Just one. Just a Fred.

That’s what my husband and I say when we want to sip a solo cocktail for the evening.

Fred is my dad’s lifelong best bud – from childhood, to being each other's best man, to living their best senior life.

Legend has it that Fred will nurse a single vodka martini from the first pour till the party's over.

Preposterous!

But I think he’s onto something.

Sometimes it’s nice to consciously savor and slow down.

Especially during this bustling time of year – so many flashing lights and flying pine needles.

Plus, the endless cocktails getting thrown your way.

(Ok, hopefully not thrown.)

In these festive times, I try to listen to that little voice in my head:

One more drink and I may be borrowing fun from tomorrow – worth it?

‘Cause hangovers at middle age don’t feel as luxurious as they did in your twenties.

And let’s be honest, alcohol isn’t exactly doing our health any favors.

But!

I’m all about moderation in moderation.

Hello balance, a la ​veggiesandvodka.com​.

(Of course, only if alcohol consumption is a manageable part of your life. I fully support sobriety.)

So if you’re not feeling the constant refills...

And those impressive new mocktails aren’t doing it for you either...

Consider a Fred.

Or not.

Enjoy whatever suits your fancy holiday pants.

Do you – sans the guilt.

Oh, and I gotta tell you about Jagger sometime.

He helps me with cocktail creations.

And he’s groovy.

​

Maura

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ps – How do you like to slow down and savor over the holidays? Or are you all in, all the time? I’d love to hear what works for you!

pps – Thank you so much for all the thoughtful emails to my last newsletter. It meant the world.

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Something I learned this week*

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​For all my vegetarian and vegan friends
​The most common nutrient deficiencies in vegetarians or vegans are vitamin D, vitamin B12, protein and iron. With a thoughtful varied plant-based diet, all of those can be found in veg-friendly foods except for B12, which is only found in meat products. If you prefer a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, consider supplementing with a high quality methylated B12 vitamin. (But check with your doc first to see where you're at.)

Personally, my body loves a vegan-inspired diet for most meals, but a few times a month I'll have dairy or seafood. I also supplement daily with powdered collagen because it's helped my overall health. However, because of my low meat consumption, I take a daily B vitamin (this is my fave!) and sometimes do methylated B12 injections for an extra boost.

*I’m currently doing MindBodyGreen’s Functional Nutrition Course, and I'm starting their Health Coaching certification in 2024. So I’m taking you along for the journey by sharing some goodness I learn along the way!

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