Tag Archives: holidays

6 Christmas Morning Breakfasts You Still Have Time to Make

With Christmas Eve finally upon us, everyone is checking those lists one more time to make sure nothing is forgotten. While we tend to focus on making sure the gift lists are marked complete, the grocery list can get overlooked. Make sure you’ve got a big festive breakfast planned for tomorrow morning. As your little ones stumble upon their prizes from Santa, the big kids can go ahead and settle in to a home-cooked breakfast that’s just special enough to enjoy one morning a year.

We’ve got six healthier breakfast ideas that we promise you’ve still got time to make (even on Christmas Eve!).

Baked Double Chocolate Peppermint Donuts

You won’t find any added processed sugar in these little gems. Instead we sweeten with honey, quality cocoa, and just enough crushed peppermint sticks to brighten your morning. A few mini chocolate chips baked in the pan with the batter create an instant glaze. All you have to do is serve! (more…)

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Natalie K

Santa’s Helper Has Last Minute Stocking Stuffer Ideas

The big jolly guy might check those lists twice, but it doesn’t mean he’s any less likely to forget something than the rest of us. If you’re scrambling to do your last-minute shopping this weekend and still need a few ideas to stuff those stockings, then we’ve got you covered.


BIG KIDS

They’re never really too old to believe … or at least to get a few new surprises. Teens, college students, and maybe even mom and dad would love to find any of these goodies on Christmas morning.

Unreal Candy Bars. Even we think it’s a shame not to put a little chocolate in a stocking, but with Unreal’s “unjunked” candy bars we don’t have to feel bad about it. Available nationally at Target, Walgreens, and in health food stores.

ToeSox. For a teen or college yogi, these socks will be very well received. A lot more than a pack of gym socks! The grip on the soles allows you more stability while practicing your favorite poses even when you don’t have a mat. (more…)

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Natalie K

5 Healthier Lunch Spots for Holiday Shopping Weekends

Are you still finishing your holiday shopping list? If so, you probably plan on hitting the mall and boutiques this weekend. There’s something fun about shopping, solo or with family and friends, that can really put you in the spirit. And all that rushing around can really make you work up an appetite that leaves you ready for lunch! You’ll be out and about and likely inconveniently far from your own kitchen, plus it’s just fun to grab a weekend lunch with your girls once in a while. So we’ve made lunch plans for you, or least found a few places where you won’t wreck your diet while you’re out putting dents in your wallet.

There are plenty of great healthy options at some of the largest chain restaurants, likely those placed just near the shopping centers where you’ll be this weekend. These locations are easy to find in most cities and have some great items to help you stay on track. Let us be your menu guide!

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle is easily a very healthy option. The meats are all very fresh, grilled, and most are organic and hormone free. One could get a bowl loaded with lean meat, brown rice, fresh peppers and onions, and pico for around 400 calories and be completely satisfied. A fully loaded steak burrito with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole is more than 1200 calories! Order wise and enjoy the good deed you’re doing for you body. And at 400 calories, you can probably splurge for a little cup of guacamole, too! (more…)

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Lacy

Beat the Holiday Bloat with 3 Yoga Poses

Pass the mashed potatoes, pass the gravy, and pass the Yorkshire pudding, but don’t be surprised about what else you’ll be passing.

Your holiday indulgences can be a challenge to your digestive system. If Mylanta, Beano, or any other so-called gas and bloat-relieving brands are treatments you’d rather avoid, try the following yoga poses to help ease your discomfort.

Wind Relieving Pose

With a name like this, I’ll bet you can guess what this pose is intended to do. If you are in need of a little gas passing, try practicing this pose. Most importantly, make sure you are ready and prepared for the relief it will bring.

Lie on your back with both legs extended onto the floor. Bring your right knee toward your chest and wrap both hands around your right shin. Next, lift your upper body toward your thigh. Press your belly into your thigh as you breathe. Take up to five deep breaths before switching sides. (more…)

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Jill

Maintaining a Yoga Practice Through the Holidays to Prevent Bad Habits in the New Year

The last few months of the year are challenging for many reasons. From Thanksgiving Day to January 1st, many will fall victim to the greater pull of holiday pleasures and ditch their exercise routines and healthy diets.

It isn’t a crime to be a little lenient during the holidays. After all, what other time of year gives us this opportunity to eat and drink with such enthusiasm? The problem arises when seemingly temporary indulgences turn into permanent bad habits.

We all know that the best way to break a habit is to not start one in the first place. That’s why maintaining a consistent yoga practice can help. The following are a few suggestions to keep you motivated to hit the mat before your holiday hedonisms become your New Year lifestyle.

Seek instant gratification the healthy way

Needing something to knock the edge off your holiday stress? Instead of reaching for the eggnog, try taking a 5-minute break to sit, stretch, and breathe on your yoga mat. I guarantee it will bring you more gratification, give you more energy, and not to mention, reduce your daily intake of calories. (more…)

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Jill

10 Healthy Cookie Recipes for Your Cookie Exchange Party

‘Tis the season for exchanging cookies! Around the holiday season cookie exchange parties have become an exciting tradition. Each person takes one cookie from another person’s cookie tray, and the idea is to walk out with a variety of delicious treats. The only downside is they aren’t usually too good for us. Cookies can be packed in calories, fat, and sugar and certainly a culprit in the holiday weight gain game.

We love a good cookie and a good cookie exchange too, so we hope you’ll share some of these healthier cookie recipes that we’ve found. Ingredients like whole grain flour, dried fruits, applesauce, fresh vegetables, and even chocolate make for some pretty splendid desserts!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our healthy chocolate cookie is not only tasty but vegan friendly, too. The recipe calls for bananas, maple syrup, and dark chocolate. There is no butter and barely any added sugar. Also, the Vegan Chocolate Cookies taste delicious with a tiny scoop of light vanilla ice cream! (more…)

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Samantha

Treat Yourself to a Frozen Hot Chocolate This Warm Winter Season

Where I live, it was 71 degrees while I raked the leaves out of my yard yesterday, and last week I comfortably wore flip flops. All of this warm weather is backed up by a new report from the National Climatic Data Center that says 2024 will go down as the hottest year on record. It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than four weeks away when we’ve yet to pull out our winter coats!

While any other winter we’d be stirring up hot chocolate by now to stay warm and cozy, this year we need something to keep us cool. That’s right, we’re making Frozen Hot Chocolate and think you should, too!

It’s still creamy, chocolatey, and topped with marshmallows, but it’s blended with ice and sipped with a straw instead. Our Frozen Hot Chocolate was inspired by the original at New York’s Serendipity. As delightful an experience as that candy shop trip can be, their version has 340 calories. Ours, however, makes 140 calories sound pretty indulgent! (more…)

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Natalie K

The Ultimate Zumba Gift Guide

If you’ve got a Zumba fanatic on your holiday shopping list this year, look no further. We’ve gathered a list of goods that every Zumba lover out there would be ecstatic to receive.

Exhilarate Body Shaping System (DVD set of 5)

These at-home workout DVDs will get their body dancing into shape. The original set contained only four DVDs, but this bonus set includes a fifth (20 minute warm up) plus a set of toning sticks. Each DVD contains a different workout with multiple intensity levels for the beginners, intermediates, and advanced. Also included is a 10-day weight-loss program for the Zumba lover to take advantage of. What a deal!

(more…)

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Danielle

5 Ways to Say No to Food This Holiday Season

We all have that one person in our life who refuses to take no for an answer. Perhaps it’s the office baker who simply can’t understand why you turn down her famous chocolate peanut butter pie. Or maybe it’s Great Aunt Helen who ends every visit with a care package of cinnamon rolls, somehow still warm yet you never saw her turn on the oven.

We all have a food pusher in our lives. They love us but don’t understand us. For them, food is the ultimate expression of love. For us it’s fuel, nothing more and nothing less.

This conflict is never as pronounced as it is during this festive time of year. Not only is food love, it’s tradition. It’s a gift. And it’s not easy to say no to a gift.

But to stay true to who we are and to keep our hard-earned fitness we have to learn to say no. You need to have a holiday defense strategy that includes ways to say no politely but firmly. Here are my top 5 ways to say no to food:

No, thank you. Simple and quick. No need for a detailed reason on why you refuse cake, just move on to the next topic of conversation. (more…)

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Pamela

4 Ways to Beat the Resolution Rush!

By Chrissa Hardy for HelloGiggles.com

It’s strange that a day filled with giving thanks can end in regret, isn’t it? Yet every year, that’s the feeling I experience before I go to bed. And Thanksgiving is a mandatory day to over-indulge, so why do I torture myself with this annual guilt? It’s because I know that the over-indulging won’t end on Black Friday. Really, that’s just the beginning. From Thanksgiving until New Year’s Eve, we’re shopping, snacking, cooking, baking, noshing, drinking, dessert-ing and then digesting. We’re plagued with decorating, gift-buying, hosting parties, mingling at the parties of others and we’re trying to juggle all of these additional tasks on top of our normal hectic schedules.

We don’t even have time to ease out of our extra holiday “padding” before we need to squeeze into our snazziest cocktail attire and set goals to better our lives as the ball descends into the new year.

That is some serious pressure.

Wouldn’t you like to ring in the new year without the padding AND the guilt? I know I would. Here are four ways for you (and for me!) to stay on track through the holiday season and make your resolution list that much shorter and more manageable.

1. Get organized with to-do lists.

I make to-do lists for everything and I find that in times of chaos, creating these lists not only makes it possible for me to complete all of the necessary tasks, but it also calms me down. Seeing the big picture broken down into smaller, more manageable chunks is a stress-reliever. That goes for shopping lists down to dinner menus, and we’ve got 3 free meal planner worksheets you can download now. (more…)

Posted on November 27, 2023 by HelloGiggles

3 Yoga Poses to Beat the Holiday Blues

The holidays are undoubtedly a stressful time of year and many folks become highly vulnerable to anxiety and depression when the sleigh bells start to ring.

Instead of reaching for food, try rolling out your yoga mat. Studies have shown that a regular yoga and meditation practice can reduce stress and help fight depression.

The following is a short list of three must-do yoga poses that beat the holiday blues. Practice them at least once a day or as needed. This short series will help tame your tension and get you back in to a cheerful holiday spirit.

Child’s Pose

When you are ready to take a mental vacation from the mayhem, begin your yoga practice with child’s pose.

Come down on to your hands and knees, reach your hips back over your heels, and rest your forehead on the mat, your stacked forearms, or on a pillow. Close your eyes and stay in the pose for up to ten long, slow, deep breaths.

Child’s pose will instantly induce a state of calm and help get you feeling centered and ready to face any challenges that may lie ahead. When you are ready to exit the pose, do so slowly. Coming up too fast will negate the benefits of the pose and could be agitating to your state of mind. (more…)

Posted on November 26, 2023 by Jill