Author: be well™ with Big Y^® Registered Dietitian Team

During your childhood, did family meals center around meat and potatoes with little to no fresh produce? You are not alone! Many of us have memories of our French-Canadian grandparents utilizing canned vegetables for most meals, unless there were sun-ripened options coming out of the summer garden. For fruit, bananas may have been the routine staple item, unless it was the season for ripened berries, pears and apples from bushes and trees in the yard.

Using what’s in season locally (not just in one’s own yard) is tasty way to expand taste buds and appreciation for all the region has to offer. From sweet corn and tart rhubarb to tender peas and mild asparagus (one of the earliest crops harvested each Spring along the Connecticut river corridor), there are plenty of ways to let fruits and vegetables shine – versus letting meat take the spotlight.

Check out a few of our dietitian team’s favorite family recipes below. Each one has updated ingredients compared to what our grandparents may have had access to in their kitchens, including white whole wheat flour (provides the benefits of whole grains with the light texture of all-purpose flour); neutral avocado oil (perfect for high-heat cooking with a heart-healthy profile compared to lard or butter) and rich and creamy Skyr (a strained Icelandic-style yogurt, which provides more protein than traditional yogurt).

Sweet Corn
Fritters Recipe

A light, savory-sweet starter for Spring meals.

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Spring Vegetable Pasta
Primavera Recipe

Bursting with crisp vegetables, this pasta dish will become your new go-to recipe.

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Strawberry Rhubarb
Crisp Recipe

The perfect balance of flavorful fruit filling topped with a crunchy crisp.

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For more health & wellness tips, contact our be well^™ with Big Y^® Registered Dietitian Team.

Published 4/24/2024