12 tips for the New Year!

This year, we rolled out 12 of our Healthy Bites Newsletters, which feature useful tips and information about nutrition, mental health, exercise, and more! We’ve gathered one key tip from each of our 2025 newsletters so you can keep them handy:

1. Overcome the Winter Blues – Stay active with small movements like walking through the house or seated exercises, eat foods that contain Vitamin D like eggs and salmon, socialize with friends and family as much as possible.

2. Stay Warm Indoors – Place a rolled towel in front of doors to keep out drafts, keep your blinds and curtains closed, and dress warmly on cold days, even if you are staying inside. 

3. Add Spinach to a Meal – Spinach has a wide variety of essential vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that occur naturally, and often work together to provide an array of health benefits. If you receive our Home Delivered Meals, try it in our baked chicken with seasoned spinach in our Spring/Summer menu or try the red gravy chicken with rice and seasoned spinach in our Fall/Winter menu. If you don’t receive our Home Delivered Meals, try this Spinach and Scrambled Eggs recipe at home!

4. Monitor Your Stress – Engage in some form of exercise safely like balancing exercises or lifting weights, eat nutritious food like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods (think 1% milk, low-fat yogurt or low-fat cottage cheese).

SANDWICH BREAK

Have fun with a word scramble to help ease some stress. Unscramble the things you often use to make a sandwich.

1. d r a b e ___________________________
2. c l u t e e t _________________________
3. o o m a t t___________________________
4. k r y u t e ___________________________
5. u p e n a t t r u b e t__________________
6. e y l j l ___________________________
7. d r u m t a s_________________________
8. e s h e c e___________________________
9. f e b e ___________________________
10. g l o o n a b _______________________

5. Get Your Blood Pressure Under Control – To get control of blood pressure, it’s best to concentrate on overall healthy eating habits, rather than focus on one food in particular. Foods like fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy are rich in nutrients that work together to regulate blood pressure. Try foods like: Bananas, berries, spices (instead of salt to season), nuts, whole grains (like oats, brown rice).

6. Enjoy Foods Easier if You Have Difficulty Swallowing – The act of swallowing is extremely complex. It is estimated to involve at least 30 pairs of muscles and multiple nerves. And we do it often! We swallow about 600 times a day and don’t even think twice about it. And yet, swallowing can be something we all take for granted – that is, until a problem occurs. We have new texture-modified menus available for our Home Delivered Meal clients who have trouble swallowing and chewing.

7. Beans Beans Beans – Beans are an amazing food! Beans are high in folate, iron, and magnesium, and they are high in fiber which promotes healthy digestion and helps with constipation. Beans can help lower your risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes and they can help regulate blood pressure! They are easy to eat and enjoy! Try adding beans to your next salad, rice dish or blend them to make a dip! 

8. Reduce Food Waste – Taking the steps to reduce food waste can save you money, time, and energy. Keep fruits and veggies stored where you can see them, cut up and freeze fruits and veggies that are about to go bad and use them in smoothies, stir-fry, or soups, lastly, add food scraps into a compost bin, and use that bin to provide nutrients to an at home garden.

CHILI MAC BREAK

Warm up with an easy recipe that combines two favorites—Chili and Macaroni and Cheese!

Prep Time: 5 min, Cook Time: 30 minutes, Servings: 6, Serving Size: 1 cup

Ingredients

• • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 8 oz. low-sodium tomato sauce
  • 3 C. low-sodium beef broth
  • 2 C. uncooked macaroni
  • 1 C. shredded cheddar

Directions

1. 1. Add the onion and garlic to a large pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
   2. Add the ground beef to the skillet and continue to stir and cook until the beef is cooked through.
   3. Add the flour, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and oregano to the skillet with the beef and onions. Continue to cook and stir for about two minutes.
   4. Add the tomato sauce and beef broth to the skillet and stir well to combine.
   5. Add the uncooked macaroni and stir to combine. Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the broth to come up to a full boil.
   6. Once boiling, give the pasta a quick stir to loosen any that is stuck to the bottom, turn the heat down to medium-low, and place the lid back on top.
   7. Allow the macaroni to simmer, stirring every few minutes and always replacing the lid, until the macaroni is tender (about 10 minutes).
   8. Take the lid off and top with cheese.

9. Help Prevent Food Poisoning

• • Clean: Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after food preparation and before eating. Wash utensils, cutting boards, countertops, and surfaces with hot, soapy water when cooking. Always rinse fruits and vegetables under running water.
  • Separate: Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs. Separate them from other food when grocery shopping, storing in the fridge, and during food preparation. Use separate cutting boards and plates for raw meat, poultry, and seafood to avoid cross-contamination.
  • Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure foods cook to the correct internal temperature. Check out this website for safe temperatures: foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts
  • Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods and leftovers within two hours of cooking. Chill within one hour if the food is in an environment above 90°F.

10. Check your Medications – It’s a perfect time to take your medications and supplements to the pharmacist for a review. The benefit from a review is that your pharmacists can check for important information on interactions between medications and for help in identifying redundant medications. In addition, pharmacists can help you determine if there are more cost-effective medication alternatives during the medication review.

11. Check Those Leftover Containers – It’s time to check those leftover containers that might be hiding back there! It’s a great day to do a refrigerator clean-out. Leftover food shouldn’t be kept for more than 4 days. Be sure to check condiment bottles for expiration dates too. Remember when in doubt – throw it out!

12. Stay Healthier by Washing Your Hands – Something as simple as soap and water can make a big difference in keeping ourselves and others healthy. Washing hands thoroughly removes germs, dirt, and viruses that we pick up throughout the day – especially before eating, after using the restroom, or after coughing and sneezing. The key is to scrub for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap, cleaning between fingers and under nails. The winter months can bring on cold and flu season and no one likes being sick, so be prepared by washing your hands often.

We hope these tips from our Healthy Bites Newsletters can help you move into the new year with positivity and strength. Even if you choose just one to focus on, you’ll start to see meaningful benefits that make a real difference. We’re wishing you a happy and healthy New Year.