Planning "Green" Holiday Meals

The holiday season is a time when family and friends come together, often around the table of a deliciously prepared meal. When cooking your holiday meals and treats this season, why not try focusing on foods that were grown in an environmental responsible fashion? Foods that were grown organically or by using methods that are non-destructive to the earth are frequently more nutritious and delicious than many of the other foods you could choose. If you are starting to plan your holiday foods and treats, here are some ideas you can use to add a bit more "green" to your holiday menus.

Organic Choices for Holiday Menus
Choosing fruits and vegetables that are in season is always a great way to add nutrition to your meals. However, it's also important to select those which have been grown in an environmental responsible fashion. Choosing organic fruits and vegetables is a great way to help protect the earth, while also protecting your family against the hazards of foods laced with pesticides and other harmful chemicals. In fact, many families find that they are able to reduce their pesticide exposure by almost 90%, simply by choosing only organic produce. Selecting organic fruits and vegetables produced by local farmers also means that you are helping to support your local economy. Additionally, when you purchase foods locally, you know that fuel and other resources were not used to ship the products to your local store. Creating menus that are high in grain and legumes is also a way of helping to support the environment. It takes much more grain for farmers to produce meat, which means that foods such as beans and grain products require fewer natural resources to produce.

Festive Holiday Recipe IdeasThere are plenty of ways of adding more organic fruits and vegetables to your holiday meals. Pumpkin and winter squash can be made into deliciously creamy soups. Top each bowl of soup with a sprinkling of pecans, and you'll have a truly festive holiday dish. For parties, it's hard to beat a platter of cut raw vegetables, served with a variety of dips. You can even make your own low fat dips, using organic yogurt as the base, for snacks that are as healthy as they are delicious. Rice pudding, made with organic rice and plump juicy raisins, is another holiday classic. Of course, delicious baked goods such as pies, cakes and cookies are also an indispensible part of the holiday season. When choosing baking ingredients, be sure to select naturally grown and organic whole grain products whenever possible.

"Green" Beverage Choices
When choosing beverages for your holiday table, it's important to pay attention to packaging. Although more communities are offering recycling programs for plastic bottles, it can still be best to just avoid beverages in plastic bottles. Creating your own fruit punches and beverages from organic fruits can be a good option. If you grow herbs in your garden, you might even want to experiment with flavorful herbal teas. Organically grown Fair Trade coffees and teas are also an option for those who simply must have these popular beverages.