Nov 27, 2013

Healthy Holidays Group Week 3!

The Satisfaction Factor….
Abraham Maslow has taught that we’re driven by our unmet needs.  It’s human nature to want what we can’t have.  We will usually do what it takes to calm down our sense of deprivation when our needs are not satisfied.  This is applicable with food, relationships, career, etc.
Many of us have lost the pleasure in eating and feeling satisfied.  If you feel truly satisfied with your eating experience, you will find that you eat far less food. Conversely, if you are unsatisfied, you will likely eat more and be on the prowl, regardless of your satiety level.
Take some time this holiday season to seek satisfactory eating experiences and remember this quote:
“In matters of taste, consider nutrition.  In matters of nutrition, consider taste.”
Try to make each meal the healthiest it can be (while still being satisfying).  And when it comes to eating nutritiously, try to make each meal as tasty as possible.  When we can find this balance we are more likely to have more satisfying eating experiences.

Healthy Meals and Snacks!
It’s probably not the best idea to head to a holiday party ravenous…
Have some healthier snacks and meals ready to go to avoid over indulging on sweets and treats because you’re so hungry and that’s all there is to eat.  You may be surprised how much less you’ll eat (and how much better you’ll feel!) if you’ve had a good satisfying meal beforehand. 
One easy way to make meals and snacks healthier is to include more fruits and vegetables! 

Here are a few ideas we came up with to fit more fruits and veggies into your day:
Add veggies to soups, stews and casseroles!
Add fruit to your oatmeal, cereal and pancakes!
Have a salad for one of your meals!
Keep frozen vegetables in your freezer so they’re ready to add to any meal!
Cut up your fruit and store them in ready to go bags and containers so you can grab them and go!
Try a new fruit or vegetable each week!
Have fruit for dessert! (You can even dip it in a little chocolate if you need your chocolate fix!)

Some great snack ideas are:
Frozen cubes of mango, Veggie quesadilla, salsa and whole grain crackers, low-fat cottage cheese with fruit spread and pretzels, trail mix, peanut butter and celery sticks, yogurt with berries and flaxseed, veggies dipped in hummus, a handful of nuts… try one today!



Try freezer meals!
You can make all your meals for the week in one day and just pull them out of the freezer when you need a quick meal!  Type ‘cooking for a week’ in your search engine and you’ll get tons of great websites!
Some Food Freezing tips:
Before freezing hot food, it’s important to let it cool down before you freeze it.
Portion your dish into meal sized containers or packages.  Label and date the containers and place them in a single layer in the coldest area of your freezer.
Use only specialty freezer wrappings: they should be both moisture-proof and vapor proof.  Look for items that say ‘freezer quality’ or ‘freezer safe’.
Leave as little air as possible.
Wrap solid foods like meats and baked goods tightly in foil before you bag them.
Meats from the butcher block are usually wrapped well enough to freeze... However if you buy the meat wrapped on Styrofoam trays with plastic wrap it won’t hold up well to freezing.  Re-wrap it before you freeze.
Check out the ‘Frozen Food Storage Guide’ to know how long you can freeze your favorite foods: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/sp_50_711_frozenfoodstorageguide.pdf

Here’s some great websites for some quick and easy recipes:
Eatingwell.com
Cookinglight.com
Campbellskitchen.com
Allrecipies.com
Kraftrecipies.com
Momswhothink.com
Skinnytaste.com
5dollardinners.com

Delish.com

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