Christmas Tea

It's that time of year again.  The time of year when Sarge asks me to buy all the fixin's for Christmas tea.  This is one recipe that I cannot (according to him) make healthy.  It only tastes good if you use the bad for you stuff =)

So, here's to an unhealthy, but delicious hot beverage.

one container ice tea mix

one container lemonade mix

one container Tang (it has to be Tang!)

cinnamon to taste

nutmeg to taste

Mix everything together in a large seal-able container.  Mix 2-3 teaspoons in a mug of hot water and enjoy!

Simplify the Season

It’s that time of year again.  When everyone goes crazy trying to find the perfect gift, plan the perfect dinner, make sure everyone has the perfect Christmas.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a step by step guide to the perfect Christmas?  No more wondering if this is what it takes.  Just follow these simple steps and *Poof* a perfect Christmas every time.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.  But, there are things we can do to reduce the stress associated with this time of year.

First, decide ahead of time who you are getting gifts for.  Try to keep the list to just the most important people.  We keep our list pretty simple- the kids, parents and our nieces.  

For those other people who you feel the need to get a gift for, remember that homemade gifts- a dozen cookies, homemade hot chocolate mix…- are just as appreciated as the store bought ones.

Next, decide how much you are willing to spend in total and on each person.  Years ago, we instituted a $20 limit (we raised the limit for our kids).  The limit has made it so much easier to shop.  It’s also made us more creative in what we give.  Last year I spent the nieces’ budget on yarn and crocheted items that they had asked for- which would have cost more than the limit if I had bought them.

Once the gifts are taken care of, decide on the decorating.  Since we are limited on space (remember the whole living in a camper and sharing space in my mother- in- love’s house?) we have the kids pick out the items they like the best and then leave the decorating in one room.  Because we’re out in the country, we don’t feel the need to decorate outside.  Even if you live in town, don’t feel like you have to decorate outside.  A simple wreath on the door can be just enough.

If you’re hosting Christmas dinner, plan a simple menu.  You don’t have to have twenty items on the table.  The fewer the dishes, the less likely you are to over stuff yourself!  For Thanksgiving this year, we had smoked venison roast, wild rice dressing, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, cranberry sauce and dessert.  Everyone had enough to eat and didn’t leave feeling like they had eaten too much!

Don’t be afraid to leave the china on the shelf.  Use paper plates and plastic silverware.  Then no one has to be stuck washing dishes (because we all know you can never fit all the dishes in the dishwasher).

But most of all, remember the true reason for the season.

Luke 2:8-12

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

Sweet Dreams?

As I posted a few weeks ago, I have had to slow waaaayyyyy down on my exercising. (You can read more about that here.) I had great intentions of doing some walking and weights. Then, my one year old quit sleeping through the night and I quit waking up early to work out.

To be honest, I really miss sleep. I love each and every one of my five kids but I really miss sleeping the whole night through.

The other night everyone was in bed by eight but one of the twins had a nightmare and then just as I was about to climb into bed the one year old woke up screaming and I was up with her until two. I may or may not have cried at that point.

For a while I was beating myself up for not pushing myself harder and exercising more even when I was tired but here's the deal, my body is healing. The last thing that I need to do is push myself right now. I am going for walks with my family, not as long as I always want to go but my body is still moving. I might do a small resistance workout or a stop drop and give me 20 throughout the day but I'm not doing what I had in my mind. However, I'm not giving up on myself at all!

I got released to workout more and it looks like my levels are all good so I am going to redeem a Groupon and get back to working out . I want to see some muscle growth and regain some strength that I've lost in the last month.

I'm also working on getting my sleep under control and working some kind of Sandman magic to get my daughter to sleep too.

Anyone out there have some sleeping tips for a restless daughter?

An Invitation...

I get asked to do summits quite a bit right now but I only do the ones that resonate with me. This is one of them. Let me tell you about it... 

Isn't it time you shine your light?

Throughout my life, I've seen how most people hide from the spotlight, shy away from praise and deny their gifts and talents.

Is this you? 

Can you imagine what your life would hold if you were comfortable shining your light, and living in your brilliance?

How would your life be different?

I'm being featured as an expert in an upcoming summit called Stepping into Brilliance, and I want you to be my special guest!  I know  this has the power to shift your life in a huge way.

My friend and colleague Lacey Sherwood and I have teamed up with 20 other leading experts to give you the edge you need to recognize your talents and step out of the shadows in your own life.

The wisdom and tools offered in this summit are powerful! No matter how stuck you feel,  implementing the things you learn in this summit will change your life.

Best of all, the Stepping Into Brilliance summit is FREE. Plus, every speaker has a special free gift for everyone who participates. I recommend you register for this summit and start shining like you never have before.

You can sign up here. I really hope that you can listen in. I have an amazing gift for people that attend. 

Why I Do What I Do

I was recently asked why I became an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. It led me to thinking about why I do what I do.

I remember struggling to lose weight and getting so frustrated when I would eat as little as possible and lose nothing. I would work out and starve myself and be told that I just needed to push harder or eat the latest and greatest veggie or superfruit.

I remember spending my time worried about my son and his behavior. His allergies were constantly inflamed and all of my kids were sick. There was one year that we spent so much time at the doctor's office that the receptionist knew my voice! It was so frustrating and I felt like a total failure as a parent.

Spending time reading about nutrition and its effects on our bodies was so eye opening. I spent hours studying and figuring out exactly what my plan was going to be and how I was going to help my kids. I never dreamed that I would be able to effortlessly lose weight but more importantly I felt better and so much more alert! I didn't live off of coffee anymore and my husband was able to reverse several of his health problems. My kids weren't constantly arguing and when they did get sick it wasn't for weeks. My oldest son was able to wean off of his meds and play outside without getting horribly sick afterwards. The clincher was when people began asking what I was doing and how they could do it too!

The joy of helping others achieve wellness and their desired health goals is why I am an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. Even now that I am dealing with health problems, I realize that I am so blessed in being able to help people understand what they can do to achieve the health that they want. This is why I do what I do. I would love to have you join my group, Coach Kelli's Crowd or schedule your complimentary consultation to map out your health goals. 

Going AIP

I decided last month that I (Kelli) was going to treat my Thyroid Cancer with nutrition. First I was eating a laid back Paleo plan but I was experiencing a lot of bloating and weight gain. Through doing a lot of research and wrestling with what exactly I wanted to do I decided that I needed to eat a strict Auto-Immune Protocol diet.

I'm a firm believer in Clean Eating with little to no restrictions so this strict "diet" decision has been super hard for me. However, when you have a strict Auto-Immune disease you have to factor in your food choices and treat your body with food. Everything that you eat either helps or hinders your health. For people with Auto-Immune disorders your body attacks the good and the bad alike and so you have a harder time healing. The final straw was when I had a scratch for two weeks that would not heal, two days into eating AIP and my scratch was gone!

I had planned on starting this plan on November 1st but I decided to start right away because I was just ready to feel good again. I'm starting on week two and I feel good! I'm starting to feel like I can get back to working out again soon, I'm not battling bloat after every meal, and I've actually started losing weight again! Being healthy and living life fully is so important to me so this feels right.

It is a little harder to eat out on a spur of the moment because I do have some pretty strict food restrictions but it's doable. I am doing some intense food prepping on the weekends so that I'm still able to throw meals together quickly during the week and because I don't cook differently for myself than the rest of the family, everyone is benefiting from the change in foods I'm serving.

I will be sharing my recipes, tips, and more of my journey in my group here. Members get lots of support and bonuses as well as a book for joining.

Tell me about yourself and how you eat in the comments. 

Halloween Treats For the Family With Allergies

Halloween is tomorrow so I'm sure that you are all being inundated with tons of sweets treats. I remember as a kid LOVING the smorgasbord of cookies, candies, brownies, Rice Krispie Treats, and more that filled our house from October 31st to January 1st. Since having kids and realizing that they have food allergies, the same fun isn't always there. I was overjoyed a few years ago when the Teal Pumpkin Project came out and now that it is even more popular, I am overjoyed. However, I know that some families don't want a ton of trinkets in their house so they collect the candy and then send them overseas to the troops. So I've compiled this list of treats for you.

Picture from coloringpages.com 

1. Justin's Peanut Butter Cups- Obviously these aren't for people with nut allergies but they are super clean and taste amazing!

2. The Granilla Bar- They now have a nut free version too! These are great and even work great for a snack as well as a treat.

3. Enjoy Life- I really like the Enjoy Life brand because it leaves out the most common allergens. We use their chocolate chips for cookies a lot.

4. Natural Candy Store- This is a fun one! They are an online store that is full of allergy friendly candy. They even send samples with every order!!! This is an affiliate link and I do get compensated in candy when you use it, I plan on using this candy to bribe my kids to do chores so that I don't have to clean my house.

Tell me about your family. Do you have allergies? Do you have a favorite candy brand?