It’s (almost) here. You may already have some holiday parties on your calendar and plans to cook up a storm for Thanksgiving. The holiday season is quickly approaching. How does that fit in with your healthy eating plans? Though it may be tempting to take a little break for the next six weeks, your stomach and waistline may not appreciate that so much. Like us, you probably love cornbread dressing, mac and cheese and those homemade yeast rolls? We can’t be trusted around them. But here’s the thing … it’s all about balance. You don’t have to eat healthy 100% of the time. However, it can feel weird to go to a party that doesn’t have any fruit or vegetables on the table. If you’re playing host this season, here are a few ideas to provide your guests with plenty of options.

Step 1: Use What’s in Season.

Grapes, pears and apples are all sweet and delicious right now. Use the natural sweetness of these nutritious fruits to reduce added sugars in your dishes. Sweet potatoes and winter squash are also deliciously sweet as well as nutritious options. Combine fruit with winter greens for hearty salads.

Step 2: Go Small.

Instead of slaving over a large complicated menu, consider serving a variety of heavy appetizers. These can be prepped ahead of time and either served at room temperature or after a quick stint in the oven before guests arrive.

Step 3: Find Balance.

Look at your spread. Make sure you have a balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein so that everyone leaves feeling satisfied.

Step 4: Use the 80:20 Rule.

Offer 80 percent good for you dishes that taste great. (Remember: Healthy doesn’t have to mean tasteless.) Balance those with more indulgent desserts or dishes so your guests have options and get to enjoy some of the traditional holiday foods that can’t always be made healthfully. Also be flexible in what you offer. If you can’t find oranges, use tangerines. No halibut at the store when you go, try cod!

Step 5: Be Flexible.

It’s your party. Have fun! There’s no shame in using pre-cut butternut squash or pre-cooked shrimp, chicken or other foods that can speed up the prep process. When creating a holiday party spread, the goal is to get some delicious bites on the table as well as enjoy your guests. It takes the same effort to make healthy bites as not-so-healthy ones. Here are a few dishes to try adding to your holiday spread this season.

Pear Prosecco Cocktail

By Marisa Moore Add pizzazz to your party with Marisa’s Pear Prosecco Cocktail    

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Roasted Grape, Goat Cheese & Walnut Bites

By Marisa Moore Red, black and green grapes are still in season through January and just bursting with flavor. They cook up sweet and balance the tangy, saltiness of the creamy goat cheese. These Roasted Grape, Goat Cheese & Walnut Bites are sure to wow your guests!

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Maple Pear Ginger Crumble

By Marisa Moore Fruit crumbles work well for dinner parties. Use whatever fruit is in season. Try seasonal apples and pears to make this Maple Pear Ginger Crumble. You can add nuts for more crunch and a little extra protein and heart-healthy fats.

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About Marisa Moore

Helping People Eat Better One Morsel at a Time

Marisa Moore is a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Marisa Moore Nutrition. Using a food-first, mostly plant-based approach, Marisa helps people eat better one morsel at a time through group classes, writing and developing healthy recipes. She enjoys working as a consultant for small and large businesses including food and nutrition startups and being an ambassador for delicious food and a healthy lifestyle. A past spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, Marisa is a trusted food and nutrition expert and has appeared in most major media outlets including the Today Show, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and has had regular appearances on CNN. Marisa is a contributing editor for Food & Nutrition Magazine and U.S. News & World Report blogger. Before launching her consultancy, Marisa worked as an outpatient dietitian, the corporate nutritionist for a national bakery café restaurant, and she managed the employee worksite nutrition program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Always ready for new passport stamps, Marisa loves to explore new countries, but in her spare time, you might find her cooking, dancing salsa or on a walk with her dog Biscuit. Learn more at marisamoore.com.  

Fall is the season for warm and hearty meals packed full of fall flavors. While some love to cook, nobody enjoys cleaning up a mountain of dirty dishes after dinner. From soups and stews to tasty rice dishes, we’ve curated a list of one-pot meals that allow less time cleaning up the kitchen and more time enjoying fall with the family. Try these one-pot recipes: Vegan Succotash Tex-Mex Shakshuka Shrimp and White Bean Provencal Tomato Pumpkin Stew Curried Squash Soup One Pot Tomato Collard and White Bean Stew Vegetarian Chili Creamy Corn and Broccoli Chowder One Pot Organic Tomato Basil Pasta

If you’re like us, as soon as the weather warms up, we get our grills fired up. It’s the perfect time to enjoy some smoky, saucy, messy-finger goodness. However, if you haven’t had a lot of experience using the grill, you may feel a little intimidated, but fear not! Follow these helpful tips to go from being a grillin’ rookie to a grillin’ guru in no time.

Grill Better with the Best!

Any great grill-out starts by picking the right cuts of meat. Sprouts carries everything you need for flavorful grilling from 100% grass-fed beef to organic, air-chilled chicken. Our USDA Choice beef comes from pure, heritage bred cattle raised without added hormones, especially for Sprouts customers. We’re proud to source from suppliers we trust to provide you and your family high-quality meat from small suppliers and family ranchers. Ready to get your grill on? We recommend the following cuts of meats:
• Steak: New York strip, rib-eye, top sirloin, filet mignon, T-bone or porterhouse
• Pork: Center-cut pork chops, boneless pork chops or pork tenderloin
• Chicken: Chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Tips for Marinades and Dry-rubs

Marinades and dry rubs are a great way to add extra flavor to your grill-out, but it’s important that you use them properly. When grilling with marinades we recommend using chicken or veggies. For vinegar-based marinades, be sure to marinate your chicken for no longer than one hour—if you’re not careful, the vinegar can actually make the chicken tough as opposed to tender. For marinades that are oil-based, feel free to let the chicken sit overnight. When grilling with dry rubs, like our Butcher Shop dry rubs, we recommend using steaks or pork.

Grill Temperature for Chicken and Meats

The easiest way to take the guesswork out of grilling is to use a meat thermometer—it also ensures your meats are cooked to perfection! Below are the appropriate internal grilling temperatures for your favorite meats:
• Chicken: 165°F
• Beef and Lamb: 125°F (rare), 130°–135°F (medium-rare), 135°–140°F (medium), 140°–150°F (medium-well), 155°F (well-done)
• Ground Beef or Lamb: 160°F
• Pork: 145°F (medium-rare), 150°F (medium), 160°F (well-done)
• Ground Pork: 160°F

Maple and Cedar Planks for Grilling

Up your grilling game and pleasantly surprise your guests by infusing your favorite meats and veggies with the subtle, smoky flavors of maple and cedar by using our easy-to-use Sprouts Grilling Planks. Simply soak the grilling plank in water for at least one hour, place seasoned foods on the plank and set directly on grill or in the oven at 350°F. Then enjoy the fruits of your labor!

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SHOP GRILLING ESSENTIALS

 

The high heat and smoky flavors of a grill can work wonders on certain vegetables, including some that would surprise you. The trick is in the timing. And, like everything, a little bit of preparation goes a long way.

How to Grill Corn on the Cob

Fresh corn grills beautifully, especially when the heat caramelizes the kernels instead of steaming them. There are a few different methods for grilling corn. Some people like to do it with the husks still on or to wrap them in aluminum foil. Others claim that soaking them works best (though Cook’s Illustrated founder Christopher Kimball insists he has tested this carefully and finds no flavor or texture difference). Our favorite method is to husk them fully, coat them lightly in oil or butter, and place them directly on the grill. Just make sure you turn them frequently!

Grilling Asparagus

Asparagus is a favorite. Snap off the bottom end, marinate in olive oil, and add a little kosher salt and/or lemon zest. For perfection, cook 4 minutes on the grill, turning once, and they’re done.

More Great Vegetables for Grilling

Yams and Sweet Potatoes

Yams and sweet potatoes are superb on the grill when cut into 3/8-inch slices and skewered. But they’re pretty dense and can take about 10 minutes to cook through. Don’t worry about how dark they get on the outside, you can always peel off the outer layer with a fork. You want to make sure they are thoroughly cooked so you don’t end up with a hard, raw core.

Red Peppers

Red peppers seem to take on a totally different flavor when they are grilled. Stem and seed them, then cut into julienne strips. Marinate these in oil and then place on a very hot grill using a grilling basket (see below) or skewers. Let the skin blacken just a bit.

Eggplant

Eggplant also gets transformed by the grill, but since the water content is pretty high, you need to make sure you leave enough skin and flesh on it. Cut the eggplant crosswise into slices that are at least 1/2-inch thick; marinate with your favorite oil; then grill for about 12 minutes per side.

Radicchio

Ever try grilling radicchio? You’d think that a head of radicchio might shrivel up on the grill, but it actually holds up quite well. Slice it into length-wise quarters, apply the usual oil/salt marinade, and grill for about 5 minutes per side. A bonus: the slight charring along with the purplish-red color of the leaves looks gorgeous.

Summer Grilling Tips: Don’t Let it Slip Through the Cracks

Nothing is worse than watching an expertly grilled onion browned on the edges and perfectly caramelized fall through the grill and land in a pile of ash. There are three or four good methods for keeping your veggies above the flames instead of in them.

1. Buy a hinged grilling basket. You can find them in just about any kitchen accessory store, and there are plenty online as well. One real advantage to these baskets is that they are not being used to cook meat, so they tend to stay much cleaner than your regular grill top. That’s important when you are grilling vegetables because they are likely to stick, hence the surface must be extremely clean.
2. Set wire cooling racks perpendicular to the direction of your regular grill surface. For example, the rack that is probably inside your toaster oven. By “cross-hatching” these, you reduce the hole space and can keep those veggies from taking a dive. Be sure to spray or oil your racks before using them, and to clean them off promptly when done.
3. Use skewers. Wooden skewers are cheap and can be protected from the heat by soaking them before use. Metal skewers also work great, but conduct the heat and handle with tongs or oven mitts. Of course, getting the vegetables to stay on the skewers is no easy task. Skewers work well with peppers, mushrooms, small potatoes (like Yukon golds), zucchini or summer squash, and some onions. Don’t use skewers with cherry tomatoes or asparagus. It won’t end well.

A Few Other Tips:

1. At Sprouts, we sell only natural hardwood charcoal. This helps to minimize the health risks associated with grilling meat, poultry and fish at high heat, and it works perfectly well for vegetables too. The irregular-size pieces seem to make it easier to start and maintain a fire too. (If you have a gas grill, of course, you’re way ahead of the game.)
2. Since vegetables need high heat to cook correctly on a grill, avoid the common tendency to throw them on after you have removed your meat and are letting things cool down. You can cook them first, then wrap them in foil and throw them back on for two minutes just as you are removing the meat.
3. Marinades that include fruit juices like orange or lemon may serve to reduce the risk of chemical reactions that can create potential carcinogens. Fifteen minutes of marinating is usually sufficient.

 

Spring is a beautiful season full of fresh, blossoming trees and new life. With this beauty comes allergies and post-winter colds. Instead of heading towards the medicine cabinet, try reaching for fresh foods that are full of beneficial nutrients to help get you through this spring season. Nutrient-rich and easy-to-eat, try these top seven seasonal wellness foods:

Salmon

High in protein and rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon offers a nutrient-rich dish that tastes great broiled, baked or grilled.

Peppers

Packed with B vitamins, vitamin C and immune-boosting carotenoids, peppers give your plate a punch of color. Plus, they’re packed with antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory benefits!

Citrus

Whether you prefer lemons, limes, oranges or grapefruits, citrus is a tasty way to load up on vitamin C. Citrus varietals also contain hesperidin, which may help reduce inflammation and improve circulation.

Leafy Greens

Dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach and Swiss chard are powerful sources of antioxidants, flavonoids, and vitamin C,—all of which have anti-inflammatory benefits, and may help to protect against cellular damage.

Grapes

The anthocyanin in purple and red grapes is what gives them their dark rich color, but did you know, it also gives grapes the anti-inflammatory and anti-aging benefits that keep you feeling great?

Berries

These sweet treats are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C and quercetin, which have anti-inflammatory benefits and help keep your immune system strong.