We have a few days to go before Christmas and the hustle and bustle can certainly be stressful. However, there are ways to make your holidays more mindful and heartfelt. Here are some Intelligent tips you can start with.

Plan ahead and be more intentional
Planning ahead is the first step for staying more mindful, intentional, and focused on what is truly important. It gives you the time and energy to think of different ways you can make gifting and the overall festive experience more meaningful and joyful.

Take a notebook or use your Productivity Planner and make a list of everything you need to do, from planning holiday activities and meal preparation, to gift shopping. Then, explore your why behind giving the gifts and think of what is significant to the recipient. Reflect on these questions:

• How do you understand and measure the value of a gift?
• How can your appreciation and love be transformed into holiday gifts?
• How do you want to share your positive energy with people you...

Ingredients:

Risotto:
• 4 cups steamed Arborio rice
• 1 tsp. sea salt

Puree:
• 2 1⁄2 cups diced butternut squash
• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. raw honey (optional)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp. stemmed fresh rosemary
• 1 Roma tomato
• 1 tbsp. dried basil
• 1⁄2 cup water

Directions

1. In a medium-size bowl, combine rice and sea salt and toss well.
2. Let sit until the rest of the recipe is prepared.
3. In a high-powered blender, combine all puree ingredients and puree to a smooth
consistency. Butternut squash is very dense, so it’s important to really work with this
mixture until it’s rich and creamy.
4. Pour over the rice and toss well.
5. Transfer to a deep baking dish and bake at 250 for 20 minutes.
6. Enjoy garnished with fresh tomato or avocado.

Here’s Part 2 of Dr. Will Cole’s tips for staying healthy during the holidays. Missed Part 1? You can read it here.

Be sweet on grain-free desserts.
If you are hosting, or just bringing a dish to a party, you can make a delicious dessert using gluten-free and grain-free flours like coconut, almond, hazelnut, and tapioca. These allergy-friendly desserts don’t exclude anyone, and since grains aren’t always the best option when it comes to healthy eating, you can feel better about having a little something sweet. There are many recipes online for delectable grain-free desserts, so browse a bit and have fun! 

It doesn’t have to be all about the food.
What if the food doesn’t really matter? What if, instead of worrying about eating, you focus instead on relaxing and enjoying the good time with your family and friends? Remember stress isn’t good for your health, either, and healthy eating needn’t be a source of anxiety. Make a conscious effort, logical choices, then relax and enjoy yoursel...

It’s Thanksgiving week which means the holidays have started! It also means there will be tons of opportunities to partake in feasts and celebrations. Unfortunately because it’s the holidays, people tend to forget all their good eating habits because celebration also means food. But worry not because Dr. Will Cole has some tips for you to stay healthy during the holidays. Here’s the first part of this series!

Spoil your appetite
If you’re going to a holiday party where you don’t exactly know what the hosts will be serving, or you know it won’t be on your list of good food choices, have a healthy snack before you go. Taking the edge off hunger will help you to make more rational, healthier choices at the holiday party. Then, if you decide to eat that cookie, you’ll choose to do so rationally instead of compulsively, and move on without polishing off the rest of the plate.

Keep your hands out of the snack bowl
Bowls of pretzels, peanuts, and other grab-a-handful (or a spoonful) snack foo...

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crisped Turkey Bacon

Ingredients:

• 2-4 big handfuls of Brussels sprouts.
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 package of nitrite-free turkey bacon
• Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Slice each sprout in half.
3. Spread all the sprouts out on a baking pan
4. Toss with olive oil
5. Shower with coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper
6. Bake for 30 + minutes until fully roasted and soft in the middle. 
7. While the sprouts are roasting, crisp your turkey bacon in the microwave between two paper towels, high heat for about 4 minutes.
8. When the sprouts are done, toss with the bacon and serve.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
• fresh chives, minced
• Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Steam you cauliflower for about 6 minutes, until fork tender. Drain, and add them to your
...

Hello friend! What better time to learn about the importance of gratitude than the month of Thanksgiving! In our coaching community, we are learning that having an attitude of gratitude is key to better health. In fact, research shows that gratitude helps create better relationships, improves physical health, increases joy, helps us sleep better, boosts self-esteem and builds mental resilience. Dr. Caroline Leaf tells us more about how to have an attitude of gratitude.

“We all know it is good to stop and smell the roses every once in a while—to pause and realize how much we have to be grateful for. But did you know that gratitude is essential to success? If you can’t appreciate what you have to be thankful for right now, it is harder to achieve what you desire in the future.

In fact, gratitude changes the brain and body for the better! Research on the effects gratitude has on our biology shows how being thankful increases our longevity, our ability to use our imagination, and our a...

Many of our chronic conditions such as atherosclerosis or arthritis are caused by inflammation. Fortunately, there are ways to help prevent our bodies from going into inflamed overdrive. It starts with food. What we eat either tells our body to step on the gas and create more toxins that cause inflammation OR it puts the brakes on the inflammatory process and rejuvenates our immune system. The right food is the armor we need to fight the process and take back our health. Get started with these tips from Experience Life and begin to see your body heal!

1. Get Friendly With Fish
Fish overflows with two key omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA and DHA for short). Both are potent anti-inflammatories. Studies show that people who eat fish regularly are less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke, or develop Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, studies have shown that eating omega-3-rich fish just once a week may lower a person’s risk of developing Alzhei...

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or 2 tablespoons coconut oil we prefer broth
• 1 onion coarsely chopped
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 zucchini sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 15-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cups kidney beans soaked, rinsed, and cooked (only use canned beans in a pinch)
• Shirataki orzo-style noodles (optional)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat 1/4 cup vegetable broth for sautéing, or coconut oil if desired. Stir in onion, celery, and carrot. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes.
2. Add zucchini, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in beans and pasta (if desired), and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add spinach and parsley last, just before serving. Stir in and let settle for a minute. Season with salt and pepper to ...