Author: Chris Xaver
Busy, busy, busy. It’s the mantra of families with children, trying to get from place to place, on time and with everything and everyone. Do we have the backpacks? Uniforms? The cello? The mitts and baseballs? The kids? Oh, and yes, we need to eat, too. Trying to fit meals between games, lessons and meetings is such a challenge. On top of that, dinner happens every single night! Talk about pressure. Sometimes it just seems easier to get takeout. Zagat reports our national average for eating out is 4.5 times a week. That’s more than four times allowing others to…
The best part of slow cooking is the smell. You place all the ingredients in the crock, set the temperature and start basking in the wonderful aromas. The smell teases you for hours while you’re doing other things, reminding you not to go too far. Of course, you can set it and forget it, but the recipe I’m providing doesn’t lend itself to a long time in the slow cooker. In fact, a few hours at the most are all you need to warm this up as the layers are all precooked. What’s so wonderful about this method of “baking”…
Anyone who has seen a teenage boy eat knows they are voracious. Inactive teen boys from ages 14 to 18 need 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day; active ones require 2,400 to 3,200 calories, and teen athletes can burn through up to 5,000 calories a day! They’re not just eating to eat, they’re eating to grow. Beginning at age 13, boys will gain 20 percent of their adult height and 40 percent of their adult weight. Still, all calories are not equal, so this is a great starting point for a conversation with the young men in your life. Protein…
So let’s start at the beginning. You’re not “eating for two.” I know. You want that to be the case. But the truth is, just eating your normal amount will suffice for both you and the baby. What’s important is to make sure you avoid some of the unhealthy substances I wasn’t smart enough to stay away from when I was pregnant in 1987, such as nitrates. Nitrates are compounds that have been found to cause cancer. And experts don’t know what effect eating foods like sausage, hot dogs, bacon and deli meats (which contain nitrates) can have on our…
Whether your family likes camping or just cooking out in the backyard, chances are this summer you’ll be firing up the grill or campfire and making a meal. For me, these are the times that memories are made of. I remember helping my grandmother make our meals on numerous summer camping adventures. Even then, I liked to help make meals. And one thing we know for sure is that kids are much more likely to eat what they have helped to prepare. But burgers and hot dogs not only get old fast, they’re not necessarily the most healthy and certainly…
When the temps rise, the last thing I want to do is heat up the kitchen. In fact, hot food doesn’t appeal to me at all. But a cool, crisp salad does. And my little ones like salad, too, especially when it’s topped with taco fixings. But while most of the items in a taco salad can be “healthy,” the hidden sodium in most packets of taco seasoning makes this potential health food disastrous. Depending upon the brand, sodium in packets of taco seasoning range from 240 to 830 milligrams of sodium per serving. A serving is two teaspoons, which…
Food is medicine. And—depending on what you’re trying to heal/cure/deal with—food can (either help or hurt.) This past year we’ve been dealing with health issues in our home. I am struggling with inflammation, and one of the little ones in my life is facing ADHD (which I also have) and we’re using diet as one method to help him (and me) gain focus. I have never jumped on any sort of “fad” diet. What I have done was listen to the experts and back in the ’80s used margarine instead of butter. I bought into the notion that to lose…
What’s your go-to March food? Is it green eggs and ham? Corned beef and cabbage? Lucky Charms? After all, that little leprechaun tells us they’re “magically delicious”! And then there’s March Madness. With so many basketball games on television, there are lots of chances to have friends or neighbors over and distract ourselves from our wintry weather. What’s your favorite TV nosh? Mine used to be horrible: chips, dips, chicken wings, pizza. These days, my family and I still have those foods, but I “fake” them out. For example, pizza without a crust, or chicken wings made from chicken tenders…
For most of my life, chocolate was demonized. An indulgence. A guilty pleasure. So when we all found out chocolate was “good” for us, I felt vindicated. You see, I never bought into the notion that something that amazingly good could really be bad for me. I just couldn’t make myself believe it. I make no apologies for loving chocolate. I’m just lucky chocolate has these fantastic health properties. Phew! Now, I don’t have to hide my love affair. Dark chocolate is now the darling of those of us who felt guilty for so long. An Italian study in 2005…
I’m not saying you put on a few pounds during the holidays. But the average American puts on one to two pounds in the period from Thanksgiving through Dec. 31. That number can rise to five pounds for folks who are already overweight. And kids, they’re not immune. It’s common for kids to gain a pound during the holidays, too. Why? Well, we tend to give ourselves license to eat what we want because we’re “celebrating.” But a pound or two a year really adds up (she says from experience). So I’m here to help us get back on track…