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Attending Halloween Events in Your Area

In front of haunted house during Halloween sea...

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Dressing up and participating in local activities is just part of the fun of Halloween. No matter where you live, there will be at least one party, costume contest, or get-together that you want to be a part of. You’ve been invited; you know what you are going to wear, but what else should you be concerned about? Here are a few things to ponder when it comes to being a guest at a Halloween event.

Bring Something Along to Share

Never come into someone’s home empty-handed. Because so much of this holiday emphasizes treats and goodies, look up a few Halloween dessert recipes. Look for recipes with a healthy twist to make sure you have something to snack on while visiting. Dress up whatever it is you bring in something festive. Add little tombstones to your cupcakes or make your cake look like a witch’s hat. You can trick your host and hostess into trying a treat that is actually healthy.

Eat Before You Go

While it may not sound like much fun, you know that Halloween events in your area are jam-packed with all sorts of tempting treats. It can be tough to watch everyone else indulge when you can’t find one thing on the table that will fit with your current food decision. Make it a little easier by preparing an interesting meal before you go. Make it a real treat so that you don’t feel left out at the event. Create one of your favorite desserts or treats and remind yourself that it is waiting on the counter for you to get home.

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Donating Does Not Have to Hurt

For some reason, many people think that donating to charity is a pain. They put it off, they make excuses to avoid doing it, and they tell themselves they have nothing of value to donate that they could possibly part with. None of this is true, because there are a myriad of reasons to donate, and there are plenty of things that you can donate that are not going to affect your life at all.

  1. Canned Food: There is bound to be canned food that you bought but do not want to eat. The shelf life on most canned food is long enough that you can donate things that have been sitting in your pantry for a while. Make sure to check the dates on everything before you clear out your pantry.
  2. That Old Junker: If you have a car in your possession that you are not using, why not donate it to a worthy cause such as Kars for Kids?
  3. Books: Books from children that have left home, textbooks a college child no longer needs, and your collection of read-and-forgotten paperbacks can all benefit a charity that can resell them and donate the proceeds to families in need.
  4. Clothing: If it doesn’t fit, donate it. Clothing your children have outgrown can benefit a family that has no clothing to sustain them. Go through your whole home and purge clothing, towels, blankets, pillow cases, and other items that you no longer need.
  5. Your time: Everyone has a little time to donate. Give a weekend of your time to charity.

These are just five: How many ways to donate can you come up with on your own?

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Good Tasting & Good For You

A picture taken, of A Green Salad.

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Nutritional standards are continually changing. To know if you are eating right, you should use the USDA’s updated dietary guidelines. A woman that is 5’5” tall and weighs 140 pounds should take in approximately 2350 calories per day assuming she is moderately active. These calories should come from vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, low fat dairy and few oils. Having a hard time coming up with healthy eats that offer tons of flavor? Try the following:

Breakfast

One whole grain English muffin with a tablespoon of peanut butter and sliced fresh strawberries, a side of lowfat yogurt topped with blueberries

-or-

An egg white breakfast burrito with peppers, tomatoes, lowfat cheese and pinto beans wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla

Lunch

Tossed salad made with romaine, cooked chicken breast, shredded carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and purple cabbage topped with chopped unsalted almonds and a drizzle of olive oil flavored with balsamic vinegar—as a side, have whole grain pita bread triangles dipped in hummus

-or-

A turkey sandwich on flaxseed bread with pureed cranberries and spinach leaves, paired with julienned steamed vegetables and a glass of low fat milk

Sweet Snack

A bowl of mixed berries topped with a tablespoon of lowfat whipped topping

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A frozen banana drizzled in chocolate sauce

Dinner

Broiled fish paired with steamed California vegetables, cottage cheese and cantaloupe, along with a whole grain dinner roll

-or-

Boneless, skinless grilled chicken breast topped with mango chutney, a side of long grain brown rice and a variety of raw vegetables (use a sour cream based dip as a low fat alternative to ranch dressing)

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Fresh, Frozen, or Canned – Comparing Choices in Produce

Animated .gif pictures of vegetables

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Vegetables pair well with so many meals. There is a lot of controversy over the health benefits of fresh versus frozen versus canned vegetables. While each has its own positives and negatives, the general consensus is that you can obtain the same nutrient content as long as you vary the types of veggies that you eat.

Frozen Vegetables

Frozen veggies are great because they keep well in the freezer, they are easy to steam and they seem to retain as many, and sometimes more, vitamins than fresh vegetables. They are often flash frozen shortly after being picked, so there is little chance of degradation and nutrient loss.

Fresh Vegetables

Fresh vegetables are nice because they are often crisp and palate pleasing. The down side is that fresh produce does not keep very long. Unless you use it within 3-10 days it will often wilt, spoil or turn to mush.

Canned Vegetables

That leads us to canned veggies. When vegetable are canned, they will last for a very long time, often years. Canned vegetables are easy to add to soups and casseroles and they can even be eaten directly out of the can. This is great if the power is out as you will always have a source of energy within reach that you don’t have to cook or refrigerate.

Whichever form you buy your vegetables in, simply make sure you always have a variety on hand. Produce should fill approximately 2/3 of your plate for each meal; this ensures you are getting your RDA of vitamins and minerals.

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New Additions to Holiday Meals

Picture of fries made from sweet potatoes.

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Planning meals for special occasions is pretty simple if you have done it in the past. There are certain items that people simply expect to be on the table. Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving without the turkey, corn, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and finally, the gravy. Easter would not be Easter if the table wasn’t adorned with ham, candied yams, pastel hard boiled eggs, some sort of fruit fluff salad (you know the stuff–cool whip mixed with various fruits), and baked potatoes. But, what if you want to rebel and mix it all up? Ham on Thanksgiving, prime rib on Easter? Can your family handle it?

If you want to try something new for the holidays, go for it, but do so in moderation. If you know your family particularly looks forward to certain dishes, make sure they end up on the table. The best way to get your family to move beyond their favorite holiday comfort foods is to add in new dishes along with the old standbys. Try twice baked baby potatoes with your Easter ham this year. They are a snap to make and they taste terrific. Instead of sweet potato casserole, bake some sweet potato fries. No one really loves that fruit fluff, everyone just eats it because they grew up with it. Skip it this year and make fruit kabobs with a raspberry-honey yogurt dip.

Keep the family favorites, but present them in a new way. This keeps the cook from getting bored and the guests from getting upset. Also consider serving buffet style this year. That makes it easy for everyone to serve themselves, get seconds (or thirds) and it keeps the occasion a bit more relaxed. And really, who couldn’t use more relaxation in their lives?

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Good Food on Vacation

This is actually Tom's Restaurant, NYC. Famous...

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Finding a restaurant while on vacation is never difficult. The difficult part is finding a restaurant where the food is worth the money that you are paying, particularly if the cash stash is getting low. Most vacation hot spots offer guides to dining and entertainment. Next time you’re on vacation, skip these suggestions and simply ask the locals where they go. Swing in to a grocery store and ask the cashier where she takes her family on a night out.

The best restaurant meals come from eateries where the food is purchased locally and fresh. Think of it this way; if you were in Maine on your next vacation, would you visit a seafood chain restaurant to eat lobster, or would you hunt down the diner that purchases fresh catches as they come in?

Consider the area of the country you are visiting and narrow down your restaurant choices by what is available locally. So, what foods are some of our fifty states famous for?

  • If you are visiting Wisconsin, any type of cheese-based meal is going to be a good bet.
  • Traveling through Iowa? Beef is the way to go.
  • Don’t forget the peach pie on your next trip to Georgia.
  • Nebraska produces some of the biggest ears of corn you can get.
  • Apples are Washington’s favorite fruit.
  • Check out the chicken in Tennessee.
  • If you’re in Vermont, hit the pancake house because the syrup doesn’t get much sweeter.

Remember that vacationing is all about the experience. Why eat something that you can have every day back home when there is new and appetizing fare to be had? Try something new to add to your vaca-adventure. You always remember more about an experience when your senses are engaged. What better way to do that, than with great food.

Finding good food on vacation can be done without spending a ton of money. Ask around to find the best places to go—local favorites minus the tourist prices!

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Grocery Shopping for the Easily Frustrated

Example of an American grocery store aisle.

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For many people, grocery shopping is a tedious task. You have to take into consideration which foods everyone likes or dislikes, how much time you’ll have to cook meals, and of course, the cost of ingredients. Wow, rather makes you want to order take-out just thinking about it… Make your meal planning—and, in turn, your grocery shopping—easier with a few of these tips:

  • Write out a list of meals that everyone in the house likes. Try to come up with at least forty. Time-consuming? Yes, but it will make future meal planning much easier!
  • Once you have your list made, look for common ingredients that are used in the meals. This is your list of pantry foods—in other words, foods that you will want to keep on hand. Stock up on any dried and canned goods on your list that you can expect to use up in the next six months. Frozen goods can often be stored at least three months (sometimes longer).
  • To save money, make bulk purchases if you know your family will consume the items before they go bad. Most wholesale clubs have a membership fee, but this can quickly pay for itself, particularly if you have a large family. If your family is smaller, consider sharing the membership cost with a friend or neighbor.
  • When you have stocked up on pantry items, your weekly grocery shopping dwindles down to a quick trip for produce and dairy products, leaving you plenty of time to cook meals or even relax for a little while!
  • Be sure to keep a notepad in the kitchen. When an item runs low, it should be noted on the list so you can pick it up during your weekly “quick trip” to the grocer.
  • Another way to spend less time in the grocery store is to grow some of your own fruits and veggies. This is  a fun activity that gets the whole family involved!
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