Apparently I am on a big soup kick these days because it seems as though I am blasting out a new soup every four or so days. The best part is that any uneaten soup gets chucked into the freezer for dinner down the road. Two dinners for the work of one – gotta love it.
Here was tonight’s menu:
Spicy Almonds
Green Salad with cubed apple and pomegranates
Whole Wheat bread
Thanksgiving is meant to be an enjoyable day on which we celebrate the things for which we are thankful. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving dinner, which is traditionally large and excessive, evokes negative feelings for those who struggle in their relationship with food and their body. It may be physical feelings of discomfort from overeating or it may be emotional feelings such as dread, anxiety, guilt, or self-deprivation.
To create a more positive and enjoyable experience at Thanksgiving dinner, it is important to be mindful as well as thankful. Even if these feelings do not sound familiar to you, the following mindful eating practices can be useful to role model and teach your children to help in their development of a healthy relationship with food.
Harvested some brussel sprouts from the garden for dinner tonight. The old man and I are big fans but the kids, shockingly, not so much. But, with a little gagging (ignored by my husband and I) and a little ketchup, they still chose to eat some.
Tonight’s dinner:
White bean burgers
Brussel sprouts
Homemade cranberry applesauce
Vanilla ice cream
Bruschetta grilled cheese (mixture of tomato, basil, garlic, and olive oil added to standard grilled cheese)
Roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes (Cook chopped parsnips in boiling water for three minutes. Then transfer to a bowl and add chopped sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread in single layer on pan and cook at 425 until tender and slightly crisped)
Green salad
Sliced pears
The grocery store can be confusing and exhausting these days, particularly when straying from the produce department or the health-conscious co-op. To help navigate the aisles, I’ll give you my pick each week on a different type of food that might be purchased in a standard grocery store. Keep in mind, a healthy diet is based predominantly on whole, natural foods. My pick is your best bet among brand-name products, not necessarily the best thing to eat. Also, review the ingredients list periodically on these foods because brands frequently change their recipes without notification.
Amy’s picks from crackers:
Wasa Hearty or Whole Grain
Melba Snacks, Whole Grain variety
Wild Harvest Organic Stoneground Wheat
Nabisco Triscuit, Hint of Salt
Kashi, Heart to Heart
Why: The vast majority of crackers available in your basic grocery store are nutritional duds. To find the best of the worst, compare the sodium, fiber, and trans fat content. Choose a cracker that is among the lowest in sodium, the highest in fiber, and does not contain “partially hydrogenated oils” in the ingredients list. Keep serving sizes in mind when making comparisons across brands. You should also look for a whole grain (which provides the fiber among other nutrients) as the first ingredient. Ritz “whole grain” crackers , for example, claim to contain whole grains yet the first ingredient is an enriched fiber (a.k.a. not a whole grain).