!
Chamber Announcement:
We have an announcement regarding stew t-shirts. We have a few of the Come and Taste It t-shirts left unpurchased in each size at the Chamber. We’d like to clear these out, so we are selling them for $8.00 each. If you missed purchasing your shirts on Stew Contest day, give us a call at the Chamber! We’ll get your order ready where you can just pop in and grab them. Call quickly before they are all gone! (903) 885-6515.
New Members:
We would like to extend a huge welcome to our newest members of the Chamber of Commerce! Welcome Tim Halcomb Allstate, Sulphur Springs Veterinary Clinic, The Colonial Cowboy, Russell Cellular, Sulphur Springs Youth Orchestra! We are excited to have you in our Chamber family!
Lezley Brown
President/CEO
Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce
300 Connally Street
Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
903-885-6515-office
903-885-6516-fax
www.sulphursprings-tx.com
Failure to Signal Turn Results in Drug Arrest
Failure to signal 100 feet from a turn led to the stop of a 2013 Nissan Altima at the corner of Davis Street and Fleming Street. Candace Dawn Williams, 40, of Cumby, immediately began talking to the Hopkins County Deputy about a money transaction between her and another person.
A search of the vehicle revealed US currency and a receipt written for the money. The search also revealed a glass pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamine and the residue of a crystal like substance believed to be meth. The traffic stop was within 1000 feet of a day care.
Williams is in Hopkins County Jail charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 under 1-gram in a Drug Free Zone.
Woman Arrested for Stealing Money from Employer
In an interview with Hopkins County Chief Investigator Corley Weatherford at the Sheriff’s office Tuesday, Virginia Ann Tompkins, 59, of Wintrhrop, Arkansas, admitted to Theft more than $2500 but less than $30,000.
Tompkins admitted to stealing money from her previous employer, Joe Bob’s in Como. Evidence obtained by Weatherford from management of the convenience store shows an estimated $17,000 taken over the course of her employment. She admitted to stealing less than reported by the employer. The date of the offense discovery is March 1, 2017.
Tompkins is in Hopkins County Jail being held on a $10,000 bond.
Wildcats Down Rockwall 53-39; Now 4-0 on Season
The Wildcats’ basketball team remained unbeaten as they won a defensive struggle against Rockwall on the road, 53-39 Tuesday night (November 21). The Wildcats are now 4-0 for the season with three of their wins coming against Class 6A teams.
The Wildcats started slowly Tuesday and trailed after the first quarter 13-11. In the second quarter, the Wildcats allowed the Yellow Jackets only 4 points. The Wildcats scored the first 10 points in the quarter and ended up with 16 to take a 27-17 lead into halftime. Rockwall trimmed the lead to 7 points by outscoring the Wildcats 16-13 in the third quarter. The Wildcats led 40-33 after three. The Wildcats put the game away by outscoring the Yellow Jackets 13-6 in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats defense put the clamps on two Division I players. A Kansas commit scored only 6 points and a Depaul recruit only had three points.
Keaston Willis and Victor Iwuakor both scored 17 points for the Wildcats. Godsgift Ezedinma had 9 points. Michael Jefferson and Dedric Godbolt both scored 4 points. Xavier Cork put in 2 points. The Wildcats did a good job of rebounding and collected 20 offensive rebounds.
The Wildcats practice Wednesday and then take a Thanksgiving break. They resume play next Tuesday at Denison.
Lady Cats Score 71 in Afternoon Game in Paris
After a pair of games where the Lady Cats’ basketball team scored in the 30’s, they poured in the points against Paris taking a 71-41 win on the road Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Cats had 22 steals and forced 29 turnovers to get lots of transition baskets. That helped the Lady Cats shoot 50% for the game.
The Lady Cats scored the games first ten points and they led after one quarter, 21-8. They outscored Paris in the second quarter 14-10 to take a 35-18 lead into halftime. The Lady Cats also outscored Paris 19-7 in the third quarter and 17-16 in the fourth quarter. Kaylee Jefferson led the Lady Cats with 21 points and she had a team high 11 rebounds.
Sadavia Porter added 19 points. Autumn Tanton got off to a quick scoring start early and ended up with 14 points. Jemia Hall came off the bench to score 8 points. Te’Arria Rose scored six points on two successful three pointers. Porter also made a three. Imani Taylor had 3 points.
The Lady Cats are now 4-0 for the season. They have practice Wednesday and then will take a break for Thanksgiving. The Lady Cats return to play next Tuesday at Idabel, Oklahoma. Lady Cats Coach Jeff Chapman was the head coach at Idabel before coming to Sulphur Springs.
PJC Sulphur Springs News: SPRING REGISTRATION
SPRING REGISTRATION
Registration for the spring 2018 semester at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center has begun. Carli Withrow, a returning student, was among the first to finalize her spring schedule with adviser Carey Gable. On-campus registration will continue through Dec. 15 and again from Jan. 2-8. On-line registration is available through Jan. 15.
TxDOT to Begin Upgrades on FM 21 and FM 3357 in Franklin County
PARIS – Texas Department of Transportation officials today announced that a project to upgrade two Farm to Market Roads will begin Nov. 28 in Franklin County.
The contractor, CDM Holdings LLC, was granted 95 working days, weather permitting, to complete this project valued at more than $1.5 million. The projected completion date of this project is late June 2018, officials said.
The construction work will occur on FM 21, from FM 2723 to County Road 4140; and on FM 3357, from FM 115 to State Highway 37. The contractor will install safety treatments to existing structures, widen the roadway lanes, and apply a seal coat to the existing pavement, officials said.
The project will at times require temporary lane closures on both roads.
Those who regularly travel along these roads in Franklin County are advised to remain alert and pay special attention to all signs, barricades and traffic controls, and reduce their speed as they approach and travel through work zones. They should also avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating, drinking, or car audio or navigation systems.
TxDot logo
Sulphur Bluff Lady Bears Win at Union Hill
(Photos and information courtesy of Assistant Coach Zandra Peyton.)
The Sulphur Bluff Lady Bears traveled to Union Hill Tuesday and came home with a 27-23 win.
The Lady Bears started the first few minutes of the game down, then Ann Dorner hit two 3 pointers to get the team back in the game. The second half the girls played great defense and put a stop to Union Hills key player.
