Creating Memories One Meal at a Time

The holiday season can seem overwhelming with the amount of cooking for special occasions with family and friends. Not to mention, the frequent sweet treats that are available at these gatherings can make it challenging to make healthy choices. Looking at this as an opportunity to create memories with your family, pass down family traditions, or start new ones can change your perspective throughout the holiday season.One way to make the amount of cooking and food preparation feel less daunting is to share the cooking responsibilities with your family and friends. Incorporating family traditions, culture, and recipes with a new generation and your friends is a magical way to experience the holidays. Inviting friends to share their traditions, culture and recipes is a great way to develop a deeper connection.Preparing and serving nutritious foods is another way of showing your family and friends how much they mean to you. The gift of health never goes out of style! Using seasonal produce such as winter squash, sweet potatoes, or green beans provides many nutritional benefits, including fiber for digestive health, and beta carotene which can provide antioxidants reducing the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. These vegetables can be prepped ahead of time, and prepared quickly, including simple steps where kids can jump in and help! For desserts or sweets, making kid-friendly foods that incorporate fruit can bring more nutritional value and are more beneficial to snack on than cookies or cake. Creating a fresh fruit bowl or chocolate-covered strawberries can still make for a tasty dessert and include similar benefits to winter vegetables like antioxidants and minerals like magnesium and phosphorus, which promote healthy blood sugar regulation and support the maintenance and repair of body tissues and cells.Sitting down to a family meal during the week seems near impossible some days, but gathering around the table with your family and sharing a meal builds stronger family bonds. Take time this Holiday season, to share express gratitude, reflect on the past year, and hopes for the year to come. Here are some recipes to get you and your loved ones started! Strawberry SantasRecipe source: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/strawberry-santas-2260882 Prep time: 50 minutesServings: 4 to 6 Ingredients:¼ cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature¼ tsp pure vanilla extract1 cup powdered sugar12 large strawberries24 mini chocolate chips Instructions:For the frosting: In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the mascarpone and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the mixture is thick and smooth. Using a spatula, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small star piping tip.For the Santas: Using a paring knife, cut off the leaf-end of each strawberry to make a flat surface. Cut a 1/2- to 3/4-inch piece from the pointed end of each strawberry and reserve as the hats.Place the strawberries, wide side down, on a work surface. Pipe a 3/4-inch-high swirl of frosting on each strawberry. Place the hats on top and pipe a small ball of frosting on top of the hats. Press two chocolate chips, pointed sides inward, into the swirl of frosting to make eyes. Cinnamon Sweet Potato SlicesRecipe Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/84002/cinnamon-sweet-potato-slices/ Prep time: 15 minutesCook time: 30 minutesServings: 4 Ingredients:Cooking spray4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick¼ cup melted butter2 Tbsp sugar½ tsp ground cinnamon Instructions:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange sweet potato slices on the baking sheet. Brush with 1/2 of the butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle 1/2 over the potatoes. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn, brush with remaining butter, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon and sugar. Continue baking until tender, about 15 minutes.