The holidays are a busy time - running in so many different directions, from family party to party, celebrating the season with the ones you love. This is your sign to prepare to take on healthier habits for the holidays
Look, I’ve been there (frankly still am there sometimes) where your circumstances are driving you to stress eat. Whether that’s family asking you crazy questions or long travels that you really didn’t want to do in the first place or maybe it’s actually fun things like that journey to see family you haven’t seen in awhile and are excited to see!
Whatever it is, one of the ways you can keep your mind and body in better shape is by making healthier food choices.
A lot of my clients and people I know are overwhelmed by the holiday onslaught of sugar laden foods or endless holiday parties where the eggnog is flowing (or maybe you’re more of a mulled wine person) and aren’t quite sure how to handle it all.
One of the best ways I’ve found throughout the years is to plan. Plan what you’re going to eat or drink and attach a why to it.
What do I mean by that?
When you attach a meaningful why to your eating plan that can be a game changer. It allows you to dive in with determination to make those healthier choices a bit easier.
My why is my brain.
Without healthier food choices my brain just doesn't like me. When consuming a lot of sugar, alcohol and processed foods I end up with a severe case of brain fog which can lead me further down the autoimmune path, which I choose not to do.
What I eat directly impacts my ability to process information, sleep, make choices and feel joy.
Those are some big impacts!
Throughout the years people I've worked with have come to realize (especially after a particularly rough holiday season) that taking a more planned approach to what they eat (and let's be real, many other things) can be really helpful when it comes to thriving and not feeling just plain gross come January.
This year (2023) I put together a fall meal plan challenge where folks got access to a two week meal plan and group support to implement it! I'll be doing these throughout the year so keep an eye out for the next one!
As we're heading into the season of holiday parties and family gatherings I love finding delicious recipes that I can take! This is a yummy dish to take for people to munch on before the main dish, but quite honestly it's good for any occasion! The sauce with this is a nice touch too.
This recipe feeds at least 16 people!
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
For the Fritters
- 2 – 3 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil (for cooking the fritters)
- 2 medium organic zucchinis, grated (approx. 3 cups)
- 1 medium organic sweet potato, peeled and grated (approx. 1½ cups)
- 1 small organic red onion finely chopped
- 3 organic spring onions, finely chopped (reserve 1 for serving)
- 1 organic garlic clove, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 egg from the farmers market or organic free range, beaten or 1 chia egg (see chia info)
- 2 tbsp gluten-free flour
- 2 tbsp arrowroot
- 1 tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 2 drops black pepper essential oil (to taste)
- 4 drops lemon essential oil (to taste)
For the Lemon Herb Sauce
- ¾ cup vegan or homemade mayonnaise, non-dairy unsweetened coconut yogurt or non-dairy sour cream
- ½ cup finely chopped herbs (choose from basil, parsley, coriander, dill and/or mint)
- 1 spring onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (to taste)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey (optional, to taste)
- 4 drops lemon oil (to taste)
- 1 drop black pepper oil (to taste)
- ½ tsp sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- pinch of turmeric powder (optional, to taste)
Instructions
To make the Lemon Herb Sauce:
- Place all the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until combined.
- Taste the sauce and add more sea salt, pepper, lemon oil and/or maple syrup to your taste.
- Chill until ready to serve.
To make the fritters:
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together by hand except the cooking oil. Take a little of the fritter batter in the palm of your hand and press together to see if you are happy with the consistency.
- Heat a large stainless steal or cast iron frying pan on medium-high heat and add approx. 1 tbsp of the cooking oil and let it heat for approx. 15 – 20 seconds.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop a heaping spoonful of the fritter mixture and place it in the pan and gently press down to form a patty and repeat. Add more oil for each new batch you cook and watch the temperature as you may need to reduce it a little.
- Cook for approx. 2 – 3 minutes until golden and then gently turn them over using a spatula and continue cooking 2 – 3 minutes until golden brown. You may need to reduce the heat a little and be careful not to burn.
- Place the cooked fritters on a wire rack, a plate or baking tray lined with paper towels to remove any excess oil and gently cover with baking paper to keep warm while you cook the rest of the fritters.
- Serve the fritters on a platter or individual plates topped with a little Lemon Herb Sauce and serve the rest of the sauce in a little bowl on the table. You can sprinkle the fritters with chopped herbs and spring onions before serving for presentation.
The holidays are naturally a busy time filled with family get together, exchanging gifts and yummy treats. If you are pregnant during the holidays you may feel an added layer of stress.
Last year at this time I was pregnant with our little man and I was seriously feeling all the feels. It was the holiday season and I was constantly working on the different things I should eat. And boy is there a lot of info out there! I knew there wouldn't be a lot of my usual items that I consumed on the menu (think wine, extra cookies and other less than stellar choices).
Even with my masters in clinical nutrition, there was A LOT of info out there, much of it is of course conflicting. So down the research hole I went.
Sometimes Google can be a great resource and sometimes it can be a little overwhelming, which is why I decided to simplify and create a guide for pregnant mamas!
Packed with tips, recipes and ways to still enjoy things, even if it looks a little different for you this year!
This guide will put your mind at ease and make navigating all of your holiday get togethers less stressful, giving you more time to sit back and enjoy the season.
Click here to join the waitlist to get access to the guide for pregnant mamas when it officially launches!
Stress has become such a commonplace part of our every day lives. So many things running through our mental checklists at all times, "Did I remember to get something out for dinner? Why didn't my baby sleep well last night? Did I take my supplements this morning?"
I wanted to share an intentional way for you to focus on relaxing your mind throughout the course of your day. This easy-to-implement habit will help to mitigate stress and improve your overall well-being.
Breathing! - we do it everyday, but can we do it better?
There are so many benefits and even different ways to be intentional with it.
Like yes we breathe everyday at every moment but when you take time to do that slow, deep and intentional breathing it’s an amazing impact on your mind and body ❤️
Deep breathing is the act of slowing down your breath and relaxing your mind.
How can deep breathing help me?
What comes to mind when you think of deep breathing? Things like meditations and yoga?
Did you know it’s actually beneficial for everyone and can be done in any setting?
Taking a moment everyday to do a simple guided breathing technique can have huge positive effects on your body and overall health!
The more oxygen in your blood, the more energy you’ll have; I know we could all use that!
When the afternoon slump hits, take a minute to take a few deep breaths 💕 you’ll be amazed at the feeling.
Do you take time for deep breathing?
The harvest is associated with abundance, prosperity and wealth. Humans too experience an "autumn". If spring represents new birth and childhood, and summer symbolizes youth, autumn represents adulthood and maturity.
I wanted to share with you my must haves for the Autumn season as a new mom.
Diffuser scents : I just got an essential oil called cozy chai and it just brings me right into that fall mood without all those nasty candle chemicals
Sweaters that fit : having recently given birth, I truly have no idea if I even have any sweaters that fit and allow me to breastfeed. eh. So what I'm hearing is that I should go shopping?😜
Cute hats: I have a love/hate relationship with hats. I like my sunhat that I would always wear whenever I was in California, but I haven't yet found a winter hat I actually want to wear that is cute - favorite hats anyone?
A warm fun drink of choice: I talk a lot about this because to me having an exciting hot beverage to enjoy when it’s cold out just makes things that much cozier! what’s yours?
Cute boots!: I love to wear my fall boots, yes even in Florida I can do that in January, I used to love to wear high healed leather boots that went up to my mid calf-these days not so much, more of the short boot style with a little heel -what about you?
🍂What are your Fall Must Haves! Comment below and let me know!
