The Holidays: Opportunities for Togetherness
The holidays can be busy, stressful, and include more opportunities for eating and treats. Also, a great time to reflect and connect with ourselves. Humans benefit from togetherness and the colder months that bring us inside and bring us closer are a good time for cultivating this connection.
The kitchen is a warm nourishing place where the space can be shared and expanded beyond the literal kitchen itself. There is a reason that the phrase exists that “there are too many cooks in the kitchen.” For every aspect of meal planning, there is a role that is essential. Not every part of meal planning happens in the kitchen. Whether going to the grocery store, organizing the fridge, preparing for the meal, setting the table, or cleaning up. This can all be conquered by either pulling in others to help or breaking meal planning down into steps and days, making it more doable.
Sharing meals, whether potluck style where each person brings a contributing aspect of a meal or having someone over for a simple dish nourishes the core aspect of what makes us humans — connection with others. Meal time togetherness can be a great place to communicate with family and friends. The table is a special place where nobody is moving, communication can be optimized.
We often talk about how the food was prepared or where the food came from, but we can take this opportunity of stillness and togetherness to foster more meaningful relationships by asking about the challenges of the day, accomplishments, excitement for tomorrow, or encouraging the notion of asking for help. These kinds of conversations at the table can promote a supportive, empowering environment. These questions can be reflected on individually — oftentimes we forget that we can ask for help. If we don’t ask, we don’t know. If we don’t ask, we don’t receive.
Everyone needs to eat and if we did this together in a meaningful way this could make a big impact on the health of many.
The question I will leave you with is…
How will you nurture your connections this holiday season or make new connections?
To learn about creating your own simple, healthy meal planning system and getting support to meet your health goals, schedule a free one-on-one Nutrition for Wellness Strategy Session with me!
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Cheers to your health, Alicia
By Alicia Connor, MA / Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Chef
Links to Alicia Connor’s Socials:
- Quick & Delish on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/QuickDelishbyAliciaConnor
- Quick & Delish on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quick_delish/?hl=en
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- Join Alicia Connor’s email list: quickanddelish.ck.page/cheers-to-your-health
- Sign up for Alicia Connor’s Virtual Meal Planning Series: https://www.quickanddelish.net/workshop
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Author Bio:
Alicia Connor is a registered dietitian nutritionist and chef who is passionate about encouraging lifestyle shifts with a focus on meal planning and simplifying healthy eating. Alicia built a career as a chef, including working at a top San Francisco restaurant. As a young adult facing hereditary vision loss, she took control and pivoted to another career as a dietitian to grow roots deeper than ‘just cooking.’ She has seen the impact of meal planning and nutrition in her clients over the years, often through their increased energy, empowered weight loss journeys, and freedom to pursue more of their passions due to increased confidence.
Moving away from the mindset of dieting, Alicia helps clients build a toolkit of strategies to reduce stress and increase peace of mind. She supports her clients through one-on-one sessions and a virtual meal planning program to build helpful habits and create actionable plans to meet their goals.
‘Quick & Delish by Alicia Connor’ is a video cooking series on YouTube where Alicia presents easy recipes with minimal steps for flavorful, balanced meals.
Image Descriptions
- Header: A person placing vegetable dishes on set table.
- An overhead shot of a group of people sitting at a table set ready to eat a meal together.
- Author photo: Alicia Connor a pretty brunette with dark wavy shoulder-length hair wearing a denim jacket as she leans on a kitchen counter with assorted veggies in front of her.