Healthy holiday eating tips: By Alex Brown, Nutrition Intern
- Eat in moderation. Take a few moments to decide what you would enjoy eating the most and put a little bit of each on your plate.
- Eat slowly. Wait a few minutes before going for second servings.
- Stay active and make time for exercise. Go for a 20 minute walk after meals to help digestion.
- Eat more veggies. They add flavor, color, and nutrition to holiday recipes. They also help you feel fuller for longer.
Veggie inspired holiday dishes:
- Make a homemade holiday soup using roasted veggies and spices, such as soup using roasted butternut squash, sweet potato or pumpkin.
- Make a delicious veggie side dish, like roasted carrots and beets or roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash with pecans and cranberries.
- Stuff a veggie, such as bell peppers stuffed with turkey, brown rice and spices like cumin.
- Turn veggies into noodles, such as tomato and basil spaghetti squash or garlic, parmesan zucchini noodles.
- Make a root veggie mash, such as a potato mash with celery, parsnip, and spices.
Make a veggie casserole, like green bean casserole with shallots.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
A delicious soup to go with a holiday dinner.
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, cut in half vertically, seeds removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallot
1 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
1 to 2 tablespoon butter
To prepare:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place squash on pan, drizzle olive oil on inside of squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook squash face down for 45 minutes.
- In soup pot, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add shallot, salt.and garlic. Pour in blender.
- Scoop squash flesh into blender and add all other ingredients. Blend until creamy.