Susan Guillory shares some holiday treats based on a quintessential holiday ingredient—the cranberry.

We New Englanders would not dream of missing out on using our cheerful, indigenous Cape Cod cranberries during the winter holiday season. Whichever event you are celebrating—Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa–there is always a delicious way to serve these colorful and tasty additions. Cranberries contain powerful anti-oxidants that may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Many often refer to the holiday season as their favorite time of the year. Interestingly, when you ask anyone how they’re feeling during these next few weeks, you will often hear some variation of “busy,” “stressed,” or even “broke.” Scheduling, planning, purchasing, and preparing for our many gatherings and events can be overwhelming and exhausting. We get caught by distractions and the spur of the moment impulses, riding our auto-pilot mode and making decisions contrary to our plans.

We all have our days when we’re feeling less-than-cheerful. When they come around, we’re often quick to blame external factors. Even if we can’t avoid daily frustrations like delayed trains or heavy traffic, we can always turn to mindful eating and living practices for a mood-booster—especially on those days when we have “woken up on the wrong side of the bed.”