Issue #15 (Monthly Online Newsletter)
Surviving the Holidays
Not everyone looks forward to the holiday season, but I for one can say this is my favourite time of the year. Because I get everything done in advance, there is not that mad rush at the end to finish everything we think needs to be done! This gives me time to enjoy the holidays when family and friends are together to share their love.
Here is a list of things you can do to make sure the holidays are stress free:
1. Make a budget of what you can spend on holiday gifts, extra food for get-togethers and giving to your favourite charity. A Christmas budget will help to keep you from over spending. Remember that there are many others who are less fortunate than you, and this is a good time of the year to give some time and money to a charity. One of my favourite Christmas activities is helping out at my church when they have a community supper for the needy in our neighbourhood.
2. Make it simple: gift giving to meal planning can be best when made simple. Too often we make such a fuss of these things that there is no time to enjoy the time spent with family and friends!
3. Give some of your gifts from things you can make; the ingredients to one of your favourite recipes in a mason jar or Tupperware container, a craft or some preserves just to name a few. This will not only save you money, but it will give you the chance to show your family and friends what your healthy diet is all about!
4. Avoid last minute shopping – this will blow your budget!
5. Look at all of the things you do during the holidays and weed out the things you do not enjoy doing but think you need to do – many times others also do not need or want these things! Again remember this is the time of year to show your love to others, but not necessarily by spending a lot of money or time. Years ago there was an emergency that happened just before Christmas, so I could not do my usual holiday rituals. I had to pick just 1 or 2 of my favourite holiday traditions and discovered that all of the others were not things I needed to do every year.
6. Plan what you will eat ahead of time and get the proper groceries so you are prepared to make your healthy foods without a problem. Remember sugar can shut down your immune system, so make sure you limit your sugar intake. When making a meal plan, make twice as much then put the leftovers in the fridge for extra meals on other days.
7. It does not need to be hectic if you plan your time well and get enough rest in order for your body to take care of you. It seems most people plan evening visits; why not try planning morning visits and have a great healthy breakfast instead of a late night supper. There are many wonderful recipes that include fruit, nuts and seeds and almost all of my dessert recipes could be served mid-morning. By doing this you will give yourself more time in the evening to reflect on the day’s activities and get to bed at a decent time.
8. And lastly, remember what the Christmas holiday season is all about: the birthday of Jesus Christ our savior. Plan a few extra visits to church and make more time for prayers over the holidays.
Sharing this time with others is important, but making time for yourself is just as important! The holidays are a time to enjoy your circle of family and friends. Plan an open house so that everyone you know can come and stay for whatever amount of time suits them. I am planning my open house over the late morning to early afternoon so they can continue on with their day after visiting with us. I am serving all of my favourite healthy recipes, most of which can be made ahead to allow me more time to visit with all of my family and friends.
Enjoy the holidays!
Cranberry & Apple Stuffing
If you plan your holiday dinner in advance, you won’t experience as much stress over the holidays. For the whole month of November we will be giving you ideas for your holiday dinners – so start your planning now!
makes 3-4 cups
To make this recipe you will need 1 loaf of good multi grained bread – Cut the bread into 1” cubes and leave it out overnight so it dries out.
Put the following into a large baking dish that you have greased with coconut oil:
- 3 cups of dried bread cubes
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 apple (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup sweet onion (finely chopped)
- ½ cup celery (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp of each: sage, garlic, and cardamom
- ¼ cup apple juice
Stir well then cover and bake in a 375F oven for 30-45 minutes then serve warm.
These Christmas recipes are found from Judy Fleming’s Recipe Book “Foods from Around the World”. Now on for 20% off for the month of November.
2015 Journal Calendar
Our new 2015 Journal calendar will be ready for sale by the end of this month, so order today!
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