As a Dad, you multitask all year long. Make the holiday season easier on yourself by using plenty of multitasking fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables are the ultimate multitaskers! Here%u2019s a list of just some of the ways fruits & veggies can do double duty for your family at holiday time and beyond.
Fruits and Veggies are Fa La La-licious
| Author: Produce for Better Health Foundation | Posted: 12/10/09 | ||
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Whoever said the holiday season was a time to slow down and enjoy life wasn’t a parent. With gifts to buy and wrap, parties to plan, places to chauffer the kids, cards to mail, cookies to bake, decorations to hang, recitals to attend, meals to prepare, friends who drop in unexpectedly, and that inevitable forgotten item that must be picked up at the last minute, December can seem to rush by in a blur. So how do we make the most festive time of the year slow down and last a little longer? Multitasking – only this time let the multitasker be someone besides you.
As a Dad, you multitask all year long. Make the holiday season easier on yourself by using plenty of multitasking fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables are the ultimate multitaskers! Here’s a list of just some of the ways fruits & veggies can do double duty for your family at holiday time and beyond.
- Put out festive baskets or bowls filled with a beautiful arrangement of seasonal fruits & veggies as decorations at your next holiday get-together instead of floral arrangements. Unlike flowers or other decorative displays, they can be eaten as part of post-party meals saving you some cash as well as the trouble of disposing of flowers or finding a place to store a decorative vase or display piece.
- When going to a party, bring a lovely fruit basket as a hostess gift instead of flowers or wine. You won’t have to worry about it matching the décor or pairing well with the menu and no one has ever had a problem driving themselves home after too much fruit. After the party, your gift becomes a lovely table decoration and a source of nutritious snacking!
- When it’s your turn to host the bash, save some time by letting your favorite supermarket do the prep-work. Pick up fruit and vegetable trays already assembled, complete with dip, and an extra bottle or can of your favorite 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice while doing your normal shopping. Any leftovers can be added to lunch boxes or a tasty salad the next day and the juice is a great alternative to alcohol for the designated drivers.
- Decorate your yard with fruits & veggies! Colorful strings of cranberries, dried apple and orange slices, popcorn and assorted dried fruits look festive on outdoor trees and serve as a tasty treat for birds and other wildlife.
- Keep an extra fruit basket on hand for use as a “spare” gift in case someone slips your mind while you’re shopping. You won’t have to worry about size or color, so it makes a perfect gift! If it’s not needed as a present for someone else, then its flavor and nutrition will be a present for yourself and your family.
- Keep extra frozen, canned and dried fruits and vegetables on hand this season, as well as bottles and cans of 100 percent fruit and vegetable juice. When an unexpected guest drops by, frozen or canned fruits & veggies are easy and quick to prepare as an extra side dish, making the meal you had already planned serve more people. Add dried fruit to any cheese platter to make it serve more guests and boost nutrition too! Canned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh because they are processed immediately after harvest. Serve family and guests appetizing 100 percent juice to satisfy their thirst. Unlike soda, multitasking 100 percent juice has vitamins and minerals your body needs to keep holiday stress and winter sniffles at bay.
- Teach your child the spirit of giving by donating non-perishable fruits & veggies to a local food pantry or homeless shelter. You can also suggest they donate old clothes that no longer fit or toys they no longer play with as a way to make room for anticipated holiday gifts. This helps others while teaching your child a valuable lesson by letting them feel the joy of giving.
More seasonal fruit & vegetable inspiration can be found online at www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org. There are many wonderful recipes that feature autumn and winter fruits and vegetables. Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash makes a great seasonal side dish while Roasted Cauliflower Soup offers a delicious taste of India thanks to the spices. Green Beans with Roasted Red Peppers look beautiful on the holiday table, a festive blend of green and red.
If you’re looking for a few fun, yet educational gift ideas, surf over to www.pbhcatalog.com for some inexpensive items that would make great stocking stuffers, gift exchange presents, or presents for all of the young children and teachers on your list. The Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® pencils, Fruit and Vegetable Plush Seedie Characters, Canvas Bag with Play Fruits & Veggies, and Fruit and Veggie Memory Game are all fun ways to remind kids to eat more delicious fruits and vegetables.
Elizabeth Pivonka is President and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation. She is a
Registered Dietitian, and holds a doctorate in food and nutrition science. Her work has been published in leading professional
nutrition science journals, and she co-authored 5 A Day: The Better Health
Cookbook.
Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) consumer education foundation whose purpose is to motivate more people to eat more fruits and vegetables tp improve public health. PBH is a member and co-chair of the National Fruit & Vegetable Program, consisting of government agencies, non-profit organizations and industry working in collaboration to expand the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® health initiative. Fruits & Veggies—More Matters is the nation’s largest public-private, fruit and vegetable, nutrition education initiative with Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators in each state, territory and the military. PBH’s mission is to lead people to eat more fruits and vegetables because it matters for their better health. The foundation achieves success though industry and government collaboration, and a variety of marketing and nutrition education programs.
