Cheers to Good Health and Meal Planning Monday!

Mmmm. Wine. Yes, the pregnant lady had a few tastes of wine this weekend. Don’t judge.

I had my first girls night out since we moved to Missouri! It was a much needed evening of great company, fabulous food and yummy wine. A couple of the girls organized this private, in-home wine tasting with PRP Wine International. Although I dumped more than I tasted, I walked away with an order for a few bottles that I will enjoy once baby arrives.

This is a fabulous idea for a couples party or ladies night out. It looks like this company is limited to certain states, but I am sure you could google “in-home wine tasting” and find something comparable where you live. This deal was purchased through Living Social (also found on Groupon) for a fraction of the regular retail cost. There is no obligation to purchase after the tasting, but if you do enjoy a wine you that you tried, you have to order by the case (easily done when a lot of people are involved). We had no trouble finding ones we all liked!

There is something so fun about wine tasting. Maybe it’s the newness of each wine, the variety, or just the giddiness involved with having tons of open wine bottles surrounding you (wow, I really sound like a lush!). Either way, I’ve never had a bad time doing it. Apart from two trips to the Wine Country in California, Fredericksburg, plus a few visits to what ever local wineries we have lived by, I have never done an in-home tasting. Highly recommend it! Not only do you get to drink wine, but you actually might learn a thing or two about wine in general.

Our hosts prepared some amazing food to go with the wine, our sales rep was an adorable ol’ guy and I got a chance to get to know my neighbors better. By the way, this group of women are fabulous. Being in the military is obviously hard for a few reasons, but packing up every few years and having to meet a whole new group of friends really sucks to be quite honest. I am so glad I met this ladies and look forward to these monthly girls nights out.

And since this is a food and nutrition blog, I can’t let you go without giving you some info on the health benefits of wine. I am sure you’ve all heard of resveratrol, the antioxidant found in red wine and in the skin of red grapes; it’s partly responsibly for the various benefits of wine including reducing inflammation in the body and the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. It’s true red wine provides more resveratrol than white wine due to the fact that’s it’s fermented with the skin on the grapes, whereas white wine is not. That is why the benefits of red wine are a little stronger than white wine or other alcohol.

However, white wine lovers don’t worry! White wine has many benefits which are due to 1) the health benefits of wine in general and 2) the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. White wine, like red wine, is full of antioxidants which help to fight those damaging free radicals in the body. One of the leading health benefits of white wine is its role in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. It does this by helping to raise the level of “good cholesterol” as well as thins the blood, which reduces buildup or clogging in the arteries. There are also cancer-fighting components in white wine.

Diet and exercise are the most effective ways to get a healthy heart; wine merely has added benefits so don’t go telling your Doctor you started drinking because of me! Moderation is the key. While a little is very good for you, too much can cause major damage to your organs. What is considered safe and effective? No more than 2 glasses a day for men and 1 for women (don’t shoot the messenger). So enjoy that daily glass (if you already do so) and cheers to good health!

So with any new visitors I have, I’d like to introduce you to Meal Planning Monday, where we get our act together for the week. It’s not a chance to see who is making the most elaborate meals, but rather a chance to get your plan written out so that you don’t have to think about it each day. Leave your menu plan in the comments section and come back to get ideas for next week.

Menu for the Week of August 28th

Sunday

Hoisin-Glazed Salmon, Couscous, Couscous Salad (I made this once before and it was good), Asian Slaw

Monday

Sesame-Orange Chicken, Rice, Green Beans

Tuesday

Chicken, Bean & Cheese Quesadillas (using my crock pot beans), Spicy Lime-Cilantro Slaw (soccer night)

Wednesday

Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms, Salad

Thursday

Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches with Peach Chutney, Fruit Salad, Leftover veggies (soccer night)

Friday

Holiday Weekend and we may go out of town!

What are you having this week?! Leave me a comment; I’d love to hear about it!

Photo credit: Alexandr Shebanov (photo 1),  Christopher Hall (photo 2)