Sharing inspirations for holidays and every day

Christmas and New Year mark our lifetime in a more profound way than any other holidays. This is the time when most of us pause all frantic activities, re-evaluate and plan.

Therefore, it is a good time for inspiration and learning.

Below I have compiled some of my recent inspirations. I hope that you find them useful in preparing for your own holidays.

A week ago, I discovered a new YouTube channel, Picking up limes, dedicated to “foodies, minimalists, travellers and all beautiful souls”.

The creator of the channel, Sadia, promises “a calm and relaxing space with … videos that help to nourish the cells and the soul.” I watched many of the videos and believe that Sadia delivers on her promises. 

You could also visit her website. I am looking forward to some free time to read the blog and dive into Sadia’s recipes.  

Update: I made these Sadia's pancakes last night and they turned out pretty good. I did not have buckwheat flour, instead, used whole wheat flour. I also used water instead of plant-based milk and sprayed my pan with olive oil instead of using coconut oil.

 
How to keep relaxed and calm, and yet have amazing holidays? 

Maybe we should all introduce some hygge into our holidays. Here is the advice of Jenny Mustard on how to celebrate Christmas in hygge style:

 

I am aesthetically and visually driven person.  Looking at creative arrangements and decorations for the holidays inspire me and allow me to bring more energetic spirit into my house, break the monotony of our everyday routine.

Here are three blogs that are a feast for the senses and might inspire you to put together an unexpected background for the seasonal celebrations:

Liiv blog

Hof 9

@mycasa

Loreta blog 

Dishfunctional Designs
 
What are the holidays without the warmth and enticing aromas of baked dishes, cookies and breads?

I am not a fan of sugar or any cakes, but this gorgeous gingerbread village cake presentation inspired me to concoct my own version of a minimal-sugar cake. 

I am planning on using two layers of my banana brownie recipe and a raspberry-coconut filling to "build" my own Christmas cake.

 

If the result is good, I will share the exact recipe.  Meanwhile, why not invent your own cake recipe, or maybe re-invent an old favorite recipe, in which you substitute the unhealthy ingredients with healthy ones?


I will also try these oat cookies on one of my days off, and maybe surprise my family with some almond pancakes.

 
Not having any plans for Christmas yet? Here is how Jenny celebrates her Christmas.  Why not try something new this year?

How about you, how do you bring the holidays home?

Romantic Matchmaking By Machine?

By Chordboard - Self, from material in my possession., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4310843

For Valentine’s Day: an analysis of the shortcomings of machine learning (for now) to gauge two people’s romantic attraction to each other.  The authors divide romantic attraction into three components. First, the overall tendency of someone to desire others (actor variance), the tendency of that someone to be desired by others (partner variance) and, finally, a third component (relationship variance) that captures desire not characterized by the other two components (one may term this, I guess, “the mysteries of love”).  While machine leaning can predict some fraction of actor and partner variances, it was unable to model the more elusive relationship variance using traits and preferences reported before dates.  So far, the fine details of human romantic interest cannot be fully captured by machine learning. However, that may change in time.  Abstract:

Matchmaking companies and theoretical perspectives on close relationships suggest that initial attraction is, to some extent, a product of two people's self-reported traits and preferences. We used machine learning to test how well such measures predict people's overall tendencies to romantically desire other people (actor variance) and to be desired by other people (partner variance), as well as people's desire for specific partners above and beyond actor and partner variance (relationship variance). In two speed-dating studies, romantically unattached individuals completed more than 100 self-report measures about traits and preferences that past researchers have identified as being relevant to mate selection. Each participant met each opposite-sex participant attending a speed-dating event for a 4-min speed date. Random forests models predicted 4% to 18% of actor variance and 7% to 27% of partner variance; crucially, however, they were unable to predict relationship variance using any combination of traits and preferences reported before the dates. These results suggest that compatibility elements of human mating are challenging to predict before two people meet.

Happy Thanksgiving 2017

By Jean Bungartz - This file has been extracted from another file: Hühner (Geflügel-Album, Jean Bungartz, 1885).pdfKarlsruhe: Badische Landesbibliothek, 2013http://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/urn/urn:nbn:de:bsz:31-38086, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27040412 

Not for the Thanksgiving meal table?

Who will eat who?  Just joking…but those are huge chickens. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Real Headless Horseman: Obesity

By John Quidor - aQHCpcwsbaMXQA at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22126482

For Halloween, we need to remember that much of the “treats” that children are getting are extremely unhealthy. Most treats are sugar/fat/high fructose corn syrup laden candy.  As a once-a-year event, this might be fine (in moderation), but with childhood obesity and metabolic syndrome on the rise, and colon cancer diagnosed at ever-younger ages (possibly due to weight problems), consuming such junk food should not be a habit.  It’s not “The Headless Horseman” stalking the land, but the obesity epidemic, and fewer and fewer of us are as slim as Ichabod Crane.

Heart Health And The Holiday Season

Holidays and health somehow do not mash up.  This article discusses why:

"There are likely to be two separate populations who are combining to create the Christmas effect," Knight said. One is people who are quite ill, but hang on for the holidays.

These people may be discharged from the hospital to spend the holidays with their families and are therefore farther away from advanced treatment, leaving them at a higher risk of death, Knight said.

"The evidence seems to indicate that this population is likely nearing the end of their lives, and it is quite possible that many people would prefer spending the holiday with their family over a few more weeks in a hospital," Knight said.

The second group is people who delay treatment over the holidays and end up dying from a heart attack that wouldn't have been fatal otherwise, he said.

"This group is quite different from the first group, in that if the event was nonfatal, there is a good likelihood that they would have a number of healthy and productive years of life left to enjoy," Knight said.

There are a number of other theories that may also explain the spike in deaths during the holiday season. They include stress associated with the holidays, changes in diet and drinking more alcohol, less staff at hospitals, and being away from home, he suggested.

Knight added: "It is hard to give recommendations, but the usual caveats apply about avoiding rich foods, smoking and excess alcohol. But in particular, if people are traveling, ensure that they know how to access health care services in an emergency situation. And where possible, don't delay seeking treatment if the signs of cardiac distress occur."

For those in the second group, do what you can to meet the New Year with good health, and a positive approach to lifestyle issues that Knight discusses in the article.

Homemade stuffing

This post adds another idea for your Thanksgiving table.

There are lots of commercially available stuffing mixes around this time of the year, and they invariably have high levels of sodium and unhealthy additives.  Many of the online recipes for "homemade stuffing" use ready-to-use soup mixes that are also high in sodium.

This year, I decided to make stuffing "from scratch" using ingredients that are healthier than the ones described above. So, here is a general approach that can be adjusted to your taste.  Note that I did not use exactly measured amounts, but went by what I had in mind for the finished product - "eyeball" amounts.

I used old bread, including old potato rolls and whole wheat bread and let these air dry for one hour.  The bread was then thorn into pieces, and sprinkled with olive oil. Some Smart Balance was added, and then the flavoring was mixed in.  I used onion powder and red pepper flakes (I made a "hot and spicy" Thanksgiving stuffing).  Finally, some chopped walnuts were added, all was well mixed, and baked at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes or less. Baking time will vary according to the amount and type of stuffing ingredients. For example, adding any fresh fruits/vegetables (e.g., chopped onion, raisins, cranberries, etc.) would alter the cooking time.  Also, adjust the cooking time to the degree of "crunchiness" you want - in my case, the stuffing turned out crunchy, but still somewhat chewy due to the olive oil and Smart Balance. 

So, try to make your own stuffing without added salt, sugar, and chemicals.

Enjoy.  My family and I certainly did.

Happy Holidays with a chocolate recipe

Happy holidays, from us and the bunny in our backyard (the one that eats most of my flowers, carrots, and lettuces). To indulge your palate during the holidays, and to have a homemade gift to give, I have prepared a recipe for chocolate clusters. They are easy to make and  healthy, if consumed in moderation. 

Ever since I watched the famous lecture of Dr. Lustig, MD, “Sugar the bitter truth”, I have become aware of how much sugar there is even in products that we do not suspect of having sugar as an ingredient (example: canned beans, tomato soup, etc.). Although I have reduced my sugar intake to the minimum, and started to drink my morning without sugar, for Christmas I decided to experiment with my only indulgence: chocolate, which is inevitably accompanied by some sugar.  

Below is my chocolate-walnut cluster recipe, result of my effort to make a healthy Christmas treat. In the spirit of the Mayan and Aztec, the clusters have cayenne pepper, which seems to have countless health benefits, among which are clearing the mucus when you have congestion, quenching your migraines and allergies, and boosting your weight loss. I also added turmeric, the active ingredient of which, curcumin, is used against depression, pain, and inflammation; it also regulates blood glucose levels and may exert anti-cancer activities. The clusters have increased contents of cocoa, which is good for your mind and mood, and increases your cardiovascular fitness. The benefits of incorporating walnuts in your diet were already discussed in a previous post. Here is the recipe:

 Chocolate clusters
For this recipe you will need: 1.5 cups chopped walnuts, 1.5 cups chocolate chips (I used Nestle’s semi-sweet morsels), 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (the amount depends on how spicy you like it), 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, and 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder (for baking, without sugar in it).  

Assemble a double boiler, if you do not have one. I use a saucepan with an inch of cold water in it, and on top I put a heat-resistant dry glass bowl. The glass bowl is not in contact with the water, and is kept dry at all times. Once the assembly is ready, turn on the heat and pour the chocolate chips into the glass bowl. Mix the chips with a wooden or rubber spatula. As they start to melt, reduce the heat to the lowest setting or turn the heat off. Once the chocolate is smooth, add the powders (cayenne pepper, turmeric, cocoa), mix, and then add the walnuts. The clusters are made by spooning the desired amount onto parchment paper. I use a teaspoon of the mixture to make a single cluster, and from the listed ingredients above, the yield is maximum 20 small clusters. The treats set in within 2-3 hours at room temperature.