Image by Dez Pain

One more holiday song to dance to… did you know that dancing in the kitchen can make meal preparation more fun? (Just put the knives down first.)

We love the sound of this group – if you enjoyed last week’s television show The Sing-Off, you’ll like this, too.

Come on – get up and dance!

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Mulled wine is really good at the end of a busy day when you have nothing on for the rest of the evening but rest, relaxation, and quiet time with your partner. Very soothing and cozy… perfect for winter weather.

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Mulled Wine
Yellow * Serves 2

3 whole cloves
3 lemon slices
1 cup red wine (inexpensive chianti works well)
4 Tablespoons Sucanat®
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup unflavored brandy (such as Courvoisier)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer gently for 2-4 minutes or until Sucanat® is completely melted. Strain and serve.

Copyright © 2009 Hennergy, Inc. All rights reserved.

What happens when the holiday is nearly upon us?

We tend to want to stress out; to stay up late and get everything checked off the list; to make everything “Martha” perfect.

If it’s getting too stressful, or becoming too much, or you aren’t getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night – newsflash! – you’re doing too much.

Get your beauty rest. You’ll handle the whole holiday weekend better if you’re well rested.

Either delegate some of the remaining preparations, or decide you don’t need to do everything.

• Bake that next batch of cookies in a couple of days. Really – they can wait – either don’t mix up the dough, or wrap what you have in plastic wrap and a zipper bag, and freeze it.
• Skip the last minute decorating. It’s already pretty. Put the boxes away and call it done.
• Before you make one more run to the grocery store, check all your recipes, then check your pantry and fridge. Make sure it is the last trip you need to make.
• Delegate the remaining gift wrapping. It doesn’t have to meet “Martha” standards to be wrapped. Most kids over 10 can do a fine job.
• Delegate food preparations – chopping vegetables, mixing ingredients, making salad, preparing a relish tray – hand these tasks off to guests who enjoy feeling useful.

Charge your video and regular digital camera (or phone, if that’s how you take video), or put fresh batteries in today.

Make the cameras available to your family and guests – teenagers are great at this, and you may want to assign them camera duty during certain parts of the holidays.

Record stories, comments, quips, songs, special moments, and traditions. Have a few juicy or quirky questions to spark thoughts and stir up spicy conversations. Start some new traditions you can record – couples under the mistletoe, babies in Santa hats, children singing carols.

Have a family member put together still photos and video with favorite holiday music (sung by family members if you have it). Then send out copies to everyone in the video.

• Make sure your home is entertainment worthy. Get your holiday music, potpourri, and candles ready to go. And make sure you have toilet paper.
• Check your menu and make sure you have all your groceries. Perishables can be purchased, and if you have a turkey to thaw, today’s probably the day for that.
• Confirm any special orders or deliveries – fresh flowers, linens, tables and chairs, wine and liquor, or groceries.
• Design and plan the finishing touches for your tables. Are you using “kids’ tables” and “adult tables?” Do you have place cards? Centerpieces? Consider themed tables – elf, reindeer, Santa, etc. Have guests draw one of those names for their table assignment.
• Consider activities for the kids (and adults?) to keep them occupied. Some ideas – crafts, singing Christmas carols, Christmas charades, or watching a classic holiday movie.
• For a classy touch, you may want to make menu cards. Use a fancy font or try calligraphy. Put a menu at each place, and keep one for the kitchen, so you remember to serve all the food.
• Have a plan for the other meals of the big day/weekend, too. Simple recipes and meals that can be prepared ahead are good choices. Don’t forget the groceries you’ll need for those meals.
• Decide who will be responsible for every assignment and chore on the big day (don’t forget cleanup).

… or put it away.

Either use your scale as an impartial tool,* or get it out of your sight.**

*Impartial tool method – weigh yourself once a day at the same time (like in the morning right before you shower), or once a week (like Saturday mornings), or even once a month (the first day of the month, or the first day of your cycle).

**Out of sight method – there’s the garbage (but that’s not very environmentally friendly) or the give-away box. Instead of your scale, use your favorite jeans as a barometer of your body’s changes.

Photo by Peter W

Alright, it’s time for some Christmas music that you can move to. This song is pretty well known because it’s part of a popular Christmas movie.

Get up, dance around, and take a break from the stress of getting it all done in the next few days. Exercise is a stress reliever. If nothing else, you’ll at least get your blood circulating up to your brain again, and you’ll be able to think a little more clearly about what you need to do next.

Go ahead. Have some fun.

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We love this dip as part of a holiday (or any party) buffet. It’s also great as an after-school or mid-afternoon snack with some raw veggies, or as a sandwich spread (just a thin layer with some veggies – yum!).

It’s quick and easy, as well as delicious. It’s also a great starter if your meal is miscombined.

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Tuscan Bean Dip
from Marilu’s Healthy Life Kitchen

Blue * Serves 8-10

2 cans white beans
1 clove raw garlic (or 2 cloves roasted garlic)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vegetable bouillon
6 chives
leaves from 4 sprigs rosemary
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Puree all ingredients together in a food processor.

Serve with raw veggies, pita bread, or whole grain crackers.

Copyright © 2009 Hennergy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Holiday baking means using sweeteners. Try these substitutes for sugar – they’ve all been tested by our members and their families, and have passed with flying colors.

• Sugar (dry sweetener) * Most of the time, the Total Health Makeover® recommends the least processed sweeteners.

  The dry versions are Sucanat® and Rapadura. However, they will make your baked goods darker in color, and while that’s not a problem with chocolate, gingerbread, molasses, or other dark cookies, with some recipes, a light color is more desirable. Instead, use turbinado sugar, Florida crystals or evaporated cane juice (different manufacturers may call them by different names). In some cases, these sweeteners are labeled “organic sugar.”

  Other dry sweeteners that you may find in these recipes include date sugar and maple sugar, which are also good substitutes, especially in combination with Sucanat® or Rapadura.

  When recipes call for white and brown sugar, you can often use two different sweeteners for great flavor (for example, Sucanat® and maple sugar in oatmeal cookies; Sucanat® and date sugar in chocolate chip cookies).

• Syrup (liquid sweeteners) * Liquid sweeteners include maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, raw honey, agave nectar (or agave syrup), and brown rice syrup. Brown rice syrup is a good substitute for corn syrup. Use it in combination with other syrups for more complex flavors.

  Unless you want to do a lot of experimenting, substitute a dry sweetener for sugar, and a liquid sweetener for syrup. That is – dry for dry, wet for wet.

Marilu’s book Healthy Life Kitchen contains a table with more details.