Best Holiday Gift Ideas from Banister’s Intern

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This is NOT a sponsored post. 

My best friend’s grandmother, Pauline, was a dietitian. She was one of my biggest supporters and inspiration for me pursuing my career in nutrition and dietetics. Before she passed away in May 2018, she gifted me with a necklace that said, “Follow Your Dreams.” Pauline was the best hostess and planner. I believe most dietitians are. She also had the best variety of essential kitchenware and gadgets. This day and age, many kitchen gadgets seem useful for a time or two before making its way to a dark corner of our cabinets, is anyone still using a George Foreman grill?

I want to share the perfect holiday, timeless gifts for anyone’s kitchen this holiday:

 

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole

If you’re tired of dieting and ready to change your relationship with food, this book is for you. More importantly, this book is for anyone who eats. Around this time of year, we’re inundated with diets and detoxes which leave most of us feeling deprived and desperate and worst off than from where we began. Intuitive Eating will be the beginning to the end of chasing diets that just don’t work. BN dietitians reference IE frequently with our patients.

As you make reading goals for 2020 add Intuitive Eating to the list, and while you’re at it, schedule an appointment at Banister Nutrition and one of our dietitians can discuss with you how to apply these concepts to your life.

Chef’s Knife

A chef’s knife is the most universal knife you will ever own (and they make you look like a pro). I use my chef’s knife every day, from cutting fruits and vegetables to cutting meats and tofu. The worst thing is you can do in the kitchen is an attempt to cut ANYTHING with a dull knife. It’s much more dangerous to cut with a dull knife than a sharp one. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on the most expensive chef’s knife, however, if you do, they will last FOREVER. Remember, always handwash and sharpen occasionally.

If using a chef’s knife intimidates you, check out videos on YouTube on how to use them correctly, or take a local class.

Cast Iron Skillet

Did you know cooking in a cast iron skillet can add iron to your food? Cast iron cookware is durable and practically indestructible and unlike other cookware, cast irons get better with time. Old cast iron skillets are a common find at thrift stores, antique shops, and flea markets for a reasonable price. Or if you’re lucky, maybe a family member has a few they are willing to part with.

Toddy Cold Brew System

Cold brew coffee is all the rage and it is not slowing down. Cold brew coffee is unique because the cold water brewing and filtering system cut the acidity of coffee by almost 70%. As a student, caffeine gets me through the day (and night). I’ve lost track of how many projects I’ve done on caffeine (and wine). I make a batch of this every week for my husband and me, and it definitely saves on our Starbucks bill. I’ve found cold brew made with a single-origin coffee tastes much better.

KD

Meal Planning Saves Time and Stress

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Meal planning and food prep are hands down some of the simplest ways to feed your family healthy, nourishing meals during the week. With busy schedules, it can be tough to make home-cooked meals each day of the week. 

Earlier this summer, we talked about ways to navigate the supermarket with ease. We’ve found that even small steps such as cutting vegetables or fruits ahead of time can save a tremendous amount of time during the week.

After you consider your budget, flavors, and the time you have to devote to cooking, here are some ideas on conquering meals throughout the week.

We will give some tips on meal planning breakfast, lunch and dinners. 

Breakfast

Mornings can be crazy and you need something nourishing and fast. 

If you like breakfast items like steel-cut oats or pancakes, preparing these beforehand can save a lot of time in the morning scramble. Oats and pancakes can be saved in a medium-sized container or portioned out and warmed up in the morning before heading out the door. 

Other fantastic breakfast ideas include:

  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Breakfast bakes 
  • Mini frittatas
  • Toast with nut butter or smoked salmon and/or avocado
  • Fruit
  • Granola bars

Lunch

Keep lunches simple with 1 or 2 proteins such as chicken, tofu, beans, fish, lean beef, a grain such as quinoa, brown rice, pasta, corn, whole grain bread, and some fruit or veggies. 

We like to grill some chicken thighs, make a pot of beans, and roast different veggies such as turnips, carrots, and parsnips to throw into yummy lunch bowls. To make things even easier during the week– allow some extra time to put together 5 containers with your lunch combinations. All that is needed in the morning is to grab your lunch and go! 

*You can never go wrong with a sandwich: whole grain bread of choice, some cheese, turkey, roast beef, tofu, salmon, and/or veggies. Easy!

Dinner

If you can come up with 3 dinner ideas for the week, you are virtually set for 6 days of eating. This ensures variety but also the ability to just heat up food some nights – no cooking involved. Realize that meals can be simple – side of pasta, grilled zucchini, grilled chicken – or complex – turkey chili, lasagna, etc. You can even plan for a night of take-out or restaurant eating. 

As with any routine change, it takes practice and time to create a lifestyle habit. Start off small with a few prepped ingredients and build your way up to a week’s worth. You too can conquer meal planning and feed your family nourishing meals during the week. 

Pick a day to make all or some of your meals for the week. Carving out time early in the week (we like Sunday) and begin your food prep. You can make oatmeal and put individual portions in containers, roast off vegetables, cut up fruit for easy side dishes or snacking, put together veggie bags (cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, peppers), make 1 or 2 of your dinners for the first half of the week, grill off proteins for lunches. 

Though preparation takes time, it makes the rest of your week so much easier as the work is already done and you can just enjoy the fruits of your labor. 

As the week goes by, you’ll have time to squeeze in extra food prep as needed, for the remainder of the week.

MU

Healthy Cooking Oils

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There are bad fats that contribute to heart disease, cancer, and other maladies, there are good fats that fight those things by lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) and raising HDL (good cholesterol), reducing inflammation, and providing cancer-preventive antioxidants. Most pantries and cupboards contain some of each, primarily in bottles of cooking oil. Here are some healthy cooking oils and their benefits. 
Extra-Virgin Olive
HEALTH BENEFITS: Extra-virgin olive oil has the highest monounsaturated fat content of all the oils—second only to hazelnut, which is much costlier and has a strong flavor, making it less suitable for most cooking. Monounsaturated fats are the healthiest because they offer protection against heart disease. Not only do they help lower total and LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol levels, they also help raise HDL (“good”) blood cholesterol levels, thereby helping to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke. In addition, more recent research has shown them to be helpful in losing weight and fat, especially around the belly.
HOW TO COOK WITH IT: Fairly versatile, olive oil can be used in a variety of ways. It’s great for uncooked marinades and dressings, ideal for sautéing, and can even be used in baking; however, for more mild-flavored baked goods, stick to light olive oil, which has a milder flavor. Light, in this case, does not refer to calories or fat but rather to color and flavor. Because of its smoke point, the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke when heated, olive oil is not good for frying.
Canola
HEALTH BENEFITS: Another good source of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), canola oil contains a good amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids as well. Just like monounsaturated fats, they lower blood levels of bad and total cholesterol, but don’t raise good cholesterol levels.
HOW TO COOK WITH IT: Canola oil can do everything olive oil can and more. It has a higher smoke point, so it can be used for higher temperature sautéing as well as some frying. (But for good health, eat fried foods only occasionally.) Canola oil also has a milder flavor so it can be used in any kind of baking and cooking without imparting any of its own flavors into the dish.
Flaxseed
HEALTH BENEFITS: Another oil made up primarily of monounsaturated fats but with its own unique properties, flaxseed oil is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and lignan, which improve cholesterol and may help prevent cancer, especially, it appears, breast cancer.
HOW TO COOK WITH IT: Flaxseed oil is not heat stable, so while it can’t be used for cooking, it can be used in salad dressings, marinades, and other sauces that don’t require cooking.
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Source: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/healthandnutrition/