Category Healthy Holidays

If only the holidays were actually like the way they look in movies. You know the ideal scene with just the right amount of snow, perfect decorations, beautifully prepared food and relaxed friends and family connecting to enjoy the season. In reality, the snow starts to fall just when you were heading out to shop, the decorations barely make it up, the food doesn’t look like the picture in the cookbook and in spite of all your best intentions to connect, you and your friends are all just too busy.

What’s the holiday season without a party, right? Navigating a buffet table laden with enough food to feed the neighborhood is no easy task, but we’ve got some helpful strategies that will let you enjoy the party without derailing your healthy eating habits.

Thanksgiving is a time to slow down and think about all that we are thankful and grateful for and to reflect on the many good things in our life. It is a time to share a delicious meal with loved ones and dear friends…and if we aren’t careful, it can be the meal that keeps on giving as we work our way through days of leftovers.

Today is the first day of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights celebrated by millions around the world. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, this simple, flavorful snack is a great way to enjoy a healthy, traditional Indian snack .

Tomorrow is a big day for kids. Costumes, candy, haunted houses and for the faithful few, waiting in sincere pumpkin patches for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin. For parents, that means a lot of work...and a lot of candy management. We hope these tips will make it easier to make healthy decisions as you rush through your last minute preparations.

Holiday traditions are an important reminder of the miracle of the connections we have with family and friends. Since Hanukkah is celebrated around the same time as Christmas, it has become a well-known Jewish holiday. This year, 2011, Hanukkah starts at sundown on Tuesday, December 20th and ends at sunset on Wednesday, December 28th on the Gregorian calendar. Hanukkah always starts on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. Since the Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar don’t exactly coincide, the days for Hanukkah appear to move around and usually fall in late November or December.

Recently I have had the pleasure of two speaking opportunities with Clara from the Good Shepherd Food Bank. While the folks at Good Shepherd always do a nice job, I was especially excited to see one of their latest initiatives – a Virtual Holiday Food Drive.

My husband’s family has a cookie recipe that has been passed through generations. The cookies are loaded with just about everything--M&M’s, peanut butter, chocolate chips, Reese’s Pieces, and of course, plenty of sugar, butter and eggs. These decadent cookies are the sort you should limit to just one (okay maybe two!). Here’s the problem: the recipe for these Monster cookies (yes, real name) makes 144 cookies!

As the holidays approach, those of us who are fortunate enough to have a roof over our head, food in our cupboards, and a little extra money to give our family gifts take the time to reflect on our good fortune. As we listen to the news about the economy and hunger and the misfortunes of others, we often realize just how well off we are--well off enough that we can spare a little of our time and money to help those who aren’t quite so lucky. In the spirit of community and kindness that surrounds the holidays, we start looking for ways to give back. Time being short and money being tight, we all want our donations to have the greatest benefit for those in need, so how do we do it?

I would not characterize myself as one of those people that lack focus, but this time of year even I find to be utterly distracting. Even now as I type, emails are popping up, advertising “50% off and free shipping” (today only!...thus multiplying the distraction). So I am here to offer you some helpful, healthy tips for staying focused during this frenzied holiday season. Think of this as a road map to staying healthy.