This is Salad Girl's busiest season, and I think we all tend to burn the candle at both ends because it is hard to say no to so many fun events and holiday foods. Finding balance with food, family, and fun is the key to a successful holiday and I have a couple of tips to share.

Food: The season brings with it all the yummy traditional treats and foods that I love to share, make and eat. A good percentage of the traditional offerings are full of sugar and butter, baked and are delish!  I  am a healthy 62-year-old woman with a family history of heart disease, so I need to take care to watch my sugar, salt, and fat consumption for my heart's sake.  During the holidays, I try to stay mindful & find some balance with my treats. I usually save desserts for weekends and special parties, but a spritz cookie and a cup of cinnamon tea hits the spot when I am hankering for a treat.

Stress: To arm myself for this season, I try to up my yoga class schedule (it reminds me to breathe), sneak a nap when I can, and walk the mall early in the AM. The most important thing for all of us is the fuel we consume to nourish my mind, body, and spirit. I am taking care to try to keep it simple by making some "easy pleasy", nutritious meals for Jimmy and myself during the work week.  Our good friend Stephanie Hansen famous "local foodie" & co-host of the 107.1 FM radio show the Weekly Dish has graciously lent a hand to Salad Girl as our social media guru.  Stephanie suggested creating some Buddha Bowls to share with our customers for easy, healthy meals during the holiday season. I jumped right in, grabbed some cute bowls, used some of my leftover grilled chicken, a can of organic garbanzo beans,  added some fresh chopped veggies, and Voila! It barely took me 5 minutes to prepare and 3 minutes for Jimmy and my next door neighbors to eat. Thanks, Stephanie!

*One of my favorite people in this world is Deepak Chopra.   I love the Deepak Chopra Institute website with its beautiful library of articles and products for nurturing the mind, body, and spirit. Here are some great articles to help us de-stress the Holidays :-) https://chopra.com/articles. Enjoy, Chillax, and Numm-maste!