Road to Good Health: Make time for family on the road to good health
Posted By Admin on September 26, 2011
The evening meal is an ideal time and setting for families to gather and reflect on the activities of the day and share highlights over a healthy meal.
Keep conversations pleasant and avoid controversial issues at the dinner table. This should be a relaxed environment and a time family members look forward to at the end of the day. A healthy evening meal environment is a great way to strengthen family relationships.
A good start for such an evening would be for family members to prepare the meal together. One of the simplest ways to do this is to prepare a one-pot meal, such as a soup in a slow cooker. When appropriate, let each family member prepare one or two of the ingredients.
This preparation can be done the previous evening and ingredients kept in the refrigerator overnight, or preparation can be done early in the morning. Place ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning to cook all day and be ready to eat when family members arrive home in the evening. Families of all sizes can work together to prepare an evening meal such as this. It can even be fun for a couple to prepare soup
One reason soup is a great option is that soups can be packed full of nutrients from multiple food groups. They can be low in fat when low-fat broths, vegetable juices or skim milk are used for the base.
There are many kinds of soups. You can use chicken, lean beef, lean pork or legumes as the primary protein source. Vegetable options for soup ingredients are endless. Cream soup favorites can be made from skim milk and can include cream of broccoli, asparagus, spinach or potato. Butternut squash, beets and pumpkin can be pureed with other ingredients to make delicious soups.
Vegetable-based soups often include such options as tomatoes, carrots, corn, bell peppers, lima beans, cabbage, celery, mushrooms, potatoes, green peas, green beans, summer squash and onions. Whole grains such as brown rice, barley and whole-wheat pasta can be used to thicken soups and add volume. There are many types of beans that can be used to make soup.
Slow down, enjoy
Another reason soup is a great option for family meals is that it is impossible to eat hot soup fast. And so it encourages people to take their time eating. When people eat more slowly, they are not as likely to overeat as when eating fast. That is partly because it takes about 20 minutes from the time one starts eating to begin to feel satisfied. Eating more slowly is also better for
We are featuring a simple-to-fix Hearty Beef Vegetable Soup using round steak as the protein source. Round steak is a very lean meat and works best when cooked slowly with moist heat, which makes it perfect to use in a soup prepared in a slow cooker. The vegetables can be quickly sliced or chopped in a food processor. If a food processor is not available, the vegetables can be cut on a cutting board.
Each family member can be responsible for preparing one or more of the ingredients and adding to the cooker. Of course, this is age-dependent, and children too young to safely handle a knife can help by washing the raw vegetables or by putting the prepared ingredients in the cooker.
The point is that everyone has a part in preparing the soup. These ingredients can be prepared the night before and simply placed in the slow cooker in the morning if that fits the schedule better.
HEARTY BEEF VEGETABLE SOUP
Makes 14 cups of soup
4 cups diced potatoes, about ½-inch cubes
4 cups diagonally sliced celery, about ¼- to ½-inch slices
2 cups chopped onion, about ½-inch pieces
1½ pounds lean round steak, trimmed of visible fat, about ½-inch cubes
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
24 ounces canned low-sodium vegetable juice
2 15-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
•Cover with lid.
•Cook on low setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high setting for 5 to 6 hours. Cooking times vary for slow cookers.
•Nutrition information: This recipe makes 14 cups of soup. Each cup contains about 179 calories and 4.2 grams fat. A serving of two cups would be double the calories and fat.
•Serving suggestions: Serve with cornbread or some whole grain crackers and a glass of skim milk
If you have a recipe youd like to see made more healthful email the complete recipe along with your first and last name, city or town, daytime telephone number and details about the recipe to Becky Varner, RD, LD, at beckyvarner@
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