Christmas is rapidly approaching. In our house, this means we strap in for a hectic few weeks full of concerts, school plays, graduation dinners, birthdays and very tired kidlets ready for a break. As we put our energy into living in the moment and savouring all that is ahead for us, there is a building excitement. Not for the presents and Christmas hype, but for the awesome time we will get to spend together in glorious sunshine with family and friends. No schedules, no school, no work, just lots of yummy food, surf and precious family time. But sometimes this dangling carrot is not enough to keep the calm…So how do we keep it together in this busy time?
By keeping our food as additive free as possible of course!
Which, let’s face it, is extra hard at this time, as there are all sorts of parties and places with additives lurking. School excursions, Christmas parties, sports presentations, concerts, plays… the options are plentiful. To help you out, here are 5 tips for staying additive free and sane during the lead up to the silly season.
Please note: This post contains an affiliate link, which means if you click on the online store link and purchase products, I will receive a small percentage of the sales.
5 Tips To Keep Calm & Carry On Until Christmas!
1. Keep communications open and ask questions
Take a couple of kids, add in school, some sports or after school activities and a concert of two and you are bound to be heading to more than your fair share of end of year celebrations. Whether it’s a class party or a dance concert, there’s almost always some form of food available that can easily be substituted, and replacements are much easier to find or make if you know what to expect in advance and prepare/plan ahead. Check with your sporting clubs, coaches, teachers, etc to find out what food/drinks will be available at special events. Then decide whether you are going to bring your own replacements for your family, or eat before you go to avoid the additives. It’s much easier to avoid the nasties if you’re prepared and know in advance what to expect!
2. Talk with your kids
Start talking with your kids now about how things can be handled. Discuss what possible foods will be around at this time of year, why it’s important to make good food choices at this time of year and how it will help them feel good and enjoy the festive season. For example, if they get treats in cards from their friends at school, negotiate with them to bring the treats home and swap them for something that is ok to eat. This means of course, that you have to have supplies ready, which leads to my next tip 🙂
3. Get your stash of supplies ready now
A little effort in advance can be the difference between screaming banshees and calm kids. Spend a few mornings each weekend to cook up what you might need and do a search at your local stores or online to make sure you are stocked and ready to fill up the kids or swap some nasties for better options. For example:
- bake up some muffins or cakes – we always have a packet of Well and Good gluten free mud cake mix in the pantry for a quick batch of chocolate mini muffins – so easy to make the kids can do it all on their own!
- Another great one to keep in the pantry is the Love Cake brand Simply Divine Chocolate cake mix, which is an organic gluten free mix that is super yummy!
- Of course, you could also click here to check out our snacks or desserts recipes such as chocolate brownies, coconut berry cake and biscuits or The Food Werewolf Pinterest boards for some super quick and easy sweet treats!
- For something savoury to take to a party, why not try some homemade party pies, sausage rolls, cheesy muffins, meatballs or pizza scrolls? You can find all these yummy savoury snacks recipes by clicking here.
I also recommend checking out some of the awesome organic and allergy/intolerance friendly Christmas treats now available online, such as TruJoy Candy Canes (organic and gluten free versions of the rather additive laden alternatives) or Plamil and Moo Free dairy free, gluten free and organic Advent Calendars, Chocolate Santas or Christmas selection chocolates (Biome, Allergy Train, Allergy Friendly Foods and Healthy Angels sell these products or check out Bio Living or Organics On A Budget for a selection of treats)
*NB: The Biome store link is an affiliate link, which means I receive a small percentage of the sales if you use this link and purchase products from this store. The other stores are just places I have purchased the products mentioned. I only associate myself with affiliates who have likeminded values and only recommend products I have personally used.
4. Get cooking with your kids
There’s no denying this time of year has a large focus on food. Keep it enjoyable and healthy, additive free and most of all fun! Now more than ever it is a good idea to cook up extra portions each meal and freeze them for those hectic days. A healthy home cooked meal from the freezer will be a far better option and fast food. Get your kids involved in the choosing and making of different foods to have ready as a substitute for anything they come across that’s loaded with additives. They will be more likely to eat them if they had a hand in selecting the recipe or products themselves. Which isn’t hard to believe really… who can resist the sweet smell of fresh homemade gingerbread cookies wafting through the house? See Tip 3 for some great recipes to cook with your kids!
5. Take time to breathe and relax
Spend a little time each day taking a moment to relax and re-energise. At this time of year, any spare time is best spent chilling out. Everybody gets exhausted and cranky as the end of the year approaches and usually, this leads to cravings and bad habits taking over to fill the need to re-energise. It’s important to take the time to chill out so we can replenish our stores in healthy ways and avoid temptations or quick fixes filled with additives that just exacerbate the problems. Why not try a quick morning routine with a few minutes of yoga or meditation to keep things calm and start the day off nicely.
It’s certainly not far away until we all get to relax and unwind with our loved ones and spend lazy days feasting and soaking up the sunshine. To get there and enjoy the days with pure bodies and clear minds, keep additive free in the lead up so the calm and balance can be found amidst the chaos that is the lead up to Christmas!
What do you do to help get through the last few weeks before Christmas? Share your tricks to stay calm by commenting below or click here to post a message on Facebook.
Keep focused on the looming holidays and stay additive free folks!
Loren x
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