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10 anti-holiday recipes that prove the season can be tasty and healthy
Balance out heavy holiday eating with some lighter—but still delicious—fare.
12.05.23
Albertson's
Lighten your calorie load with some delicious, nutritious food between big holiday meals.
True
The holiday season has arrived with its cozy vibe, joyous celebrations and inevitable indulgences. From Thanksgiving feasts to Christmas cookie exchanges to Aunt Eva’s irresistible jelly donuts—not to mention leftover Halloween candy still lingering—fall and winter can feel like a non-stop gorge fest.
Total resistance is fairly futile—let’s be real—so it’s helpful to arm yourself with ways to mitigate the effects of eating-all-the-things around the holidays. Serving smaller amounts of rich, celebratory foods and focusing on slowly savoring the taste is one way. Another is to counteract those holiday calorie-bomb meals with some lighter fare in between.
Contrary to popular belief, eating “light” doesn’t have to be tasteless, boring or unsatisfying. And contrary to common practice, meals don’t have to fill an entire plate—especially when we’re trying to balance out heavy holiday eating.
It is possible to enjoy the bounties of the season while maintaining a healthy balance. Whether you prefer to eat low-carb or plant-based or gluten-free or everything under the sun, we’ve got you covered with these 10 easy, low-calorie meals from across the dietary spectrum.
Each of these recipes has less than 600 calories (most a lot less) per serving and can be made in less than 30 minutes. And Albertsons has made it easy to find O Organics® ingredients you can put right in your shopping cart to make prepping these meals even simpler.
Enjoy!
Not quite green eggs and ham, but closeAlbertsons
Breakfast Skillet of Greens, Eggs & Ham
273 calories | 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 (5 oz) pkg baby spinach
2 eggs
1 clove garlic
4 slices prosciutto
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 medium zucchini squash
1/8 cup butter, unsalted
1 pinch crushed red pepper
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Get your cauliflower power on.Albertsons
Creamy Cauliflower Salad with Ham, Celery & Dill
345 calories | 20 minutes
1/2 medium head cauliflower
1 stick celery
1/4 small bunch fresh dill
8 oz. ham steak, boneless
1/2 shallot
1/4 tspblack pepper
1/4 tsp curry powder
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/8 tsp paprika
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Plant-based food fan? This combo looks yums. Albertsons
Grilled Chili Tofu Skewers with Ranch Cabbage, Apple & Cucumber Slaw
568 calories | 20 minutes
1 avocado
1/2 English cucumber
1 (12 oz.) package extra firm tofu
1 Granny Smith apple
3 Tbsp (45 ml) Ranch dressing
1/2 (14 oz bag) shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix)
2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Sometimes you just gotta frittata.Albertsons
Bell Pepper, Olive & Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata with Parmesan
513 calories | 25 minutes
6 eggs
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
2 oz Parmesan cheese
1 red bell pepper
1/2 medium red onion
8 sundried tomatoes, oil-packed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Caprese, if you please.Albertsons
Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Classic Caprese Salad
509 calories | 25 minutes
3/4 lb chicken breasts, boneless skinless
1/2 small pkg fresh basil
1/2 (8 oz pkg) fresh mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic
3 tomatoes
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 3/4 pinches black pepper
1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
These mushrooms look positively poppable.Albertsons
Warm Goat Cheese, Parmesan & Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms
187 calories | 35 minutes
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1/2 (4 oz) log goat cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 sundried tomatoes, oil-packed
1 1/4 pinches crushed red pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
2 pinches salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Move over, avocado toast. English muffin pizzas have arrived.Albertsons
English Muffin Pizzas with Basil Pesto, Goat Cheese & Tomatoes
327 calories | 10 minutes
3 Tbsp (45 ml) basil pesto
2 English muffins
1/2 (4 oz) log goat cheese
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
3/4 pinch black pepper
2 pinches salt
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
This pita pocket packs a colorful punch.Albertsons
Warm Pita Pocket with Turkey, Cheddar, Roasted Red Peppers & Parsley
313 calories | 20 minutes
1/4 (8 oz) block cheddar cheese
1/2 bunch Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
4 oz oven roasted turkey breast, sliced
1/2 (12 oz) jar roasted red bell peppers
1 whole grain pita
3/4 pinch black pepper
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp mayonnaise
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Did we say, "Move over, avocado toast?" What we meant was "Throw some prosciutto on it!" Albertsons
Avocado Toast with Crispy Prosciutto
283 calories | 10 minutes
1 avocado
2 slices prosciutto
2 slices whole grain bread
1 5/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
Vegetarian chili with a fall twistAlbertsons
Black Bean & Pumpkin Chili with Cheddar
444 calories | 30 minutes
2 (15 oz can) black beans
1/2 (8 oz ) block cheddar cheese
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 green bell peppers
1 small bunch green onions (scallions)
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin purée
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 7/8 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil
Find full instructions and shopping list here.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes, visit albertsons.com/recipes.
Family
'Broke mom' gives the 'holiday gift guide' that everyone struggling needs to hear
"Maybe we should all be a little bit more honest this holiday season because you don't know who you'd be helping."
12.06.23
@shawtgal49/TikTok
A broke mom" explains her personal "holiday gift guide."
Almost everyone, at least once in their lives, enters a holiday season with very little money to spend on gifts. Unexpected medical expenses, job loss, everything breaking down all at once—we’ve all been there to some extent.
And yet, when December 25th makes its way into the periphery, many put themselves further into the red by buying items that no way match their budget. Or, there’s a sense of shame when telling family and friends that it simply can’t be done this year.
But one mom is perfectly unfazed about owning up to whatever financial realities exist for her and her family, and she is encouraging others to have the same mindset.
“Let me share with you my holiday gift guide for the broke mom,” the mom, Sam, says in her TikTok. “The guide is that there is no guide. I have no suggestions because I'm just honest with people.”
Sam recalls that last year when her family couldn’t afford gifts for anybody, she simply said so. And lo and behold—it was totally fine.
“You'd be surprised how many people were like, ‘Oh great, because I don't want to buy you a gift either,” she continues, adding that many people are currently in the same boat because of inflation, and might find the same relief in not being obligated to buy one more thing.
Sam also argues in the clip that really, the only ones that take priority when it comes to Christmas gifts are those who you’re responsible for, i.e. your children. But even for kids, she argues that gifts they want or need can easily be thrifted most of the time. And really, often what they really want isn’t more stuff anyway.
And if the desire to still gift something persists, Sam recommends some simple, frugal alternatives, like thrifting or making something.@shawtgal49 I’d prefer a little realness over another mug anyway #fyp #sahm #brokemom ♬ original sound - Sam
Bottom line: whether you’re preparing baked goods using dollar store ingredients or repurposing household items to make DIY picture frames or requesting a White Elephant party or not doing gifts at all, embarrassment should be left out of the equation.
“Maybe we should all be a little bit more honest this holiday season because you don't know who you'd be helping. You don't know who was embarrassed to say that they couldn't afford something for you this year, and you saved them by telling them that you're not doing gifts,” Sams concludes.
And she is not the only one on board for this idea, judging by the comments section to her video. Several agreed that holiday overspending is overrated.
“I refuse to go broke for holidays anymore,” one person wrote.
Another added, “Honestly it would make me feel terrible if I knew someone was struggling and they gave me a gift. I’d rather you not and spend it on what you need. ❤️”
One person even joked, “We don’t do gifts for anyone anymore. We’re all just passing the same $20 around lol.”
The rest of the year is stressful enough. Let’s give ourselves permission to be a little kinder to ourselves by honoring our limits this holiday season. After all, peace of mind is a gift that’s priceless.
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Science
Pennsylvania home is the entrance to a cave that’s been closed for 70 years
You can only access the cave from the basement of the home and it’s open for business.
12.07.23
This Pennsylvania home is the entrance to a cave.
Have you ever seen something in a movie or online and thought, "That's totally fake," only to find out it's absolutely a real thing? That's sort of how this house in Pennsylvania comes across. It just seems too fantastical to be real, and yet somehow it actually exists.
The home sits between Greencastle and Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and houses a pretty unique public secret. There's a cave in the basement. Not a man cave or a basement that makes you feel like you're in a cave, but an actual cave that you can't get to unless you go through the house.
Turns out the cave was discovered in the 1830s on the land of John Coffey, according to Uncovering PA, but the story of how it was found is unclear. People would climb down into the cave to explore occasionally until the land was leased about 100 years later and a small structure was built over the cave opening.
The idea was to make it accessible to visitors and use the cave as a tourist attraction, and the small structure was eventually built into a two-story house. But it was closed to the public in 1954 after the land was purchased for limestone mining and it remained closed for nearly 70 years. (In the words of Stephanie Tanner, "How rude.") Sometime during that 70-year closure, the home that contains the cave was purchased by Dara Black, and in 2021, it reopened to the public.
Currently, the home is occupied by Black, but to gain access to the cave you can simply book a tour. The best part about booking a tour is that you only have to make a donation to enter. It's a pay-what-you-can sort of setup, but since someone actually lives in the home, you can't just pop in and ask for a tour. You have to go during the "open house" times available.
According to the Black-Coffey Caverns Facebook page, they treat the tours truly as an open house, complete with snacks and drinks. There's a waiting room area where people can chat and eat their snacks while they wait for the tour to start. They also offer cave yoga once a month. According to Uncovering PA, the tour takes about 45 minutes to complete and there are about 3,000 feet worth of passageways.
Imagine living on top of a cave and just taking strangers on a waltz under your floorboards essentially. It makes me wonder if the house is quiet at night or if you can hear echoes of the cave sounds while you're trying to sleep. From the Facebook page, it appears that the cave doesn't have any lights, but there were pictures with some Christmas lights mounted to the cave walls. Otherwise, you have to use flashlights.
Hopefully, no mischievous children decide to play hide and seek or you just might have to call in a rescue crew. Literally. But what an unbelievable "pics or it didn't happen" kind of story to tell. It's not every day you run into someone that has a door that leads you to an underground cave.
If you want to see what a cave tour looks like starting from the outside of the house, check out the video below:
This article originally appeared on 1.30.23
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Joy
Man stopped at airport over 'surprise' Christmas gift his grandma told him not to open
He had no answers.
12.05.23
@brett.gaffney/TikTok
Brett Gaffney recalls how his grandma's Christmas gift nearly got him arrested at the airport.
Look, when grandma hands you a special mystery gift, and tells you not to open it until you get home, you do what grandma says. Consequences be damned.
That was certainly the case for Los Angeles-based actor Brett Gaffney. Only his obedience made for some awkward moments at airport security.
In a viral TikTok video, Gaffney is seen at the airport, a large briefcase nestled beside him, as he explains how his Grandma had accidentally been trying to get him “arrested” with her surprise gift. Turns out, this gift had more than one surprise to bestow.“I got stopped at the airport security, and you know what? It was because of this briefcase my grandma gave me as an early Christmas gift, and she said don’t open it until you get to California,” Gaffney recalls, noting that the briefcase was suspiciously heavy.
Despite him urging his grandma that he needed to know what was inside, Gaffney was still instructed to wait to open it. This didn’t fly with the TSA, unfortunately.
“They asked me what was inside, and I said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know…it’s a surprise'” Gaffney says in the clip. “They said, ‘What do you mean? You’re bringing a briefcase, and you don’t know what’s inside?’”
As one person playfully pointed out in the comments, “I feel like the words ‘I don’t know, it’s a surprise’ shouldn’t be uttered to TSA, let alone in one sitting 🤣.”
Eventually security did open the briefcase once it was flagged on the x ray conveyor belt, revealing the gift to a be: a vintage typewriter.
“Who am I, Tom Hanks?” Gaffney quips, making a nod to Hanks’ famous affinity for using typewriters. “Am I going to go to the park and write a whole book with a typewriter?”
Perhaps even funnier than Gaffney’s situation is that fact that it was the second typewriter airport security ahad seen that day, according to his caption.
Though it temporarily got him in some hot water, people loved Gaffney for trying to respect his grandma’s wishes.
“The fact u listened and didn’t open it is so innocent lmao,” one person wrote, to which Gaffney replied, “I’m a man of pure trust.”
Others chimed in about the gift itself. One person wrote, “there is a Great American novel to be written and now you have the tools.”
Another added, “as a fellow typewriter gifted grandson, I knew what it was the second I saw it. Yours looks much newer than mine.”
@brett.gaffney Airport Security said this is the second one they have seen today! #brettgaffneyforever #holidaytravel ♬ original sound - brett.gaffney
In some follow-up videos, Gafney shows viewers how he has indeed warmed up to his old school machine, which he admitted to being “so calming”. He even shared that it inspired the same feelings as the toys from his childhood that made him “play hooky” from school.
Or maybe instead of taking him back to adolescence, the gift has catapulted him into his golden years, as he jokes, “I’m becoming an old man…all I want to do is stay home and type on my typewriter.”
So there you have it—grandma gave a gift that keeps on giving.
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Secret millionaire left behind millions to his tiny hometown
The humble groundskeeper asked that the money be used for education, health, recreation or culture.
12.07.23
Canva
Geoffrey Holt left behind $3.8 million dollars to his town after his death.
With a never ending flurry of headlines recounting sordid tales of the wealthy, out-of-touch elite, it’s refreshing to see a story of personal riches truly being used to benefit others.
Odds are you haven’t heard of Geoffrey Holt. Holt lived a modest, frugal life, working as a groundskeeper to a mobile home park, where he also resided, in the tiny town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire.
Holt lived so frugally that he was known to wear threadbare clothes, ride his lawnmower about town in lieu of a car, and be more than content to spend his time either working or tinkering with his model automobile collection.
No one ever suspected this unassuming man was secretly a millionaire.
Behind the scenes, Holt had been a savvy investor. And when he died on June 6, 2023, he left behind $3.8 million in the bank—with every penny to go toward bettering the town, so long as the money was used for education, health, recreation or culture.
According to USA Today and the Washington Post, the town is most immediately considering purchasing an electronic ballot machine to honor their humble benefactor, who always voted in elections, as well as fixing the town clock and giving grants to replace uniforms. But with a population of only 4,200 people, the possibilities are endless.
Holt might have not craved any time in the spotlight, but it’s important that his good deeds are recognized. Not only to give credit where credit is due, but to instill a bit of hope that wealth can indeed lead to more generosity in the world.
Watch the full story, shared by CTV news, below:
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Family
DINK couple bragging about the joys of being child-free has people divided
Some folks didn't like the lighthearted joke.
12.07.23
Lilly and Evan share the joys of having 2 incomes and no kids.
The DINK phase of life is as carefree as can be. You’re with the love of your life. You have few responsibilities and that means more disposable income and time. So many people love the double income, no kids lifestyle that they are one of America's fastest-growing populations.
As of 2022, 43% of U.S. households were childless, a 12% increase over the past 10 years. Another study found that a majority of DINKs (51%) enjoy the lifestyle and say they have no plans for having any children.
This major change could be attributed to the attractiveness of having more money and time, but it also has a lot to do with the cost of raising children these days. A recent report from Lending Tree found that it now takes over $230,000 to raise a child over 18 years.
A Utah couple, Lilly Anne, 21, and her husband Evan, 21, created a video on TikTok that celebrates the DINK lifestyle and it’s gone viral, attracting over 3.4 million views. In the video, the happy couple shares all of the things they enjoy about having two incomes and no children.
@lillyanne_ Living the best life, the D.I.N.K life 😎 #dink #nokids #couple #fyp
“We're DINKs. We are going to get asked daily when we plan on having kids,” Lilly opens the video. “We're DINKs, of course, we are going to go out to eat every night after work,” Evan responds.
The couple then lists every thing they love about being DINKS including, never missing a football game, playing 18 holes of golf without worry, not having to hire a babysitter, or ask for financial help from parents. Most importantly, they get to spend money on themselves, not a kid.
“We are DINKs. We are going to get asked at every family event what we are doing with our life,” Lilly concludes the video.
The video appears to be very lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek, especially given that Lilly and Evan — like many others of their ilk — are often badgered by family members about having kids. The video is their gentle pushback to those who think they need to have children.
The video received a lot of angry responses from parents who didn’t get the joke.
"Likely to be together and maybe married then soon divorced,” Raymond wrote in the comments. "Life without kids is so vapious," D33g0 added.
"You also will die scared, alone and no one will care and no one will remember you. Good luck with that." FordFairlane wrote.
It was clear from the comments that many people missed the video's lighthearted humor. "Until I read these comments, I didn’t realize once you have kids, you lose all ability to recognize satire," a user wrote. "I will never understand people who get so upset about other people's choice to not have kids. so weird," Ash added.
The negative comments inspired Evan and Lilly to create a follow-up video: “Evan and I are watching you guys blow up my comment section over some lighthearted joke.”
@lillyanne_ The caption says enough..🫣 #dink #couple #fyp
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Joy
Comedian's song about life in the 90s has Gen X giggling with nostalgia
Ah, the good old days, when you had to choose between the phone or the internet.
12.07.23
Sammy J took us on a trip down memory lane.
Those of us who remember life before the internet love nothing more than to share "back in my day" stories with today's youngsters who've never had to try to get somewhere without GPS. When we tell our kids about dial-up internet, they look at us the same bewildered way we looked at our parents when they talked about party lines. So much fun.
Nothing splits the generations like what was considered advanced technology during our formative years, and one comedian has encapsulated that divide in an ode to the 1990s.
Sammy J sang "You'll Never Know What It's Like" at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and had the audience giggling along with recollections of life in the 90s. Driving around in the car with a big book of maps? Check. Making a collect call to tell your mom to pick you up but avoiding the collect call charges by telling her where you were instead of saying your name? Check. Agonizing over whether to take a photo because you only have 24 shots in your disposable camera? Check.
Younger generations will never know what it was like to live so primitively, it's true. But Gen X does, and this song is like taking a cold plunge into a pool of nostalgia.
Enjoy:
People loved the musical trip to the past.
"Thank you for taking me down memory lane! It was a blast " wrote one commenter.
But some couldn't agree on whether young people have it better today or had it better in the 90s.
"All true! If only our teenagers knew who good they have it!" wrote one person.
"Life was so so good in the 90’s I feel lucky it didn’t have to grow up in this era ," shared another.
"God I miss the 90s!" wrote another. "Both my daughters always say they wish they grew up in the 90s bc it seemed so much fun and it was!!"
Kids today really will never know what those days were like, but that's okay. They'll be singing their own "back in my day" songs someday and marvel at how much has changed since they were young.
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