A holiday meal is a special occasion, usually full of foods we do not eat every day. With a little planning, leftovers or “planned-overs” from the holiday meal can last several meals.

As the days grow shorter, our need for fresh, nutritious produce continues through the winter. Many late-season vegetables are still available at local grocery stores and through some Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) outlets. You may also have grown and stored your own vegetables for winter consumption.

It is not a matter of time as much as a matter of planning ahead so you can enjoy an unhurried dinner. If you have meats thawed and ingredients on hand, most things can be tossed together in about the same time as it takes to order and wait for the food at a restaurant. Slow cooking something in the oven or crock pot is a hand option for making tasty food with little food preparation time.

Setting SMART goals can help us make small changes to improve our health at any life stage. SMART goals are especially valuable because they provide a step-by-step plan to reach our goal. They provide us with a sense of direction, motivation, and clear focus for actions to take.