Guest Writer: Sam Binkley of Healthy On You^®

It’s that time of year again… the holiday season! The holidays are a time for celebration and many would agree, a celebration is never complete without delicious festive food! Does the thought of cooking your holiday meal stress you out though? If I had to guess, your answer is probably yes! It’s a stressful time for most, but it doesn’t have to be! Do something for YOU this season and find ways to take the stress out of the holidays. This blog post is here to help you start, so take a deep breath and read on.

My Three Holiday Tips to De-stress:

1. Plan Your Menu Far in Advance: The biggest stressor for me is trying to pull together what I want to make the week of a holiday. Typically, a million other things come up that I also have to get done that week. Preparing my menu two weeks in advance allows me to put some thought into it and enjoy the process. The planning is the fun part! 
2. Choose Recipes That Are Easy But Impressive: Just because a recipe is simple does not mean it can’t have the flavor and components to make everyone at your table sing your praises. I love finding sneaky ways to make everyone think I’ve been slaving in the kitchen over my recipes, when in fact I only used 6 ingredients and it took me 30 minutes. 
3. Don’t Forget to Feed Yourself: It is so easy to forget to fuel yourself when trying to prepare a meal for others, but this is by far my most important tip. I try to choose a recipe I can make in advance that is full of the nutrients I need to keep me energized. Remember, without you, nobody eats. So you eat first! 

Luckily, I’m here to de-stress you with everything laid out below. So relax, Healthy On You^® has YOU covered this holiday season. 

Savory Roasted Cauliflower Soup: Flavored with Healthy On You^® Here Comes the Yum Spice Blend

Soups make a great lunch on a day filled with holiday meal prepping. They can be made in advance and reheated, with a guarantee to give you all the necessary nutrients you need for a busy day! This Roasted Cauliflower Soup has extra immune boosting and energy fueling bonuses from the turmeric and ginger in our Healthy On You^® Here Comes the Yum Spice Blend. With only 6 main ingredients, this recipe is a serious time savor. Check out the recipe here. 

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad: Flavored with Healthy On You^® Spice Spice Baby Spice Blend

I love adding a side salad to my holiday menu! Every plate deserves a little green and this is a perfect way to get the nutrients from those dark leafy greens into everyone at your table. Rather than just roasting squash with cinnamon, we achieve sweetness and spice with our Spice Spice Baby Spice Blend. To add more variety to the dish, we threw in roasted garlic, fingerling potatoes, and onions. Don’t be surprised if this side steals the show! Check out the recipe here.

Crimson Pear Galette with Cranberry Sauce: Flavored with Healthy On You^® Spice Spice Baby Spice Blend 

What is one thing you always have endless leftovers of? For me it’s cranberry sauce! Rather than try and cut recipes in half, I make my typical amount of cranberry sauce and save some on the side for this recipe. Galettes are a great, easy dessert because you can use pre-made puff pastry dough. We give this galette a Healthy On You^® twist by using our Spice Spice Baby Spice Blend that is rich in flavor from cinnamon, cumin, ginger and cloves. These flavors complement the tartness of the cranberries and sweetness from the pears to create the perfect holiday dessert. Check out the recipe here. 

Healthy On You^® is a gourmet organic spice and salt blend company. The company was founded on the goal of making healthy, flavorful meals easily achievable for all home cooks. This goal originated from the cooking classes Samantha (Sam) Binkley began in her home back in 2015. Through these classes, Sam incorporated spice blends she had created to help students achieve flavor without unhealthy sauces and seasonings high in sodium. When students told her they could no longer cook without her spices and begged for refills, she quickly realized she was filling a need and launched her spice blend company.

Sam is a Certified Health Coach, who was introduced to flavorful, fresh food at a young age. She was born in Jamaica, where her Indian/Jamaican mother would grind her own spices to create bold, delicious meals. With the bold and fun combination of flavors associated with Jamaican and Indian food, came loud music. Music would always be playing in the background while Sam ground spices and cooked with her mother. This influence of music can be seen in the names of her spice blends. Additionally, it was important to Sam to maintain the unique aspect of blending her own spices, which she continues to do today.

Shop the Healthy On You^® Spice Blends at Mother’s and check out other recipes on the Healthy On You^® blog here.