The Entertainment Section
It makes me happy to have the house full of cousins, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles. And I enjoy feeding everyone; it’s a physical expression of love. It is also a link to Abitos (my grandparents), the great-aunts and uncles and multiple generations who gathered every Sunday afternoon at Abitos’ house during my childhood in the sunshine valley of Cochabamba, Bolivia. It’s a family tradition six generations and two hundred years deep.
I also enjoy gathering friends around the table for delicious food and conversation that nourishes body and spirit. We entertain at least twice a month. Over time, I’ve developed tried and proven recipes, efficient cooking timelines and specific menus that I know will delight my guests.
Here you’ll find some of my favorite menus with shopping lists and event planning suggestions as well as links to each recipe on the menu.
Holiday Menus
What better way to spend special days than with people we cherish? Holidays brings family and friends together to enjoy joyous occasions and call for special menus. Here you will find my tried and true favorites. My wish is that they will help you embrace the holidays and enjoy hosting in your own home.
Organization is key. Grocery lists and planning tips are included. Shop early and try to buy everything you need to avoid last-minute dashes to the store. Plan your dishes, servings spoons, table linens and seasonal flowers/centerpieces ahead of time. Advance planning can make all the difference in how your event turns out and whether you enjoy it or are too stressed out.
Think about the flow of people in your house. Set up drinks separately from the food to prevent everyone crowding in one place. Make sure you set up glasses, drinks, and ice so everyone can serve themselves without your involvement; when trying to get something out of the oven you don’t want to be hunting down glasses, or having to run to the store for ice!
If you plan to have appetizers, place them separately from the drink area as people will gather around and graze. If you don’t have enough space, recruit a friend or family member to pass the appetizer(s).
Generally, it works best to serve the food buffet-style for everyone to help themselves. Many of the dishes can be prepared ahead of time so you can enjoy visiting with your guests rather than toiling over the stove. As part of each holiday menu you will find preparations guidelines. Happy holidays!
Prep Your Kitchen to Support your Brain Health this Holiday Season
Prepping your kitchen is an essential step towards supporting a nutrient-rich lifestyle. Clean out and organize, stock up on fresh and frozen produce, healthy fats and proteins, beans and whole grains to set yourself up for success in nourishing your body.
4 Anytime Dips and Spreads
These beautiful, delicious, nutritious dips are rich in brain essential nutrients: minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals and fiber oh my!
Make a weekly batch through the holiday season to use as an
appetizer or side dish for holiday meals, for an easy nourishing lunch or yummy, healthy snack .
Delicious Nutritious Easter Menu
This menu is inspired in the joy of Easter, its gift of love and the promise of life. Anchored on nature’s foods of the season, it celebrates spring bringing asparagus, snap peas, carrots and strawberries to the table with another dozen vegetables, fruits, nuts and herbs for a meal good for body and soul.
Cooking dinner seems impossible given hectic schedules and limited hours in a day. But it all comes down to priorities. Eating and feeding my family delicious and nutritious meals is vital to our health. Planning is key to maintaining this priority.
Making (and executing) weekly menus has been part of my routine for years. My meals are planned on a foundation of super foods – greens, beans, onions, nuts and a variety of plant foods with some fish, and poultry a couple of times a week; beef and pork occasionally make an appearance.
Planning ahead simply makes my life easier on a daily basis. And making dinner most nights a week is part of my daily living. Knowing my menu plan takes the brainwork out of what to make for dinner, so it’s a matter of rolling up my sleeves and executing the designated recipe(s) for that day, rather than going through a fast food drive-through because I didn’t have a plan and everyone is hungry.
If making homemade meals is new for you, start easy and go slow. Pick only one or two meals to make a week. The more you cook, the easier it will get. Making homemade dinner can become a regular habit.
March Weekly Menu
March seems to be an in-between time; winter is exiting, spring has not yet come through the door.
4 Anytime Dips and Spreads
These beautiful, delicious, nutritious dips are rich in brain essential nutrients: minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals and fiber oh my!
Make a weekly batch through the holiday season to use as an
appetizer or side dish for holiday meals, for an easy nourishing lunch or yummy, healthy snack .
Girlfriends’ Holiday Brunch
Pumpkin Granola Parfaits with cranberry orange sauce, smoked salmon frittata and pineapple pomegranate with mint make a pretty, delicious, and healthy brunch table. A celebration of 10+ plant foods!
Delicious Real Food Feast on Memorial Day
Memorial Day kicks off summer, pool time and picnics and barbecues, but we seem to have lost its real meaning.
Planning my menu for a Memorial Day with family and friends, I look also for ways to learn together about this special day and to honor the fallen heroes who died fighting for our freedom and safety.