Nutritious choices made simple®
Reimagine the season and bring better health to your holidays with Guiding Stars recipes that are easy to make and serve a small, distanced crowd. It takes planning, along with embracing ideas for a COVID-safe gathering and accepting a new take on old traditions. While it may not be the holidays you usually picture, with these ideas and tips, it can still be a season that brings family and friends together, even if while staying six feet apart.
The picture-perfect holiday scene doesn’t just “happen,” but instead takes a bit (just a bit!) of work and planning. While the holiday season is a busy time, it’s also a time for mindful moments, with opportunities to be thankful and express gratitude. Believe it or not, it can also be about self-care and choices that make things easier on you. Let’s see if we can start by building holiday food traditions that your family loves that don’t wear you down.
If Halloween is a big holiday in your home, you know that even a historic pandemic can’t stop the desire for spirited, spooky fun. Luckily, we can create an exciting night while keeping the holiday COVID-safe. If you’re not sure how to make that happen, we have some ideas for you.
There are many messages we’ve heard for so long that we just believe them to be truth. “Wear a jacket or you’ll catch a cold.” “Cracking joints causes arthritis.” These are two examples (and incidentally, are myths) that come to mind. But what about carrots and eye health? Are carrots good for your eyes, or is that another health message we’ve been led to believe? Carrots are delicious, versatile, and ideal for a variety of snacks and sides, but are we increasing our odds for 20/20 vision when we enjoy them? Let’s take a closer look (sorry, couldn’t resist).
Making meal prep a family affair is not only an important step toward raising kids who are comfortable in the kitchen, but it’s a great way to spend time together. At a moment that’s all about finding fun things to do at home, bring the family into the kitchen to create meals and delicious dishes you can all be proud of and excited to enjoy together.
If you’re the family meal planner in charge of the plan/shop/cook process for your household, you know that when the rest of the family is there to share in the task it’s a good thing. When it also helps bring the family together, it’s even better. From sharing who picks the meal, exploring the local market for the ingredients you need, and finally bringing it all together with one another in the kitchen, meal prepping can foster family time.
Let’s consider lunch packs, the packaged combinations of high-sodium lunch meat, cheese, and crackers that made an early debut as a ready-to-go school lunch option. Today there are many of these items on the market that are composed of lower sodium and more healthful options. That said, they still may not earn a Guiding Star. In this case, I believe there is another strategy we can use to decide if a packaged food is a good choice.
If your daily tasks include packing school lunch, you know it can get tiring to come up with ideas your kids will eat every day, while keeping it interesting, safe, and nutritious. Like any other meal you plan and prep for, school lunch must fit into a balanced day. There are a few common pitfalls many of us fall into when considering what our kids need packed in their lunch bag. Let’s avoid them together.