Stuffing,
by far, is what I love most about Thanksgiving. Cornbread stuffing, sausage
stuffing, stuffing covered in gravy – I love it all. Family, too, of course,
and turkey and all the other trimmings, but stuffing…it’s just so incredibly
good!
In
recognition of the time-honored tradition of stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey,
here are five more things to stuff to make your holiday season extra special.
1.
Stuff the Fridge
with Healthy Snacks – every nutritionist I know keeps easy-to-grab
portions of healthy snacks ready to go at all times. With a solid month of
parties and cookies and constant temptations ahead of us, stuff your
refrigerator with freshly washed fruits, cut up vegetables, small portions of
healthy soups, and heart-healthy protein sources like hard-boiled eggs.
Un-stuff the refrigerator of expired foods, sugary sodas and overly-processed
treats. For more inspiration on food prep, visit my friend Nicole’s Blog.
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| Quality time at its finest: my dad helping my son season the turkey, circa 2003 |
2. Stuff your Calendar Intentionally – productive people make time for that which is important. Make sure exercise, family time, fun traditions, and plenty of downtime feature prominently in your holiday schedule or your time will slip away with the demands of daily minutia. Un-stuff your calendar by batching your errands, saying “no” to unnecessary meetings, and delaying anything that can wait until the new year.
3.
Stuff a Donation
Box
– take a walk through your house and fill a box or two, maybe even the trunk of
your car, with clothes, toys, books and kitchen gadgets. Un-stuff your
cupboards and drawers before the baking begins, and imagine how good it will
feel to un-stuff your closets before the holiday guests arrive.
4.
Stuff the Recycling
Bin
– make room for holiday décor by ruthlessly purging those paper piles. Recycle
the magazines and catalogs you aren’t going to read and shred the documents
that don’t back up your taxes. While you’re at it, un-stuff your computer and
mobile devices of old emails, texts and excess Apps.
5.
Stuff your
Gratitude Jar
– if you’ve read anything about mindfulness, you know how important it is to
have a thankful heart. If you’ve neglected to keep a gratitude journal, it’s
not too late. Stuff a page or notebook or even a jar with all the blessings of
2016. Keep going. Prepare yourself: this act can dramatically un-stuff your
heart of negative and hopeless feelings.
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My goddaughter helps with Thanksgiving Dinner, circa 2013
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Apparently,
we aren’t supposed to stuff our turkeys anymore. Food safety experts say it increases
the risk of food poisoning, plus it just looks better and tastes better when
cooked separately, in my opinion. I fully intend to stuff myself with at least
two healthy helpings of stuffing this week. But I like this idea of stuffing
and un-stuffing a few other areas of my life, too, especially that gratitude
jar – I have many, many blessings for which to be thankful. How about you?
