Eating Healthy in a Tough Economy!

 

  Holidays are a time for family and of course food!  With a few easy tips, the holiday season can be less stressful when it comes to your food.  When preparing for the holidays, having a plan that includes food safety is a must.  Also plan your meals to include healthy selections.  Finally, making your holiday stress free will allow you to remember the spirit of the season and it will help you create lasting memories.

     A helpful resource for food safety can be found at www.HolidayFoodSafety.org  .  You will find lists for perishable foods and one for non-perishable food.  The guideline for perishable items is to shop no more than 5 days away from your planned dinner.  The categories are poultry, fresh produce, eggs, cheese/dairy, bread & rolls, fresh herbs, seafood and other.  The non-perishable list breaks it down into canned/bottled, hardy vegetables, dried spices & herbs, nuts, crackers & other packaged, pantry basics (flour, sugar, and grains, salt), butter and dairy products, frozen ingredients, beverages/juices and other.  The non-perishable items can be purchased ahead of time, these are the items to have the list ready so that when you see a store special this is the time to buy the item.  Typically, before Thanksgiving, food prices drop, so canned items for your upcoming dinners can be purchased and stored.  Also, items such as butter and cream cheese can be purchased and frozen until one needs them.  You can also make ahead some of the items for your holiday meals, things such as noodles and pies can be made ahead and put in the freezer, this is a great time saver.

     Remember basic food safety rules.  A great resource is the Fight Bac website at http://www.fightbac.org/ .  The recommendations are:  clean, separate, cook and chill.  When thawing turkey or poultry plan to allow 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 5 pounds of meat.  For Beef, plan 3 to 5 hours per pound for small roasts and for large roasts, plan 4 to 7 hours (http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/handlingstorage.aspx).   One can thaw in water, but it must be kept colder than 4o degrees and should be a quick method.  Thawing meat in the microwave is safe as long as you cook it as soon as it is thawed as the microwave begins a cooking process.

NEVER rely on the Pop Up Timer!  Make sure to get an internal temp with a thermometer!

     

     Be sure to use a meat thermometer and follow the guidelines for bringing meat up to the appropriate temperature.  You will find the latest guide for cooking temperatures at http://www.fightbac.org/storage/documents/flyers/cook_fightbac_factsheet_2010_color.pdf .  Some meat thermometers will have the appropriate temps written on the dial of the thermometer which is very handy.

     Finally, be sure that you include some healthy foods into your holiday plans.  It can be as simple as having a bowl of fruit on the table as an alternative to the sweet decadent cakes and pies.  Also, as a host, you can help your guests with portion sizes by cutting those heavy calorie treats into smaller sizes.  Happy Holidays to you and yours!