Tags: Dietitian’s Choice
Greens and Grains Winter Salad
5 Holiday Hosting Tips
5 Holiday Hosting Tips
The holidays are here, and that means lots of time spent celebrating with family and friends. But when loved ones are in town for the holiday season, there never seems to be enough time in the day. Cue – holiday stress! You’re juggling the hustle of the holidays in addition to the importance of quality time spent with those you love. To help navigate the challenging role of being a host during the holiday season, I bring you 5 holiday hosting tips to help make the most of your time together as you entertain your guests!
1. Have A Game Plan
Just like writing up plays on the whiteboard before a hockey game, you can write up your game plan before your holiday meal. But instead of the whiteboard, use your dining table! Decide which serving dishes you want to use for each recipe and set them out on the table. Put a sticky note on each dish that shows where the recipe belongs. Go ahead and set your entire dining table; napkins, silverware, serving dishes, and décor. Basically, anything that isn’t food. The best part about this strategy is that you’re able to complete it as early as you would like!
2. Alleviate the Stress of Food Allergies and Preferences
Of course, allergies are something to take very seriously as a host. Always ask your guests for guidance on navigating their allergies. They’re the expert on how to cook in compliance with their allergies after all! Plus, they’ll appreciate your efforts to accommodate. For example, instead of the added stress involved in finding gluten free recipes, ask your gluten-free guests what kinds of products they use or if they have a favorite recipe. They’re more than likely to share a few tips and tricks for cooking according to their allergy. And don’t be afraid to take them up on an offer to bring a dish that fits their dietary needs!
3. Try mise en Place Preparation
Mise en place is a French phrase that means “to gather”. The strategy is common in commercial kitchens, but I love adapting it for use at home! It simplifies the process when you’re cooking multiple dishes for one event.
Grab a tray or baking sheet and get started by measuring out all the ingredients for a recipe. Place the measured-out ingredients on the tray or baking sheet, along with the recipe card. No more searching for ingredients or making a mess with measuring in the midst of cooking!
4. Make Breakfast Bakes Ahead of Time and Freeze
Egg based breakfast bakes freeze exceptionally well – take advantage of it! Follow the recipe as you normally would from the first step to the last step. Instead of cutting it up to serve, cover the bake and freeze it! In the 24 hours before you expect guests to arrive, pull the breakfast bake out and place it in the refrigerator to thaw. When your brunch guests arrive or when your house guests start to wake up, reheat the egg bake. Simply heat the oven to 375F and bake the dish until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F! Then, serve it up to your guests. It tastes delicious and you get to enjoy time visiting with loved ones instead of cooking in the kitchen.
5. Have Snacks on Hand
Even if you don’t have houseguests, you never know when someone might drop by during the holidays! Quick and simple snacks are nice to have for surprise visits and to tide over the household between celebrations. Here are a few of my favorites to have on hand:
- Cheese, meat, and cracker tray
- Veggie tray with dip
- Popcorn
- Pretzels (bonus points for a fun holiday pretzel dip!)
- Frozen pizza (cut into small squares for a group to snack on)
- Fruit
- Yogurt
- Chips and salsa
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Whether it’s out of town guests, dinner guests, or simply your adult children home for the holidays – it can be stressful. But not this year! You’re armed with these tips to host guests without the stress this holiday season.
Interested in reading about my tips for enjoying food around the holidays? Check out my tips from a recent blog: 3 Ways to Keep Joy in Food This Holiday Season
Enjoy the holidays, and happy eating!
Jess, Registered Dietitian
MPPD, RDN, LD
Tuscan Chicken with White Beans
Tuscan Chicken with White Beans
This Tuscan Chicken with White Beans recipe is loaded with amazing flavor, and also full of good nutrition, making it a win-win! Our dietitians are adding new recipes all the time, so check out our Dietitians Choice Recipes page for all their latest recipes!
Shop from the comfort of your home! You can shop online at any of our proud family of stores for these recipe ingredients as well as the rest of your grocery list! We offer curbside pick up at all locations and delivery in select locations as well. Don’t forget to connect your MORE Rewards account when you shop online for extra savings, digital coupons, and many other rewards too!
Savor this take on dinner starring the rustic flavors of Tuscany. Simple ingredients and prep, try one-dish Tuscan Chicken with White Beans tonight.
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French Onion Bruschetta
Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
This Butternut Squash Soup from Crystal Farms is the perfect cozy comfort meal for Fall… plus it’s Dietitian Approved! Our dietitians are adding new recipes all the time, so check out our Dietitians Choice Recipes page for all their latest recipes!
Shop from the comfort of your home! You can shop online at any of our proud family of stores for these recipe ingredients as well as the rest of your grocery list! We offer curbside pick up at all locations and delivery in select locations as well. Don’t forget to connect your MORE Rewards account when you shop online for extra savings, digital coupons, and many other rewards too!
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3 Ways to Keep the Joy in Food This Holiday Season
3 Ways to Keep the Joy in Food This Holiday Season
Brrr! This chill in the air has us all thinking about the quickly approaching holidays. Thanksgiving is already this month! While there’s a lot of excitement with the holidays, there can also be a lot of stress when it comes to food choices. Many people experience both social pressure and self-imposed pressure to make the right food choices or to look a certain way. It’s a common experience to label certain holiday foods as “unhealthy” or to start a diet in preparation for seeing lots of family and friends. This restriction mindset is unsustainable and often backfires. So, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to keep the holiday food just as joyful as the holiday it’s associated with!
These are my 3 tactics for keeping the joy in food this holiday season:
1. Don’t underestimate the emotional value of food.
Food is so much more than just fuel for our bodies! There’s a strong emotional connection to food. It reminds us of people, places, events, and more. Have you ever noticed how there’s that *one* dish that you crave every holiday? Take a moment and think about why. Is it a loved one’s recipe and you’re reminded of them when you eat it? Does it remind you of the joyful celebrations of years’ past? Food triggers a deep emotional response because it always involves at least 4 out of 5 senses. When you skip those foods not only do you miss out on that joyful experience, but you’re also ignoring an emotional need.
Here’s an example! Christmas is right around the corner, and you find yourself longing for your grandma’s cookies. You remember baking cookies with her around the holidays growing up, and your mom still makes her recipe when the family gets together for a Christmas celebration. But you’re worried about the sugar and butter in the cookies, so you tell yourself that you’re going to make “healthier choices” instead. Now you’re at the family Christmas gathering, spending most of your mental energy convincing yourself not to grab the cookies and that the fruit you put on your plate instead is just fine. How would things have gone differently if you had added two cookies to your plate of fruit? You likely wouldn’t spend the entire evening in a mental battle, and you would be present and joyful!
2. Focus instead on what you can add of value to your food choices.
All foods fit into a healthful diet. But of course, you won’t feel too well if you only eat mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner! Instead of thinking in terms of what you “shouldn’t” eat, think in terms of what you can add of value to your plate. For example, if you know that Thanksgiving dinner with your family often lacks vegetables, consider offering to bring a fun, veggie-filled side! Enjoy those classic Thanksgiving dishes that you love but also add some veggies to your plate with the side you brought.
3. Give yourself grace.
If the above tips don’t go as planned, give yourself some grace! It’s easy to get caught up chatting about food, diet, and lifestyle because they are common conversation starters. Those conversations can make it tough to maintain a positive mindset about food around the holidays. It can start to feel like others are judging your food choices, and that opens the door for your own inner critic to take over. Don’t let it!
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The holidays are for celebrating, and food is part of that celebration. Keep the joy in food this holiday season and cherish the foods that bring you happiness!
Happy Eating!
Jess, Registered Dietitian
MPPD, RDN, LD
Banana Ghosts
Banana Ghosts
Don’t let these Banana Ghosts scare you – they’re friendly! And they make the perfect Halloween themed after school treat. Our dietitians are adding new recipes all the time, so check out our Dietitians Choice Recipes page for all their latest recipes!
Shop from the comfort of your home! You can shop online at any of our proud family of stores for these recipe ingredients as well as the rest of your grocery list! We offer curbside pick up at all locations and delivery in select locations as well. Don’t forget to connect your MORE Rewards account when you shop online for extra savings, digital coupons, and many other rewards too!
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Marinated Pork and Spicy Apple Butter Sandwiches
This is an easy-to-fix meal to have at home, but works for a picnic or at a tailgate party. Serve with sweet potato chips and warmed apple cider.
‘Filet of Fish’ Wild Alaska Pollock Tacos
This recipe is a riff on a classic flavor combination. A sure crowd-pleaser for all ages, this recipe is made easy and quick in taco form.
Family Meals Month – What’s Stopping You?
Family Meals Month- What’s Stopping You?
Making the time to eat together is no simple task. But it’s worth the effort! In fact, it’s so important that we dedicate the entire month of September to family meals. Sharing meals together has been proven to strengthen family bonds, foster emotional balance, and improve nutrition. The physical and emotional benefits of family meals are endless! However, many barriers exist that make family meals tough to stick with.
Time
There never seems to be enough time in the day! Especially when you’re juggling school, sports, and work schedules. Take advantage of your free time during the week to prep meals. I like to call this “being kind to your future self”! Whether it’s cutting up your fruits and veggies over the weekend or throwing together some meals to put in the freezer – you’ll be amazed at how much time you save!
Also, no one said that your family meal must be dinner. Maybe a family meal at your house looks like having breakfast together before school or work! That flexibility with your mealtimes allows you to adapt to whatever the day throws at you. And you can be just as flexible with your meal options! Put together a list of meals that you could make with the ingredients you have on hand, then choose which makes sense for a certain day.
High Expectations
It’s overwhelming to think about having family meals each day. Rest assured, you don’t need to do an overhaul of your schedule to make family meals happen. In fact, as few as 3 family meals per week saw a 24% increase in healthier food consumption.Start small, even if that means 1 family meal per week. Feel free to keep it simple with your food choices, and don’t forget to be kind to your future self!
Decision Fatigue
We’ve all been there – it’s 6pm, the family is hungry (including you), and you’re staring into the pantry debating what to make for dinner. After a long day, it’s natural to feel decision fatigue. After all, you’ve just spent all day making decisions! Meal planning and prep alleviates the stress of deciding what to make for dinner. Find what works best for you: That could mean having entire meals prepped in the freezer or writing out a meal plan for the week. Either way, the goal is to make decisions easier after a long day!
Different Food Preferences
Family meals involve balancing the preferences of many. Which poses a huge challenge! Eliminate the fuss by offering well-liked dishes alongside new ones. Children, and yes even adults, will be more willing to try new foods that they see other family members eating. (Another benefit of family meals!) If you’re dealing with picky eaters, keep in mind that it can take up to 10 attempts of offering food for a child to eat it.
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When you prioritize family meals, you prioritize the physical and emotional well-being of the whole family. And we challenge you to give family meals a try this month! Here are some of our resources to help you get started:
- Healthy Eating on a Budget
- Meals in Minutes
- Dietitian’s Choice Recipes
- Dietitian Tips on Meal Prepping
Happy Family Meals Month™!
-Jess,
Registered Dietitian
Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Apples and Onions
Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Apples and Onions
When this Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Apples and Onions is cooked on low in a slow cooker, it’s tender, juicy, and downright delectable! Our dietitians are adding new recipes all the time, so check out our Dietitian’s Choice Recipes page for all their latest recipes!
Shop from the comfort of your home! You can shop online at any of our proud family of stores for these recipe ingredients as well as the rest of your grocery list! We offer curbside pick up at all locations and delivery in select locations as well. Don’t forget to connect your MORE Rewards account when you shop online for extra savings, digital coupons, and many other rewards too!
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Turkey Roll-Ups aka Lunchbox Sushi
A fun finger food! These tasty roll ups look like sushi and are packed full of veggies. Round this lunchbox out with popcorn and apples with nut butter, and you have a tasty lunch!
Blueberry and Pecan Stuffed Sweet Potato
Celebrate North America’s native crops with this flavor-packed breakfast or side dish.
Roasted Blueberry, Pecan, and Ricotta Toast
Roasted Blueberry, Pecan, and Ricotta Toast
Make blueberries and pecans the star of your breakfast with this sweet and savory Roasted Blueberry, Pecan, and Ricotta Toast recipe. Our dietitian’s are adding new recipes all the time, so check out our Dietitians Choice Recipes page for all their latest recipes!
Shop from the comfort of your home! You can shop online at any of our proud family of stores for these recipe ingredients as well as the rest of your grocery list! We offer curbside pick up at all locations and delivery in select locations as well. Don’t forget to connect your MORE Rewards account when you shop online for extra savings, digital coupons, and many other rewards too!
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