BE Healthy

Eating healthy during the holidays is a challenge, but here are a few quick swaps you can make to improve your meals.

(1) WINE: Sardinia, Italy is one of the few places in the world designated as a ‘Blue Zone’. A ‘Blue Zone’ is a place whose inhabitants live longer and healthier than most. One of the habits linked to their longevity is their red wine consumption- specifically, the type of red wine they drink - Cannonau di Sardegna. Cannonau wine has two or three times the level of artery-scrubbing flavonoids as other wines and it’s delicious! So, be healthier this holiday season by serving Cannonau instead of your usual Pinot and Merlot.

(2) THANKSGIVING DINNER: Does your Thanksgiving meal consist of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and biscuits? That’s the traditional menu, but not the healthiest. So, let’s add a salad and change up our bread for an easy upgrade!

• Salad: You can make a powerhouse salad with only three superfood ingredients: spinach, arugula, and chopped walnuts. Just mix them all together and top with a homemade dressing like this one: Vinaigrette. {Note: Homemade dressings are SO much healthier than the store bought versions which are full of processed ingredients and sugar!}

• Biscuits: Switch from traditional biscuits- that usually include cheese or buttermilk- to this healthier Sourdough version. Sourdough is a lot healthier than regular bread in part because it is higher in protein, has less or no sugar, and acts as a probiotic. It’s also delicious!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal, but sneak in these two quick upgrades and your family's healthy food consumption will expand without them even realizing!

(3) EAT LIKE AN ITALIAN! Every Christmas Eve, Italians around the world serve a meal of seven seafood dishes in accordance with the Catholic church’s mandate to abstain from meat before Christmas Day. It’s thought that the number of dishes might be a connection to the seven Catholic sacraments, but that’s not confirmed. Regardless, it’s a meal that I so enjoyed growing up with an Italian mom and grandmom because it was the only time we had fried smelts and delicious baccala!

When I became a mom, I wanted to continue the tradition not only to infuse some of my Italian culture into the lives of my kids, but also because fish is so HEALTHY for you! Alas, my family wasn’t as keen on an entire meal being fish-themed so I had to get creative. A typical feast of the “seven fishes” at our house over the years consisted of:

• Appetizers: Shrimp cocktail (ONE) and a soup shooter of lobster bisque (TWO);

• Main Course: Garden salad with Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers (flavor of your choice) as the croutons (THREE); spaghetti with bread crumbs and anchovies, which the kids love! recipe (FOUR); salmon cooked various ways, but I do love this in foil recipe (FIVE); and crab cakes either store bought or homemade using this recipe (SIX); plus some green veggies; and

• Dessert: Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food and/or vanilla ice cream topped with Swedish Fish (SEVEN)!

Now, I know I cheated with my definition of ‘fish’ a bit 😉, but anytime I can convince my family to eat a meatless meal of multiple HEALTHY fishes- like salmon and anchovies, in particular, I’m gonna do it! This Christmas Eve, or any night of the holiday season, try to eat like an Italian by enjoying some healthy fish dishes!

🇮🇹 BUON APPETITO!