Comfort food and joy
 We’re up to our eyeballs in food traditions this time of year. Just today a “Christmas Kringle” arrived on my doorstep, a much-anticipated annual gift from a longtime family friend. A Kringle is a Danish pastry filled with a variety of delectable goodies, from apple-cinnamon to salted caramel cheesecake. This exclusive holiday edition is cranberry-nut. Oh my, that doesn’t sound good at all!
Comfort food is just that, comforting. Besides the tradition surrounding our favorite foods this time of year, fond memories of childhood dishes and the special seasonal flavors of treats like my Christmas Kringle delight us like nothing else. (And as much as I love all the festive decorations and Christmas music, how many times can you listen to “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” before you cringe? Correct answer: one.) Maybe second only to spending time with loved ones, it’s the flavors of Christmas that bring us comfort and joy. Special holiday foods are a calorie-worthy splurge, but what about all the other meals we’re eating all week long? Because it’s December and we’ve got extra activities (middle-school music concerts, late-night trips to the mall, and don’t even get me started on all the gift wrapping that I’ve still got to do) our meals tend to be even more catch-as-catch-can than usual. That often means more eating out … which inevitably means extra calories. I collect healthy “comfort food makeover” and “easier than takeout” recipes on Pinterest and find myself referring to these ideas again and again. Some are super simple slow cooker recipes that I can prep early in the morning and then forget about until dinnertime, others are packable, portable entrees that we can eat on the run. I’ve linked them below for you to check out because I’m guessing that you’ve got a lot of extras on your to-do list right now, too. Have a happy, healthy week! – Marilyn
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 Comfort Food Makeovers Pinterest Board |
 Easier Than Takeout Pinterest Board |
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