If You Don't Tell, Your Family Will Eat Healthy

It’s the holiday season, and it’s fun to get into the spirit. What isn’t so fun is looking at those leftovers upon leftovers sitting in the fridge. Especially, when they take on a gelatinous form. It’s what you call butter and fat, baby. Get a little sneaky this holiday season. Make your family eat healthy without them even knowing it. 

What is it about people as soon as they heard the word “healthy,” they shut down. Especially family members with their comments of, “I’ve been eating this way for years. My father ate red meat everyday of his life, smoked cigarettes, and lived to be in his late 80’s” Hey, I’m not knocking people’s lifestyle choices, but I do ask the question of “What was grandpa’s quality of life?”

Show your family eating healthy isn’t all sprouts and mung beans. It can also be a blend of their favorite foods with add on’s which would give them healthy benefits. A favorite one I always bust out is the avocado, just be sure not to pair it with chips. Mash up it up, and viola you have spread for some quick sandwiches. You just gave your family 20 vitamins and minerals, including potassium. Better than mayo in my opinion. 

The idea isn’t necessarily new. Parents have been doing this with the youngins for a while now. Ants on log, those celery sticks filled with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins. Heart shaped fruit kabobs, or cute little tofu bento boxes with smiling pandas. It may seem silly, but it gets kids excited to eat. 

Maybe our grown up loved ones need the same. Perhaps it’s not panda bear buckwheat pancakes, but surprise the family with breakfast. Don’t preface it with, “I made a healthy breakfast for us.” Just surprise them with some omelettes. Skip the egg whites, because they’ll definitely know something is up. 

My favorite trick is using less eggs, but creating more “food” by sautéing some tofu first. Add your eggs. Then get your fancy on by adding sliced veggies, whatever you want to make your omelette. C’mon how often do you have omelettes? The fam will be stoked, and they’ll be eating veggies and tofu, gasp! Skip the cheese, top your omelettes with salsa. Low cal, low fat with lots of kick and you’ll be getting those liposomes from tomatoes. 

The ideas are infinite when you mix the worlds of health of classic comfort foods. Those light fluffy pancakes everyone loves dripping in syrup? Hi agave nectar, with your relatively low glycemic index value. At night, warm up the familia with some vegetarian chili. For your tangy topper? Low fat kefir cheese. Remember the mantra, “Don’t tell them it’s healthy, just surprise them.” They don’t need to know kefir is full of good for you probiotics.    

Here’s the vegetarian chili recipe to wow your family 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
• 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
• Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

How ever you spend this holiday season. Have an amazing time. Get outside. Go for a walk. Enjoy spending quality time with your loved ones, and when you can squeeze in those healthy foods, because nobody needs to know it’s “healthy,” but you. You might have some converts afterwards.