Healthy Holidays

Mindfulness Moments

December 2, 2019November 26, 2019 by Allison Stowell

Slowing down during the holidays may sound about as hard as finding the perfect present in minutes, but it can be done. In fact, it should be a priority. After all, the essence of this joyous season isn’t to crank up the stress, but rather to connect with family and friends, capture the moments of your growing children, and maybe enjoy a cookie or two. Yes, even your dietitian understands the gravitational pull of Christmas cookies and other seasonal sweets. While I may not be able to lure you away from all your traditional treats, I can with that daily Advent calendar chocolate that counts you down to Christmas. Even better, with just a bit of thought, I can help you create those mindful moments and offer alternatives to chocolate-filled Advent calendars.

Making the Most of Holiday Hunger Relief Efforts

November 27, 2019November 14, 2019 by Garrick Brown

During the holiday season, we see an increase in efforts to address hunger like food drives, fundraisers for area food banks and volunteering at food pantries, food banks, food rescue organizations or free, community meal programs. This additional help is welcomed by our hunger relief partners who support the 37 million people in the U.S. […]

Speedy Prep Tips for Turkey Day

November 25, 2019November 12, 2019 by Kitty Broihier

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner is time-consuming—especially if you are doing most of that cooking yourself. (If you’re not flying solo in the kitchen, consider these ideas for crowdsourcing your dinner.) And, while I love the holiday, the cozy family time and of course, the food, I also love a good kitchen short-cut that doesn’t sacrifice quality and gives me more time to enjoy the day. Here are a few ideas for getting the food prepped faster—and you out of the kitchen quicker…

A Better-For-You Friendsgiving Menu

November 18, 2019November 14, 2019 by Garrick Brown

Do you have Friendsgiving plans this year? This holiday, where you share a meal with friends in lieu of family, is increasingly popular among millennials. The concept might have started with college students or coworkers who didn’t have a place to go or the ability to travel home for Thanksgiving, but now it has taken on a life of its own. Groups of close friends (often in their 20s and 30s) gather the weekend before Thanksgiving for a feast in addition to the main holiday event. I’m sure you can understand the appeal of an evening with best friends and more of those classic holiday dishes. But this trend can double an already indulgent holiday. Don’t worry though, we’ve got you covered with our better-for-you Friendsgiving menu.

Shop Smart, Not Hard, for Thanksgiving

November 4, 2019October 29, 2019 by Allison Stowell

If you host a large Thanksgiving, as I do, then the beginning of November marks the beginning of planning and locating recipes ready to make your menu shine. I annually host a Thanksgiving for about 35 people. (Yes, you read that correctly.) With plenty of planning (and furniture moving) we seem to pull off a delightful day. There are some smart shopping strategies that are the key to making it work. I’m happy to share the process with you.

Tricks to Making Halloween a Treat

October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 by Garrick Brown

Happy Halloween! It’s almost time for families to go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood or, as I recently learned from my son’s daycare, a trunk. Here are some tricks for making this year’s Halloween a treat for the entire family. Let’s get this party started…

Supporting and Celebrating a New Mom

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019 by Garrick Brown

With Mother’s Day approaching, I’m writing about celebrating motherhood from my new perspective as a father. My wife gave birth to our first child, a son, in early April. We think he’s precious, despite his nocturnal lifestyle. We’re reassured by the promise that his sleep habits will improve in due time. It might seem odd to be offering parenting advice when I’m a little over a month into fatherhood, but I hope my experience can be helpful to others going through the same thing.

Give Some Thought to Food Gifts

December 11, 2018December 12, 2018 by Kitty Broihier

Feeding others or providing edible holiday gifts is a long held tradition, and we’re all for it! Giving food gifts—especially homemade ones—is an act that comes from the heart and shows care and consideration. And that’s what you’re going for when you give a food gift, right? Purchased food gifts of high-quality provisions or local specialties are also welcomed by most (I myself love getting those nice boxes of citrus fruit) and the convenience factor for the giver cannot be beat.