Lovin’ food from my head to-ma-toes
Lovin’ food from my head to-ma-toes
Winter can be a hard time to get enthusiastic about food. Often times we feel our diets match the bland colors of the landscape and the produce in season. Cooler temps, fewer daylight hours and limited outdoor activities take their toll on our desire to care for ourselves and cook healthy meals. Staying at your… Read More »
Winter can be a hard time to get enthusiastic about food. Often times we feel our diets match the bland colors of the landscape and the produce in season. Cooler temps, fewer daylight hours and limited outdoor activities take their toll on our desire to care for ourselves and cook healthy meals. Staying at your best and loving your food during this season can be adventurous and fun with a few tips from our farm kitchen.
Although it’s certainly Winter outside, we farmers, are still harvesting, planting as well as cooking and baking in our farm kitchen. We utilize our high tunnels and greenhouses to ensure that healthy greens, fresh herbs, as well as root veggies are readily available for you. Greens and fresh herbs are an easy way to add texture, visual appeal and fresh tastes to any recipe. Not only are they flavorful and beautiful, greens and herbs contain vitamins and minerals our bodies need to stay healthy this time of year along with staving off the meal blahs.
We’ve crafted a few easy tips so that you can be your very best this time of year.
Stay hydrated. Colder temps may affect our desire to drink fluids. Staying hydrated is easy to overlook and we encourage you to find different ways to enjoy something new. Switching to warming beverages such as hot apple cider, herbal teas or hot lemon water may provide warming comfort to you, aid in reducing cravings and help you stay hydrated which is important to your overall health.
Eat more soups. Soup is an easy way to load up your meals with necessary vegetables and fluids. Cruciferous veggies like rutabagas,
broccoli, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts are in season now and are flavorful additions to big pots of warming soups. Soups provide hydration and the veggies provide fiber so eating more soups are a great way to minimize time in the kitchen while eating well. There are so many variety of soups to try to keep your meals fresh tasting and new.
Meal plan and meal prep. Choose a time once a week where you can prepare all of your fruits and vegetables in advance. Chopping and oven roasting veggies or sautéing them in advance will ensure you have plenty on hand when hunger strikes. Load up your meals with veggies to create satisfying and hearty dishes. Relying on your root veggies in season will also help you keep plenty of variety on hand to ensure you are getting all your nutrients. Planning your meals out for the week will help you stay on track and make sure you are eating well. We have plenty of fresh recipes on our website and on our social media. Check both out for more inspiration!
Eat regular meals that includes healthy snacking. Enjoying regular meals will help avoid cravings or the inclination to overindulge. Plan your meals to ensure that you are eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day, remembering to start the day with a breakfast that includes fruit and or veggies. Snacking is a great opportunity to add to your daily dose of veggies. Try these healthy snack ideas of kale chips, apple slices with nut butter, veggie chips with hummus, or red pepper slices with guacamole. Smoothies are also a great way to enjoy a delicious snack and sneak in fruits and vegetables. Try some of our healthy recipe ideas on our website.
Did you know that we offer a winter grocery option in our farm store? The winter grocery share is packed with delicious farm fresh products including homemade soups, fresh made quiches, baked goods, seasonal produce, fresh pressed cider and more. The winter grocery share is available for curbside pick-up or local home delivery and is a great way to stay connected to eating locally and in season for your optimal health and well being. Learn more on our website.
Best wishes from our farm kitchen to yours! xo
