This week we'll explore pomegranate recipes and a unique way to repurpose Thanksgiving leftovers. We'll also delve into this week's supermoon, a recipe for homemade body scrub, and wellness-related holiday gifts.

Eat Colorfully

Seasonal Ingredient Spotlight: POMEGRANATE

Looking to add some color to a gray December week? The best treat of late fall is the abundance of juicy, ruby-red pomegranates. There are many ways to integrate them into seasonal dishes, so there's no reason not to be savoring this special fruit again and again throughout the next month.

Here's a rundown of all the fabulous things you can do with pomegranate:

1.) Add it to seasonal salads, like this Fall Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Dressing.

2.) Add it to seasonal dips. Both this Maple Sea Salt Hummus and this Holiday Guacamole are total show-stoppers (bookmark them for holiday parties!).

3.) Use it to garnish holiday main courses. This Wild Rice Stuffed Delicata Squash is my favorite centerpiece dish and this Roasted Vegetable Harvest Pasta is an easy and flexible crowd pleaser.

4.) Use the juice in cocktails, like in this festive Spiced Pomegranate Daiquiri.

5.) Use it on top of vanilla or chocolate ice cream or yogurt for a pretty seasonal dessert.

Try This Week: THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS TACOS

Do you still have Thanksgiving leftovers? I certainly hope so, because I can't wait for you to try this idea: take all your leftovers and stuff them into a taco!

These Thanksgiving Leftovers Tacos are easy, fun, and infinitely variable. Make sure to check out the blog post for a few tips and tricks, including ideas about how to make everything stick together (hint: leftover sweet potatoes are the key). It's a unique way to repurpose leftovers, avoid food waste, and allow everyone to make their own creations if you still have visitors.

If you decide to give this non-traditional taco a try, please feel free to send a photo my way. I'd love to share your creations on my Instagram stories.

Live Colorfully

In the Natural World: THE COLD MOON

Keep your eyes on the sky on Thursday night (December 4) for the full moon. December's full moon is traditionally called the "Cold Moon", perhaps for obvious reasons. This week's full moon will also be a "supermoon", which means that the moon is very close to Earth in its orbit and will appear especially large.

Want to view the Cold Moon / supermoon in all its glory? Its peak fullness will occur on Thursday evening (~6:00PM), so you'll be able to see it best on Thursday night (looking east to catch the moonrise) or Friday morning (looking west to see it setting).

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Self-Care Pick: HOMEMADE BODY SCRUB

Have you ever made your own body scrub? I've been making a coconut oil and sea salt body scrub for years. It's simple to make at home with just a few pantry staples, feels absolutely divine, is relatively inexpensive, and is free of the dyes, fragrances, and other additives found in most store-bought body scrubs.

To make this delightful creation, I just combine equal parts coarse sea salt and coconut oil with some green tea leaves. My typical ratio is a scant half cup of coarse sea salt, a generous half cup of melted coconut oil, and two tea bags worth of green tea leaves. Stir it together and let it solidify at room temperature. You'll need to stir it periodically as the coconut oil hardens so that the salt stays evenly incorporated.

This body scrub makes my skin feel better than anything I've ever used before. I usually use it twice a week. It reminds me of a tropical ocean! I haven't purchased a body scrub in years and probably never will again.

As with any product you put on your skin, I suggest making a mini-batch first and trying it on a small area. Do that a few times, then scale up to a larger area if your skin seems to like it. I find it works best if I soap first, then do a polish with the scrub, then wash it off (the salt can tingle if you leave it on for too long). Avoid soaping afterward so that the rich coconut oil remains behind to nourish your skin.

Bonus: WELLNESS-RELATED HOLIDAY GIFTS

Do you give gifts over the holidays? Over the next few newsletter issues, I'll be sharing lots of ideas for homemade gifts (of the edible variety!) that are great to make for friends and family. Generally speaking, I much prefer to give things that I've made myself and I'm excited to share some of my favorites with you. Stay tuned for those recipes coming in the next three newsletter issues.

I also wanted to suggest a couple non-homemade gifts that I think might be a good fit. Here are my top picks for unique gifts that are related to food and health:

The "everyone on my list": premium matcha. Why not share some good health with your friends and family this year by gifting nourishing, antioxidant-rich matcha? I'm a huge fan of Matcha Nude and drink it every day. They have bags of a few different sizes as well as matcha whisks, beautiful handmade matcha bowls, and starter sets. If you use the code ROGUE at check-out, you'll save 15% on all matcha and accessories, plus you'll support a small, female-owned business.

The big splurge: a juicer. Being able to make nutrient-rich, fresh juices at home is an incredible treat. If you have someone special on your list (or if you're looking for a present for yourself!), I've become a huge fan of the Nama juicers. I have the J2 which I recommend highly; they also have a juicer/blender combo C2. Their biggest sale of the year is going on now through Cyber Monday, which includes $120 off the J2 and $180 off the C2; if you see this email before the end of the day Monday, use the code BRUSSELSPROUT20 to get the special holiday deals. If you see this email after Monday, the code BRUSSELSPROUT10 will always save you 10% on any of these juicers and accessories.

Thanks for joining me for this issue of Eat Colorfully, Live Colorfully! I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to reply with questions, thoughts, or requests. If you missed a previous issue, you can view all my newsletters here. Have a great week!