Lake Minnetonka restaurants

’Tis the season of nonstop overeating, and already you’re starting to feel like the butterball turkey’s cousin. Your fat, sugar and salt intake is off the charts, yet unhealthy food seems impossible to avoid. How can you resist your neighbor’s special yuletide cookies? And it would be sacrilege to pass up the family’s traditional eggnog.

Accept the fact that there will be decadent consumption, but consider countering the calories and making up the nutritional values with the inclusion of lighter, healthy meals. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Read more about Review: Lake Minnetonka's Best Light Meals

Maybe your travels will take you to faraway destinations in the new year or perhaps you're just dreaming about exotic locations. Come along on a culinary adventure and sample this collection of small bites with an international flair that you can easily find at some of your favorite lake-area restaurants. Read more about International Small Bites from Lake-area Restaurants

Order the turkey; make sure it’s organic, local and free-range. Find a new stuffing recipe that incorporates organic and local wild rice. Stop by the farmers’ market to pick up some local, organic squash. Find out where to get an organic, local pie. Develop a vegan side-dish option for your son’s new girlfriend. Is it local? Is it organic?

Is this refrain in your head? If so, are you dizzy yet? This time of year, everything food-related gets complicated. We need nourishing comfort without the fuss. How about a nice casserole—made by someone else? Read more about Review: Lake Minnetonka's Best Casseroles and Hot Dishes

It’s tempting to assume that the Minnetonka General Store Café is opportunistically jumping onto the “farm to table” bandwagon, but in fact, owner Gail Bollis and family helped build that wagon in the first place. Adding the word “bistro” to the café name isn’t a marketing ploy, but an expression of a personal tradition that was a long time coming. It will now be “Minnetonka General Store Café and Bistro.” Read more about Minnetonka General Store upgrades Café offerings