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  • Christmas can be a time of feeling pressured to take part in decadent overindulging in rich food. I know “just saying no” sounds easy, but what are three tipsyou have for the average person trying to avoid overdoing it at get-togethers with family and friends?

 

  1. Don’t starve yourself all day to “bank” calories for the party, this backfires 100% of the time. You will end up eating (and drinking) four times as much as you would have if you were to eat a balanced and healthy breakfast and lunch. Instead of banking calories, BURN them! Workout extra hard that morning and maintain your healthy eating regimen and you will be more likely to eat smaller portions of all the holiday goodies.
  2. Don’t take home leftovers. If the host is trying to get rid of them don’t feel guilty saying NO, simply explain to them that you enjoyed all of the goodies but you are not trying to put on any additional pounds this season. You could not resist the temptation if you had the treats in the house.
  3. Do bring a healthy dish to the party; this can be your go to item if everything else available is not on the healthy side. A veggie tray with hummus or, turkey meat balls made with high fiber bread crumbs, fresh fruit platter with a yogurt dip, homemade guacamole with all natural corn tortilla chips/ crunchy vegetables are all great appetizers to lay out.
  • For those with substance abuse problems, the festive season is extra challenging. Is there a simple suggestion for those people coping with alcohol addiction during this time? (two to three sentences)

Focus on your goals, surround yourself with supportive friends and family members and continue to follow your healthy lifestyle and nutrition strategies, including eating at least 6 servings of vegetables per day, incorporating healthy protein and fats in each meal, and remain consistent with your exercise and therapy sessions. Also make sure to drink one half your body weight in ounces every day. This is healthy, will help you feel full and cause you to eat and especially drink less.

  • Since many are strapped for time over the holidays and may feel they’re too busy to exercise, simplifying the workout routine might help keep them on track. What would be a simple plan for staying fit over the holidays? How about for parents who are saddled with restless children home from school? (eg. Going for a brisk walk with the family, skating together outdoors, etc.)

The 10 minute workout is perfect for a busy holiday season… aim to work out for 3-5 hours a week but break it up if you need to.  Most of these workouts can be done with your kids on your lunch hour or at home.  Saving drive time to and from the gym, can really be beneficial to those who are trying to squeeze a workout in. The holiday season is already putting a whooping on many schedules, with work and school parties, family coming into town, menu planning, and shopping, etc. can really be a time vampire.  Try these workouts and enjoy the extra time you will have to get things done this holiday season and in everyday life for that matter.

 

The “I cannot break a sweat options” –                                                                      The 10 minute walk                                                                                                                       10 minutes of yoga/foam rolling

 

Cardio Options-

  • Run a mile- get outside and run around your child’s practice field
  • Ladder Drills- buy an agility ladder and do some drills in your garage, basement or driveway.  Children love to copy all of the drills.
  • Stairs- hit the stadium or even the stairs off your deck or in your house.  Skip a step, jump up with both feet, run them, etc.

 

Strength Training Options-

  • Pushups, chin ups, sit ups ,a squat challenge. See how many of each you can do for a minute with 15 seconds between, and stop at 10 minutes.  Record your numbers and try to beat them each week.

Kettle Bell metabolic meltdown, this is a series of kettlebell exercises that are done for 30-60 seconds and get the heart rate up high and muscles burning quick!(Before touching a kettlebell speak with a fitness professional who is specifically trained to teach kettlebells. The injury rate for this workout piece is high, but if you learn how to do the exercises correctly the results are like no other!)

 

  1. Do you have some suggestions of simple, healthy foods that people can easily make and share over the holidays? 

 

Here are some of our healthy holiday recipes made over, pick and choose which ones you think your readers will enjoy.

 

Cauliflower mashed potatoes. –

Serves 6-8

1 large head cauliflower

5 large garlic cloves

Sea salt to taste

2 tbs. organic butter or ghee

1 tbs. fresh chives

Ground black pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Chop cauliflower into large chunks.

Steam until soft (able to smash with a fork)

Add butter/ghee and salt

Blend until smooth with hand mixer

Top with chives and black pepper.

 

Revised Pumpkin Pie (no refined flours or sugars)

Ingredients:

  • 1 can 14oz can organic pumpkin puree
  • 1 c almond flour
  • ¼ c almond milk
  • 3 organic eggs+ 1 egg yolk
  • ¼ cup local honey
  • ¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp cloves
  • ½ tsp cardamom
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  1. Preheat oven to 350F (if you’re making your pie right after making the crust, just reduce the temperature).
  2. Combine almond flour, eggs, honey and maple syrup and blend for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth, add almond milk slowly.  It is very important to blend until completely smooth, otherwise your custard will be watery.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined.
  4. Pour into cooled organic pie shell (doesn’t need to be room temperature, just cool enough to touch).  Spread the top out evenly with a spatula.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes.  Allow pie to cool completely before serving.

 

Brussel Sprouts with balsamic glaze

Description – Brussels sprouts are cruciferous vegetables that have endless health benefits, roasting vegetables with healthy fats like oils and nuts will bring out the best flavor enjoy the taste and healthy benefits of this side.

Prep time -10 min.

Cook Time – 18-28 min.

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lbs Brussels sprouts cut in 1/2

1 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

1 medium apples, finely chopped

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbs. chopped pecans

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried parsley

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F
  2. Add olive oil, Brussels sprouts, onions, apples, vinegar, salt and pepper to a bowl and stir well
  3. Pour mixture into a baking dish

 

  1. Bake at 400 for 12-18 minutes
  2. While Brussels are roasting, mix pecans, vinegar and herbs in a small bowl
  3. Remove Brussels from oven and add pecans to baking dish. Stir well
  4. Return to oven for an additional 6-10 minutes

 

Stuffing made over

12 ounces sprouted grain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Coconut oil

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9 ounces organic chicken or turkey sausage

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5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

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4 cups chopped organic onion

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1 1/4 cups sliced fennel bulb

1 1/4 cups chopped carrot

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2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

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3 cups chopped Golden Delicious apple

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2 teaspoons honey

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1 1/2 cups organic chicken broth

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2 large eggs

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Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until golden, stirring after 8 minutes. Place in a large bowl.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Coat pan with coconut oil. Add sausage to pan; cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add sausage to bread.
  4. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 3 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through garlic). Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables to sausage mixture.
  5. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add apple and sugar; sauté 5 minutes or until apple caramelizes, stirring occasionally. Add to the sausage mixture.
  6. Combine broth and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper to sausage mixture; toss well to combine.
  7. Spoon sausage mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with coconut oil. Cover with foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover dish; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until browned and crisp.