Today, it was too hot to cook and I was too tired to try to pull something together. Out to a local restaurant we headed. Everyone in the family was quite hungry so we quickly scanned the menu and put in our order. Perhaps the fatigue in my legs from a grueling bike ride up the Appalachian Gap that afternoon had spread to my brain because when my dinner arrived, I realized that I had not paid any
attention to what I had ordered.

The dinner was a special for the day, called the Grueben.  The Grueben was a spin off from the traditional Rueben sandwich.  It entailed  fried grouper filet topped with sauerkraut and a healthy smear of Thousand Island dressing between two grilled sliced of Italian sourdough.  Oh, and it was served with a mountain of french fries. This may sound tasty to some but from a nutrition standpoint, it is a nightmare. White bread, essentially no vegetables and chock-a-buck full of saturated fats from the deep-fat frying.

So, here’s the point. I shrugged my shoulders and chowed down on the sandwich. Surprised? This may discount my nutritional integrity to some fellow dietitians or health fanatics but as I say in Rule Number 1 of Nutrition, I believe that no food is forbidden. Eating one unhealthy sandwich is not as important as the average intake. Likewise, eating healthy for one snack will not negate three
meals of junk food that day. Your average intake determines your health. To create a healthy emotional relationship with food, it is important not to get bogged down in ensuring that every single bite of food that enters your body is nutritionally acceptable. The emotional toll and stress of being too preoccupied with your diet can make all those good intentions backfire and result in a dysfunctional relationship.

Keep this in mind over the next few months.  Summer vacations sometimes mean that you may find yourself faced with food choices that are a far cry from healthy.  Believe me, I have tried to dig up one nutritional item at some of those interstate rest stops and it is near impossible.  Do the best you can, pack or plan ahead of possible and keep in mind the big picture is the one that matters.

Nothing too special tonight – it just felt too hot to think about making dinner.  Vermonters don’t do well above 85 degrees.  Here was tonight’s menu:

Veggie burgers on whole wheat buns

Salad – mixed greens, beets, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers (I cut up a ton the other day and have them ready to go at a moment’s notice)

Sliced apples

It may not be Cinco de Mayo but tonight was TACO NIGHT!  There are hard and soft shell fans in the family so I usually buy both hard corn taco shells and soft whole wheat tortillas (smaller the better to force some portion control on the gang.)  Taco fillings differ but I always use this as an opportunity to get in some vegetarian proteins, whether that be with seasoned tofu or beans.

Tacos – black beans, sauteed mushrooms, monterey jack cheese, spinach, cilantro, tomatoes

Baked sweet potatoes

Fresh cubed mango

Pineapple sorbet

So, the original dinner plans were scraped when the weather turned to cold rain and my cold bones cried out for a warm soup.  However, twenty minutes into making the soup, I suddenly emerged from the apparent fog in which my mind had been functioning and realized that the soup needed 90 more minutes of simmering yet dinner was 20 minutes away.   Grind teeth slightly, plastered on a forced smile because small eyes were watching and it was back to original dinner plans.  Did I mention that I also poured a glass of wine?

Here is tonight’s menu:

Salad greens topped with black beans, sliced grape tomatoes, corn kernels, and a few crumbs from the bottom of a bag of tortilla chips

Avocado/Cilantro dressing, adapted from Eating Well magazine (puree in a blender: 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 2 chopped scallions, lime juice from 1/2 lime,  3/4 cup cilantro, pinch sugar and pinch salt)

Grilled chicken breasts

Sliced apples

This menu cooks up pretty quickly, in about 30 minutes, making this good for a weekday dinner.  And the menu was…

Lemony shrimp with white beans and couscous

Sauteed asparagus spears

Steamed carrots

Sliced pears

Can’t beat this for a selling point – my seven-year old non-soup eater asked for seconds on the soup!

Sweet Potato & Pear Soup

Fresh baked bread (thank you, Vergennes Laundry, the Seinfeld Soup Nazis of the bread world)

Spinach salad topped with sliced almonds

Sliced strawberries

Fish tonight – gotta get in those omega-3 fatty acids!  The kids used to cast a dubious eye on the carrot orzo but now its a family favorite.   Here was tonight’s menu:

Broiled sockeye salmon filet (seasoned with lemon, pepper, garlic)

Carrot orzo

Steamed Broccoli

Sliced strawberries

Here’s a meal for anyone who has ever wondered what to do with tofu.  My absolute favorite marinated tofu recipe, compliments of Middlebury Co-Op!  Our menu tonight was:

Noodle soup of soba noodles, edamame, red pepper, snap peas, and sweet ginger tofu (cook noodles according to directions replacing most of the water with low sodium broth, throw a bunch of fresh or frozen chopped vegetables into pot, top with warm tofu when serving)

Mandarin oranges

Almond cookies

Another mad dash home from work – this time from the ski mountain – and an even madder dash to get dinner on the table, particularly because tomorrow is grocery day (translation – empty fridge and pantry.)    However, all of the chaos was proven well worth it when my five-year-old muttered an  unprompted “I love this” midway through the meal.  I am still in shock.

Frittata made with sharp cheddar cheese and leftover steamed broccoli

Whole wheat toast triangles

Canned peaches

I was working late tonight so dinner had to be something that could be put together quickly – or at least made ahead to some degree.  Enchiladas, always a family favorite, fit the bill.  I made the enchilada sauce yesterday (this is the best homemade enchilada sauce recipe I have found to date) as well as the rice.  That left just a few steps left to whip up tonight’s meal.  I usually make a large number of enchiladas and freeze the extras (before baking or adding sauce) on a baking sheet.  Once frozen, I toss them into a freezer bag for dinner another night.  Here was tonight’s menu:

Enchiladas

Fresh mango cubes mixed with a can of crushed pineapple

Green salad

Oatmeal Raisin cookies