Want to know what Dr. Jill Biden typically eats in a day? Is she a super healthy eater,
or does she like to indulge? Here's what the First Lady dishes up on the daily.
Jill Biden believes that you shouldn't deny yourself — or
your kids — anything when it comes to maintaining a balanced diet. Rather,
she thinks it is important to approach your daily food consumption with a healthy, open attitude,
and a willingness to occasionally treat yourself. She told Self that as a child,
they rarely had unhealthy cookies or snacks available in their home, saying:
"My mother never bought soda. [...] So I think that has sort of carried through.
My children aren't junk food eaters, they eat pretty healthy. But if they
want things like chips or whatever, I think everything in moderation.
I don't think you should cut it out completely, I don't think that's practical."
Biden elaborated that her grandchildren love to munch on healthy veggies and hummus dip,
and that she credits her kids for setting a good example.
"It's all in choices parents make for their children. We have to start that
responsibility and then pass on those good eating habits. And I've tried very hard to do that."
Jill Biden's diet goes hand in hand with her approachable demeanor,
and — what's more — her kitchen style does too. She admits to being a "throw it together"
kind of cook, with no big production or fuss required. She told Parade:
"I've been making these recipes for so long that I just do it from scratch and from memory."
Biden elaborated that, sometimes, she likes to bulk up a family favorite
dish with lots of vegetables to make it heartier and healthier.
When asked if her husband likes to help out with kitchen duty,
Dr. Biden showed a bit more territoriality:
"No, it is my turf. Sometimes he'll come in and say, 'Oh, what are you doing? Let me help
you.' And I just try to get him out of the kitchen because I like doing it by myself."
Of course, life as a politician's wife, doting mother, and full-time educator comes with its
many demands, and carving out the time and effort to plan better and snack smarter
is not an easy ask for anyone with a busy schedule — let alone the President's partner.
But now, as the First Lady of the United States, Dr. Biden's day-to-day routine is
inevitably even more erratic and demanding than it was before. Fortunately, she's fostered some
tried and true habits to maintain a nutritious, balanced diet while on the go. She told Parade:
"I'm a pretty healthy eater. I try to find fresh fruits and vegetables,
though that's not always easy. I take almonds with me, I hydrate, I try to exercise."
As noted by CNN, even while on the campaign trail, Dr. Biden prioritized her active lifestyle,
frequenting barre classes or cycling. No wonder she carries a snack with so much of a punch!
Dr. Jill Biden has a few incredibly delicious recipes up her designer sleeve.
One of Biden's go-to meals that she loves to prepare for her family, according to Parade,
is chicken parmesan. She shared her original recipe with the publication,
and it is chock full of all the usual ingredients.
Additionally, Biden regularly serves this decadent dish with rigatoni and a green salad. Of course,
now that she lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as the First Lady, Biden most likely won't be
whipping up this meal on her own. She can, of course, ask the White House Executive Chef to make
it for her. As reported by Ms. Magazine, the First Lady is responsible for hiring — and potentially
even firing — this all-important culinary role. In other words, whatever Biden wants, Biden gets.
"You're working for an individual family. I mean basically you have, you know, two customers."
Even the healthiest of eaters enjoy the occasional indulgence — and Jill
Biden has her guilty pleasures, too. In an interview with Parade,
she admitted that she loves French fries. She also told the magazine that she had a
delicious order of her salty snack of choice while campaigning for her husband at a cafe in Iowa.
What's more, the First Lady also enjoys the occasional martini,
a guilty pleasure she shares with Michelle Obama, as reported by the Washington Post.
But if Dr. Biden is going to imbibe, she's more likely to have some vino instead. She said:
"It's always fun to just turn on a little music, have a glass of wine and cook."
And, according to CNN, that glass of hers will more than likely be filled with wine of a red
variety than white. Of course, her husband, on the other hand, is notably a non-drinker. He was
quoted by the New York Times as saying, quote, "there are enough alcoholics in my family."
If you want to know how truly down to earth someone is,
look inside their refrigerator and peek into their pantry; the basic food a person always
has on hand can reveal a lot about their personality and their culinary preferences.
"Well,
I don't know what I expected."
Fortunately, there are no skeletons in Jill Biden's kitchen. According to Parade,
Dr. Biden always keeps lots of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand. Of course, she'll have
staples for her Presidential partner as well, so peanut butter, jelly, and ketchup are must-haves.
Additionally, Chris Freeman, a D.C. caterer, told the Washington Post that while living in the Vice
Presidential residence, the Bidens frequently had other basics on hand, such as low-fat yogurt,
sliced cheese, diet soft drinks, and Special K cereal. We'll go ahead and assume that the
ever-present ice cream was for the President, and that the Special K was for the First Lady.
In her Parade interview, Jill Biden reflected on her childhood with warmth and nostalgia.
Notably, she remembered her epic afternoons nursing a
giant simmering pot of marinara with her grandmother, recalling:
"Her cooking was the best — the red sauce and the meatballs and the pasta. It was fun!"
Sunday night dinners with Italian sauce or gravy was a tradition that Biden grew up loving,
and according to La Cucina Italiana, her family would drive every week from Pennsylvania to New
Jersey to feast with extended family. She said in her memoir that she, quote,
"could never get enough of the tastes and smells."
Fortunately for Dr. Biden, her husband has a seemingly insatiable appetite for pasta and sauce.
"Pasta with red sauce. He can go deep on that."
According to the Washington Post, while on a speech circuit before his Presidential run,
his regular contracts ensured that he be served, quote, "angel hair pomodoro,
a caprese salad, topped off with raspberry sorbet with biscotti."
Clearly there's never a shortage of red sauce when the Bidens are around.
Everyone has their own special Christmas Eve traditions. Some people bake cookies, others
go straight for the eggnog. The Bidens? They indulge in a make-your-own ice cream sundae bar.
Jill Biden elaborated, and even demonstrated her scooping style on the Rachael Ray Show;
and — don't tell Joe and the kids — but Dr. Biden uses her bare hands to roll ice cream into perfect
balls for them. She then re-freezes them so they look perfect for an after-dinner presentation.
Dr. Biden even revealed how she makes the dessert extra delightful for her hubby:
"Joe likes vanilla ice cream, and I roll his in coconut."
She also freezes plates and writes each family member's
name in chocolate sauce for a personalized touch.
"Then when you get it, you feel special."
Talk about going the extra mile!
According to the Boston Globe, even Jill Biden's cookie of choice is relatively healthy — at
least by most dessert standards. She likes a big, thick, and hearty oatmeal cookie that is
chock full of dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and other texture-enhancing extras.
What's more, Dr. Biden knows that serving these sweet treats can be a delicious gesture. On her
first official public outing as the First Lady, she handed out good old-fashioned chocolate chip
cookies to members of the National Guard who'd been working tirelessly to protect the Capitol.
Of course, she was just the delivery person — and not the actual pastry chef. She said:
"The White House baked you some chocolate chip cookies — I can't say that I baked them
all myself — I wanted to give everybody a cookie as just a small thank-you for
your service and your family's service and all you've done for your nation."
According to The Washingtonian, Jill Biden has eaten carb-heavy pasta meals at the family-style
Italian restaurant Carmine's in both Washington D.C. and New York before running marathons.
Yes, Biden is an avid runner and athlete. She told Runner's World
about her training regimen and love of the sport.
"I started when I was, what, 40, so I've been running almost 20 years.
And I've been pretty consistent with it. I mean, I've had things in my life happen
where I've had to slow down a little bit, but I've always gone back to it."
While balancing her work as a teacher, her work behind-the-scenes in politics,
and her personal life, Biden has managed to carve out time to train and run 5Ks,
10Ks, and half marathons — so, yes, carb-loading is warranted.
But she's not in it for the pasta. She continued:
"Running creates a sense of balance in my life. And it really calms me down.
It's a great feeling to just get out and lose myself in a run. I think that's why I
continue to run because...once you get that, you kind of crave that time for yourself."
In a video shared on Jill Biden's Twitter feed,
then President-elect Joe Biden shared how his large family usually gathers in
Nantucket for a huge Thanksgiving event and joyous Turkey Day feast. Of course,
2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic threw a monkey wrench in that plan. The Bidens, instead,
had a much quieter and more low-key celebration at their home in Delaware. Nevertheless,
Dr. Biden said that "there's still so much to be thankful for." The meal may have been less
elaborate and the company much more intimate, but reflection, gratitude, and hope remained strong.
When Joe Biden served as Vice President, he and Jill also hosted an annual Thanksgiving
meal in their home at the Naval Observatory for injured military
servicemen that included cozy foods like chili and cornbread, as noted by the Washington Post.
In an archived article from the White House blog, Dr. Biden wrote,
"It was the Biden family's small way of saying thank you to these heroes,
and we could not have been more honored to share a table with this group."
Now that the Bidens are in the White House, restaurants around the D.C. area
are clamoring for their patronage. Of course, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,
indoor dining may not be at the top of the priority list for the President and First Lady.
Still, based on the local eateries they frequented during the Obama administration,
there's much speculation about a few of the hot spots they may — eventually — choose to grace
with their presence. Joe and Jill were spotted at Italian restaurant La Masseria in 2018,
according to Politico. Those Bidens really do love their pasta, after all. Still,
their love of Italian food doesn't mean they won't occasionally make room for some fine French fare;
according to the Washington Post, Jill and Joe have also dined at Le Diplomate.
So what does Jill order when she's eating out? When the couple went to Bardea Food & Drink
in Wilmington, Dr. Biden ordered the spicy branzino. That sounds delicious.
Jill Biden told Parade that "food is love."
She elaborated that serving food was a veritable ice breaker when she first met Joe Biden's young
sons, Hunter and Beau Biden. As she grew into her role in their lives,
it was a way to "give them security and love." She reflected on those days, saying:
"I loved to cook, and because they were such great eaters and so appreciative, I baked and
cooked all the time. It was an important part of establishing my relationship with them."
Jill also talked about how children like the routine
that comes with sitting around the dinner table.
"It means a lot to kids - those traditions, those things you do over and over again in your family."
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