This past week during class, in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, we learned about connecting with your intuition. It is easy to get so busy with the to-do lists, especially around this time of year. We often forget to follow our intuition’s cues and making time for ourselves. My goal this holiday season is to stay in touch with how I am feeling and what my gut is telling me. In the past years, I have tried to fit every holiday party in, buy gifts for everyone, and run around trying to have the perfect Christmas.

This year, I am taking a different view. I have said “no” to some events, I am not filling my schedule, I have cut down my gift list, and trying to listen to what my body needs: rest, nutrition, fitness, and my social life.

My family and in-laws have all decided to skip gifts and focus on the kids. With my in-laws, we are doing a white elephant. I love white elephants because it gives me a purpose to regift items that will fit better in someone else’s life. Plus we always have a good time! Last year at our friend’s white elephant, my husband and I gave a lamp that was left in our foreclosed house. We placed it in a trash bag because it was so large. When my friend picked the gift, he opened it and the smell was horrific, he immediately threw it outside!!! But we laughed until we cried and our cheeks hurt. I realized that nice, expensive gifts are not always necessary. The joy of being with loves ones and having a good time means a lot more to me!

We can’t forget about the real reason for Christmas: Christ’s birth. Christmas is all about the Lord and gifts often distract us from the real reason. For years, I wanted more and more of “things”. Until I realized, that you will never be fulled satisfied with materialistic items in this world. There will always be a new item or style to buy and stay up to date with. It is exhausting trying to keep satisfied. With the Lord, he is the only one that will satisfy our needs and will provide us with exactly what we need, not what we have on our “Christmas list”.

Being involved in our church has drawn my husband and I closer to the Lord and I look at Christmas with a different view. One of my favorite Christmas events is my church’s (True North) Christmas Eve Eve service (yes it is on Dec 23!). If you are free, come on out! I will be serving with the 3-5 year olds at the 11 am service and attending the 5 pm service. Message me if you want to join, you will not want to miss it!

Nutritionally, this time of year is hard. Speaking with my clients, I want the fear of food to be eliminated. I tell my clients to enjoy this time of year. I also challenge them to make small changes to have a healthy holiday while enjoying it, for example: instead of 5 cookies, eating 4. Would you want to eliminate your favorite holiday cookie, because I totally would not!!! Which my favorite is gingerbread cookies, you can see my recipe here.

One tip to a healthy holiday is bringing a healthy dish for you to enjoy and anyone else trying to be healthier. Everyone knows I bring the veggies and hummus, roasted veggies, fruit, etc.

Second tip is to eating something small and healthy before the party, for example: 1/4 cup nuts, broth based veggie soup, fruit, etc. This 5 bean soup (really 6 bean with Banza chick pea pasta) is perfect to have a few hours before your holiday party. It is full of fiber and veggies, which are usually missing at holidays parties. It will keep you full so you don’t overeat, but still have room for your favorite holiday treats!

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5 Bean Soup

Serves: 7 cups

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, heat olive oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic for 5 minutes.

2. Add remaining ingredients (instead of chick pea pasta).

3. Cook on low for 4 or more hours, until beans are tender.

4. 5 minutes before serving, add pasta.

5. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 5 cups low sodium veggies broth

• 1/2 onion, chopped

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 3 carrots, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 cup dried red beans

• 1/4 cup dried Navy beans

• 1/4 cup dried Split peas

• 1/4 cup dried black beans

• 1/4 cup black-eyed peas

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried basil

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 tsp rosemary

• S&P

• 1 1/2 cup uncooked chick pea pasta

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All About Beans

• Legume family: lentils, chickpeas, peanuts, soybeans, peas

• High in fiber: ~7g per 1/2 cup servings; keeps you full longer; decreases LDL cholesterol, heart disease, gastrointestinal disease, and obesity

  • Improve gut health

  • May cause gas from oligosacchardies: reduce with changing the soaking water with the cooking water

• High in folate: important in production of red blood cells

• High in protein: add with a grain, like rice, to get a complete essential amino acids

• Beneficial in fighting type 2 diabetes: high fiber and low glycemic index- where the blood sugar rises slowly.

• Very cheap and nutritious! Just rinse from the can to reduce sodium.

• Use it to replace meat in dishes, hummus, spreads, in salads, roast chick peas, the uses are endless!