Crisp baby spinach, spring mix lettuces, tart apples, sweet raisins, crunchy almonds, and the ultimate honey cider salad dressing are combined to create a fantastic Spinach Apple Salad.

I made this salad three times within a month the first time I made it. And in the years since then, this salad has made frequent appearances in my home.

Spinach Apple Salad

The Honey Cider Dressing is wonderfully tangy and sweet and the combination of those flavors with the rest of the Spinach Apple Salad immediately made this one of my all-time favorite salads.

And that says something because this parsley salad with oranges and the apple walnut salad with blueberries are big favorites too. There’s just something unforgettable about a fresh salad filled with fruits and tossed in a tangy sweet dressing.

I was determined to serve this with my Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. So, I played with several different ways to make the salad in advance and still keep the apples fresh.

(Like most people I know, making as many of the Thanksgiving dishes as possible in advance keeps me the happiest!)

Everything I tried initially, changed the flavor of the salad too much. Fortunately, apple cider vinegar did the trick and after 36 hours in the fridge, the salad still had apples that were crisp, white, and tasting like fresh apples.

Honey Apple Cider Vine

Stress presents itself in many forms. Learn how to spot and address it from every angle

If someone is drowning, it’s well understood that people don’t necessarily thrash – survival instinct kicks in, and they can look calm to an untrained eye. Yet, when we’re metaphorically drowning in life, we forget to apply that principle.

If we could learn to spot subtle signs of drowning in stress, we could really change our relationship with it, and how we can be there to help each other.

I actually have a story which really epitomises this secret stress bubbling away. I was halfway through a six-week hike, when a friendly man approached me with some almonds. Despite his kind intent, I shut down. I was weary, my body was tired, and I was on the verge of quitting. Feeling out of sorts, in unfamiliar surroundings, I became hyper-vigilant.

I remember watching him take my hand and turn it around. I froze as he put nuts into it. My heart pounded. I threw the almonds to the ground and cried. Feeling incapacitated, already stressed, in open land with little way to get help if I needed to, my body only registered a threat.

While we’re familiar with the terms fight and flight – the response when faced with danger, preparing you for action – there are actually five ‘fs’: fight, flight, freeze, flop, and fawn. What happened to me, in this instance, was a mix of freeze and flop.

So, how can you identify and address each ‘F’?

Fight

In fight mode, you’re tackling things head-on. Full of adrenaline, your thoughts take a back seat as your heart rate increases, pumping blood throughout your body. You might take more risks, like running into a road to save a child. This can feel primal. Be aware of what’s happening in your body, and remember to take a breath. It will be important for you to take time out after a period of stress to let your body settle and recover.

Flight

Problems don’t feel like challenges to be tackled, but obstacles to be avoided. You feel vulnerable, tight in your chest and gut, and instinctively want to avoid, run away, or retreat. You might be very aware of the exit signs in an enclosed space, and may even figure out your escape routes in advance. If your pattern is to flee, place your feet on the ground and breathe deeply and slowly. Stick with your discomfort, and allow it to pass. This will give you time to explore your options. What do you need to make this situation less stressful?

Freeze

You’re like a rabbit in headlights, and your feet feel stuck to the ground. This can happen when escape isn’t possible, because running may lead to a chase, or fighting back invites more attacks. In this state, it is difficult to make any decisions, and sometimes you can’t ask for help because you don’t know what to ask for. It can also feel like all your senses are blocked, and all your energy is locked inside your body with no way out. If this happens to you, let the blankness in for a while; let it be and don’t try to change it. Paradoxically, this will make it pass. This can be helpful if you’re performing on stage, and your mind goes blank.

Flop

You might faint, feel dizzy, or dissociate – disconnecting from your thoughts, feelings, or sense of self to cope with the stress. This can be short-lived or last a long time.

Turkey Pot Pie [+Video]

Turkey pot pie is all the comfort you could imagine bundled in the most perfectly golden crust. It is creamy, full of veggies and perfect for leftover turkey.

Our chicken pot pie was one of our biggest posts last year. We had so many emails around Thanksgiving about using leftover turkey instead of chicken that we decided a turkey pot pie needed it’s own place on the blog.

We are making everything from scratch. From the flaky crust to the turkey and vegetable filling, it’s all homemade and we are going to walk you through each step.

It took me a while to figure out the perfect crust for a savory pie that was hardy enough to hold up under the filling but still fall apart flaky delicious. Once I figured that out and the consistency of the filling, the best pot recipe ever came to be. Now we are doing a turkey version and you’re going to love it!

Ingredients for Turkey Pot Pie

The ingredients list for this recipe might look long at first glance, but you will probably have most them on hand already. Make a stop in the produce section and grab a few fresh veggies and herbs, and you’ll be all set! And don’t forget the turkey! I love to use the leftovers from our oven roasted turkey, but you could use whatever cooked turkey you like best.

Here is your ingredient list:

Crust

• Flour
• Butter
• Salt
• Sugar
• Ice Water

Filling

• Turkey
• Carrots
• Corn
• Peas
• Onion
• Mushrooms
• Celery
• Garlic
• Savory
• Flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg
• Thyme
• Chicken Broth
• Whole Milk

Egg Wash

• Egg
• Water

Read more

When the time comes to be intimate again following childbirth, it can bring up complex feelings. Here’s how to work through them…

Birth is a powerful and incredible feat, and bringing a child into the world is arguably one of the most life-changing things a person will ever do. But childbirth takes its toll on the body, both physically and emotionally – not to mention the months of pregnancy beforehand, which stretch and push your body to, what feels like, its limits.

Once your little bundle of joy is safely home, you begin the journey of learning how to navigate your lives as a couple, while simultaneously doing your best to take care of your baby.

It may be the last thing on your mind for a while, but there may come a time when you’re ready to resume sex with your partner. For some, sex is an important part of growing and maintaining not only a physical connection with their partner, but also an emotional one.

Thinking about the actual event, however, can be daunting. If you’ve had a particularly traumatic birth, stitches or tears (or even if you haven’t), it’s normal to have some anxiety around sex after pregnancy and birth. Here are five simple and effective steps to help ease your worries.

1. Don’t push yourself

Although it’s best to wait until you’ve stopped bleeding before you start having sex again, after a straightforward birth it’s likely that your GP will ‘sign you off’ at your six-week check for physical activity – which includes sex. However, it’s important that you don’t view this as a ‘must-do’, unless you really feel ready.

Leah Hazard, midwife and author of Womb says: “It’s dangerous and unhelpful to think of the six-week check as a time when women get some kind of professional permission or validation to resume penetrative sex. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to intimacy: every body is different, and every timeline of recovery and readiness is different.”

2. Make time for intimacy

A baby makes you busy. So busy, in fact, that it’s all some of us can do to lie on the sofa mindlessly scrolling on our phones for an evening. But carving out a little time for intimacy – kisses, cuddles, holding hands – can help you feel much more connected with your partner, and allow you to remember the sweetness at the core of your relationship, outside of dirty nappies and feeding schedules.

Leah says: “Some people will feel emotionally and physically ready for intimate touch just a few days after birth, while others may not feel that way for many weeks or months. Both approaches are fine. It’s important to give your body and mind time to adjust, and it’s also helpful to remember that a nurturing physical relationship with your partner doesn’t have to involve penetration, or even genital contact.”

3. Ensure you’re completely ready

Vaginal dryness is a common cause of painful sex after giving birth, and it’s really key not to push yourself if you’re hurting. Even if you’re in the middle of what you thought might be your first time back between the sheets with your partner, you should press pause on things if you’re feeling uncomfortable or in pain. It’s important

Can you keep personal treasures without allowing clutter to take over your home? We explain more about how you can collect memories, not things

We all have little mementoes that remind us of our lives and shared experiences. Perhaps you collect little trinkets from past holidays, or keep a box full of tickets from shows you have been to with loved ones, to little gifts brought back to show that we were in a friend’s thoughts while they were travelling. From fridge magnets to an array of cuddly toys and souvenirs, it can be easy to get caught up in keeping items from our past to act as physical reminders of some of our happiest memories.

But why do we become attached to so many little things that others may consider ‘junk’, is that attachment always a bad thing, and what can we do if we’re worried our collecting of things is getting out of hand? We explain more about how you can collect memories, not things.

Why do we collect things?

According to the Royal Mint, an overwhelming four in five (83%) of us have collected something during our lifetime, with just over half of us (57%) currently keeping a collection.

The reasons why we collect things vary from person to person. Some people may start collections as a way of enjoying themselves, expressing how much they like to be part of a certain hobby, or even as a status symbol. Many collectors have a passion or love for the things that they collect. Others may slowly grow their collection, adding a new item to celebrate or signify major life events. While for others, their collections may create a sense of comfort, reminding them of where items were bought, who they were with at the time, happy memories around travel or spending time with loved ones.

We may link these items within our collections with people, places, or events, entwining those positive memories with the physical items we have kept - whether that item is something big or small, expensive or cheap. In essence, our collections can become almost a physical representation of our lives: what we have done, who we have spent time with, and where we have travelled.

Collect memories, not things: What does collecting memories mean?

The idea behind collecting moments instead of things is that we should focus on how our memories connect us with others, rather than physical objects. When we focus on collecting moments, we return our focus on creating shared experiences with others. That could be with a partner, family, friends, or even now people you’ve never met before.

By focusing on how we feel in the moment and the activities and events we share, we can create more meaningful connections and memories together. Through finding different ways of recording these memories, we can enjoy and even share them for years to come.

Why do people collect memories?

Collecting memories over things can be beneficial for both us, and those we love. Gathering our memories can help us to better learn and reflect on ourselves, the world around us, our place in it, and those around us. Finding a way to collect your memories can help you to better understand what you have learned,