Maintain Your Wellbeing through the Holidays Presented by
Safely Prepare Your Holiday Meal olidays are times we share the kitchen with family and friends. Make it a goal this year to also share good food safety practices. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is a partner with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS), which is responsible for the safety of meat and poultry. Here are some simple tips that all cooks in the kitchen can follow this holiday season for cooking a delicious and safely prepared turkey.
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Source: “It’s Turkey Time: Safely Prepare Your Holiday Meal.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If Turkey isn’t your main dish for the holidays, check out Cooking Light’s recommendations for other holiday alternatives including meatless and vegetarian.
Preparation is essential to making sure you stay on track and succeed with a happy, healthy holiday season. Here are a few tips from Henriott to help you thrive this season.
Physical: Staying active not only will make you feel good about yourself but it will also help you manage any challenges that come your way. Use whatever calendar method that works for you and start planning appointments on your calendar when you can be active. Any opportunity to move counts.
Community: Enhance your sense of belonging to your community and look for opportunities to fit a need. Volunteer your time, talents or gifts to people or organizations in need of assistance or donations.
Social: Choose to reach out to someone you haven’t talked to or seen in a long time and make a connection. A note, phone call or meeting may not take much time but gives so much more.
Financial: It’s not too late to set aside a holiday budget. Consider all the extra functions, gifts, travel, food and other items that may not normally be in your budget. Strategize today, set your limits and stick with them. Visit practical money skills for more tips to help you get you started.
Purpose: Set goals for how you will get your personal and professional tasks completed. Identify which tasks are high priorities and tackle those first so you can have an energized and joyful season.
Pack a Work Lunch to Stay Healthy and Save Money
Vegetable Chili This one-pot vegetarian chili is rich in healthy vegetables and protein.
Eating out can be a quick and easy lunchtime solution during busy workdays, but that convenience comes at a cost. Many fast food options are low in nutrients and high in empty calories. Luckily, a little planning goes a long way, and you don’t need to spend a lot of extra time planning and packing healthy lunches for work.
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A salad or sandwich can be prepared in just a few minutes the night before. When preparing a salad, be sure to pack the dressing separately so the lettuce doesn’t get soggy! To make a healthy and filling sandwich, use hearty whole grain bread, and focus on combining a variety of vegetables with lean protein. And don’t forget to bring a snack, such as an apple, in case you become hungry later.
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 2 yellow onions, chopped 2 zucchini, cubed 2 sweet potatoes, cubed 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 Tbsp. chili powder 2 tsp. dried oregano 3 16 oz. cans kidney beans 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
Add oil to pot over medium heat. Add onions, zucchini, sweet potatoes, garlic and spices and cook for 20 minutes. Add kidney beans and tomatoes. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Add corn and cook until warmed. Serve right away or transfer to a container once cooled. Can be refrigerated up to five days. Yield: 5 servings. Each serving provides 427 calories, 8 g of fat, 1 g of saturated fat, 480 mg of sodium, 20 g of protein and 21 g of fiber. Source: USDA