Powerful Pantry for the Holidays

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The holiday season is officially upon us, and it is a great time to review our pantry and see what has found its way there in recent months. The food-abundance of the holidays brings great opportunities for feasting and celebration, and it doesn't need to derail our wellness choices.

Have you stood at your pantry or fridge recently to see if there are artificial flavors and colors and preservatives lurking there? We can often stray from healthful choices to something that is simpler, quicker or promoted with better marketing, and those choices can bring all kinds of unhealthy distractions. A power pantry is marked by simple, nutrient-dense, healthful foods. Ingredient lists on healthy foods have few ingredients, and they are ones you can pronounce.

Finding any strange breakfast cereals or canned soups? How about dressings or gravies or desserts? And snacks can be some of the worst offenders. Any MSG or BHT or food coloring? While no one of those will kill us if we eat it, our bodies thank us when we pass them by for healthier real-food picks.

Right now Thanksgiving leftovers are still in full swing around our home. Great dishes and sides, and even some additional recipes of gravy and stuffing to complement the remaining turkey. But it's a great reminder of the blessings we have and gratitude we should feel for the abundance all around us, and we were able to keep our choices simple, healthful and real.

Soon enough it will be Christmas baking time. But fear-not; even Christmas baking can be done quite healthfully with simple, tasty ingredients to celebrate the season. Before we get there though, have a second look at your pantry and fridge and see if there are some healthful substitutions you can make.

By the Way

I think it 's interesting that the longer we live with wellness choices, the more our recipes reflect things our grandparents and even ancestors likely cooked and enjoyed. Simple, whole foods, seasonally available, and fresh. Sounds like great ingredients for stocking a power pantry!