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December 2015

by Tracy Griffen | Dec 4, 2015

In this month’s newsletter:

  • Season’s Greetings
  • VIP Mastermind Conference
  • Easy Seasonal Recipe: Savoury Granola
  • Article: Feel Fabulous Over the Festive Season
  • And Finally… Find Your Flow

Hello healthy people,

Happy festive season! It’s getting to that time of year when many habitually hibernate and feast, coming out the other end in the new year with fresh resolve. You don’t have to start 2016 heavier and sluggish, just check out my article on how to stay healthy over the festive season. Why not start implementing your ‘new year, new you’ plan in advance and drop me a line?January is the traditional month of resolve, and I’ll be delivering a talk for the inaugural VIP Mastermind conference at Creative Exchange in Leith mid-month. It looks like a fab event, and there’s some really good speakers (other than me!).

Healthy Seasonal Recipe: Savoury Granola

I was so excited when I read about the concept of an oaty and nutty topping for my salads, that I had to try it straight away. It makes rather a lot, but I dare you not to nibble! You can store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for a few weeks.
savoury granola

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon fennel seeds (I used cumin seeds as I prefer the flavour)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or paprika
1 egg white, beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon of your preferred sweetener (agave syrup, honey, date nectar etc)- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
– Toss everything in a mixing bowl and mix.
– Spread on a baking tray or roasting dish and bake until golden, around 25 minutes
– Be sure to stir every 7- 8 minutes as the sides will cook quicker and burn easily.
– Allow to cool. Serve with everything! Perfect to jazz up a plain rocket salad… 
Article of the Month: Feel Fabulous over the Festive Season
It’s nearly Christmas, and it seems the festive season gets longer and longer each year. The amount of weight the average Christmas-celebrating person gains over the festive season is the subject of many articles at this time of year, so I thought I’d write an article on how you can avoid weight gain over the darkest months of the year instead.
–    Remember that Christmas is just one day, there’s no need to buy ‘Christmas food’ just yet. Sure, order your turkey from your local butcher in advance (and I would encourage you to use your local independent butcher than buy supermarket meat), but hold off buying calorific celebration scran until the last minute. This means it won’t be in your cupboards tempting you to eat it until required.

santa does press ups
–    Plan a walk or gentle jog for Boxing day or even after Christmas lunch. Rope in your family and friends and make it a social occasion.
–    Give healthy presents. Not everyone appreciates boxes of chocolates or bottles of wine, so think about alternatives. For children, instead of junk food, but them toys that will get them active (and wear them out rather than get them hyperactive). A favourite present to a nephew was an inflatable football goal… Invest in some Spacehoppers and have a race on Christmas day for a silly laugh (and excellent leg exercise). A winner with parents and kids alike.
–    Britain excels in ‘brown buffets’ at this time of year, by which I mean many buffet tables are laden with meat, pastries and ‘heat and eat’ products. Add some colour to your buffet table with a salad, some sliced fruit or carrot sticks and dips. A typical Australian Christmas meal is quite different, with very fresh seafood often replacing turkey and the trimmings (although I guess it is mid-summer there!).
The festive season is a wonderful time to kick back and relax, but you don’t need to get to Hogmanay feeling bloated and unfit. Be a healthy influence on your family, and you’ll be surprised at how much they thank you. They may even appreciate their very own copy of the Healthy Living Yearbook, jam-packed with lots of hints and tips to look and feel great throughout the year, specially written for Edinburgh and the Scottish seasons. Only £9.99 with free UK delivery from www.healthylivingyearbook.com
This article penned Trinity Spotlight for publication this month, check out my LinkedIn page for  my regular blog posts.
And Finally: Find Your Flow
It’s perfect weather to curl up with a good book. ‘Flow‘ by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explores the state of mind called flow, the feeling of complete engagement. A superb read, and excellent gift for a special person in your life (then you can borrow it!).
Have a happy and healthy festive season,
Tracy 🙂

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