It's January 2023

As we say goodbye to 2022 and welcome the New Year of 2023, for the majority of people, January symbolizes new beginnings and a fresh start. For others, it’s just another ordinary month!

The historical origins of the month was introduced into the calendar back in Roman times. The name for January comes from the Roman god, Janus, who is always depicted with two heads. He uses one head to look back on the year before, and the other head to look forward into the New Year!

Generally, January is the coldest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, however, with the violent snow storms many experienced last month some readers may have comments about this? Of course if you live in the Southern Hemisphere January will be one of your hottest months!

January has two zodiac signs – Capricorn, (the sea goat) which is until January 19, and Aquarius, (the water-bearer) which is for the rest of the month. The birth flower(s) of January are the carnation, and some sites also say the snowdrop!

A lovely day for many in January is National Hugging Day. This falls on 21st January every year since 1986, which was the year when Rev. Kevin Zaborney invented it. The holiday was created because Zaborney felt that Americans were too embarrassed to show feelings in public, and hoped that National Hug Day would change this.

The day is officially recognized by the United States Copyright Office, although it is not a public holiday. 21st January was chosen because it is the midpoint between Christmas and Valentine’s Day because this time of the year is statistically where people feel emotionally low.

Hugging is a great way to make yourself feel better, studies show that hugging has many health benefits, which include improvement on both psychological and physical development, building a stronger immune system and it helps to decrease the risk of heart disease and stress.

Do we need a special day to hug? Perhaps we should make every day a special hug day? What do you think?

Talking about hugging! How about giving yourself a 'hug in a mug' and making this lovely soup, it's ideal for the cooler month of January.

Spiced Parsnip Soup with Coriander and Chilli Pesto

There aren't many things more comforting than a warming mug of creamy soup, 

and this recipe suggestion is perfect for cooler months.

Ingredients

Serves Six

(11.7g Carbs per serving)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1kg (2lb) parsnips, chopped

1.5ltr (2 1/2pt) hot chicken stock

3 tbsp. soured cream

For the pesto

1 red chilli or dried chipotle chilli

50g (2oz) fresh coriander, leaves picked

15g (1/2oz) Parmesan, grated

4 tbsp. pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted

4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

can be seen here

~ Wishing you a happy, peaceful and healthy 2023 ~

We bring a variety of articles and recipe ideas to this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan