What's Left Over During Holiday Times
November 27, 2007
After the holiday meal, I have a hard time throwing out that turkey carcass. I find a big pot, throw in a bunch of left-over vegetables, and produce turkey soup. My friend, Patricia, uses the ham bone from her Christmas open house to make split pea soup. It's good to have something simple and warm to get the family through the hectic holiday season.
At this time of overcommitments and overeating, it might seem like the last things we need are yet more scheduled meals.
Not so. Maintaining our regular routines can help us stay on an even keel. If we know we are expected to join the family at set intervals, our food intake will regularize that much sooner. And we will stay more stable, knowing that we have our normal family check-in.
The big feasts are about indulgence. The everyday meals help us get back to regular portion size, regular meal composition, regular low key family rituals.
These staples – the simple, nourishing foods and the simple, nourishing get-togethers – let the family remember that they are the constant in an up and down world.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
