Do you remember last year when we met up with Santa in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan?

He was recruiting more helpers for the North Pole, and we enjoyed catching up over a traditional pasty (thanks to recommendations from our Michigan friends) and a cup of coffee.

Well, a few months ago when we shared our coaching tip about eating healthy on a cruise, there is one small detail we left out…until now.

We were so excited that Santa and Mrs. Claus also joined us on that Alaskan trip!

They wanted to get some Eat REAL Cookbooks signed for the elves and, let’s be honest, we love spending time with them.  They bring so much joy – and non-stop laughs!

The morning we visited Glacier Bay, we sat down for an interview that Santa said we are welcome to share with all of you.  We hope you enjoy it!

Good morning, Santa!  Isn’t this absolutely beautiful?

Ho-ho-nature has outdone itself this time.  The elves are going to be so jealous they missed this.  The North Pole is spectacular, but this is a sight to behold!   This should be the backdrop for a Christmas card.

I agree!  I saw you and Mrs. Claus having dinner at the buffet last night.  How have you enjoyed the food on the cruise so far?

Oh dear, you caught us on our “anything goes” night.  I have to admit I indulged a little with the fried fish and chips.  And who can resist that line up of desserts?  There were just so many tempting choices, I had to try one of each.  Then, of course, I went back and got a second helping of my favorite – the Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake.

Santa, that will for sure get you on the naughty list.  Mrs. Claus knows you so well.  Is that why she called me to get healthy recipe ideas before the cruise?

Yes, she is always looking out for me.  She coordinated with the ship ahead of time and asked them to prepare some of my favorite meals so I wouldn’t get too far off course with my eating.  Dr. Crinkle warned us about the “Tidal Ten” – you know, the 10 pounds that many people gain during their cruise.  Other than last night, we have been enjoying different varieties of overnight oats for breakfast, different kinds of nice cream for dessert, and some amazing seafood!  And we have enjoyed some refreshing mocktails lounging around by the pool.  Oh, and the other night, they put together a beautiful Santa bowl – I counted 12 different varieties of plants in there!

Do you mean a Buddha Bowl?

Ho, ho, ho!  You can call it what you want.  When the elves read your coaching tip where you described it as a bowl so jam-packed full that it has a rounded “belly” appearance at the top, like the belly of a buddha, they said we needed to call them Santa bowls since they resemble the belly of Santa!  We even started having Santa bowl Saturdays, where everyone gets to customize their own bowls.  We make it a challenge where everyone has to have at least 10 varieties of plants in their bowl.  Everyone loves it!

Santa, you know, your belly isn’t near as round as it used to be.

You know that.  And I know that.  But I have a reputation to protect!  So, let’s just say there is some North Pole magic to help keep that reputation alive and well.  And speaking of magic, the stories you shared about Lee and Aimee were truly magical.  Make sure to tell them thank you for sharing.  You wouldn’t believe all of the elves who have reversed their prediabetes and improved their cholesterol this year.  Their productivity is through the roof, and they just look like they feel so much better.  And, do you know what else has happened?!  Our finance guru, Buddy Ledger, just told me our health insurance costs have actually DECREASED!  Do you know anyone who has seen their health insurance costs go down?  We are still on a mission to make the North Pole one of the Blue Zones!

Well, since it’s based on how long people live, I’m surprised you’re not already a Blue Zone.  After all, you are like 1,740 years old right?

I like to tell people I am 40 years old living in the body 1,744-year-old!  I feel as good as I ever have and know I have plenty of good, healthy years ahead of me.

I love that you are doing so well.  What are some of the most popular gift requests this year?

As usual, the kids are requesting lots of dolls, Legos, bikes, and video games.  The elves have been working so hard this year.  Once in a while, they get in a funk where it just feels like so much work.  I keep reminding them of the idea of “choose your hard.”  Yes, making all those toys is very hard.  But so is seeing kids’ heartbreak and disappointment if they don’t feel the love of Santa on Christmas morning.  It always comes together in the end!

As for the adults, they are asking for all kinds of things to improve their health and get rid of their nagging aches and pains.  One of our lead elves, Holly, jokingly calls this FLC (feel like crap) syndrome!  You know we are in the business to fulfill Christmas wishes, so we have a whole section of the North Pole dedicated to programs and supplements and so-called fad diet solutions that people are asking for.  I always feel conflicted delivering these, but we have a job to do.  And protein – what’s the deal with protein?  Everyone wants all of these protein bars.  Do you know what’s in some of those things?  Everything from hydrogenated oils to artificial sweeteners to soy protein isolate to things I can’t even pronounce.  You wouldn’t believe how hard those are to make!

I wish I could give the gift of REAL food.  Mrs. Claus and I always say how the world would be such a better place if everyone just discovered the benefits of REAL food!  For us, and so many at the North Pole, our health issues went away, we feel so much better, our sleep improved.  And our moods – you wouldn’t believe how everyone’s moods and outlook on life changed!  It’s like Aimee said in her e-mail to you, “I have no words…is all this really possible just by eating REAL food?!”  Not just that, but the taste and the flavor.  We have never enjoyed meals so loaded with flavors and textures – they taste so good we don’t even realize we’re eating healthy!

We hear you, Santa.  We keep telling people that protein is important, but if you are eating a wide variety of REAL food, it is unlikely you will be protein deficient.  And plants like beans, nuts, seeds, grains and soy products are great sources of protein.

We had a movie night after our Santa bowls a couple weeks ago and watched The Game Changers.  It was amazing to see those extraordinary athletes improve their performance eating so many plants!  Of course, the reindeer said, “we could have told you that a long time ago!”  This even inspired Prancer’s Powerlifting Team to experiment by upping their plant intake even more for the rest of the year.

Maybe we should have all listened to the reindeer a long time ago!  I’m glad you enjoyed the documentary, and I can’t wait to hear the results from the power lifters.  Did anyone have any questions for me?  You know I love all the questions we get from the North Pole.

Yes, we did have a couple.  Some of the elves have been cleaning out the Polar Pantry.  Would you believe they found spices in there from 1972?  They were asking if you had a “pantry staple list” that might help them restock our pantry.

Yes, absolutely!  Having the right staples on hand makes it so much easier!  And tell them not to worry about the up-front cost to buy these things because it will save them money in the long run since they will use these staples over and over.  I will send them our pantry staple list!  Tell them how proud I am – you know stocking your kitchen with the right staples is #3 on The Napkin.

Great garland!  Everyone is so excited for The Napkin!  The ones who previewed it for you said they were amazed at all the content.  And while we do a pretty good job up here, it inspired them to make some changes so we can do even better.  We were kind of “off and on” with our salad routine, but now there isn’t a day that goes by without a HUGE salad that is loaded with dark leafy greens, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, avocado – and I now LOVE throwing a few chopped dates in there!

I stopped by our Elves for Energy & Wellness meeting the other day and some of them were saying they noticed some changes to the Eat REAL America website recently.  I told them I would ask you about it when I saw you.

Oh, I’m so glad they noticed.  You know, you brought us an early Christmas present when you brought our webmaster, David, to us earlier this year.  Not only did he help us get The Napkin integrated into the website, but he is also helping us make some other exciting improvements, including an enhanced search feature for recipes and coaching tips!  We are even experimenting with a weekly meal planning feature.  Please tell them to stay tuned and that we love any additional ideas on other improvements we can make to the website — we will put them on our Santa wish list!

I definitely will.  Speaking of a wish list, with all the Peppermint Patties and Pecan Turtle Clusters we are making, the elves asked if there was any way to “healthify” those and make them with less added sugar.

Of course, tell them we are on it!

Ho, ho, they will be as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning!  I hate to run, but I booked a massage for the Mrs. and me.  Nothing like a relaxing massage overlooking this amazing scenery!  Do you want to meet for dinner tonight?

We would love to!  I hear the kitchen is making the Panko Crusted Mustard Salmon and the Kicked-Up Kale Salad tonight- those are two of our favorites!

See you tonight, Santa!

We hope you enjoyed our discussion with Santa.  And in case you were wondering, we did follow through on the Polar Peppermint Bites and the Turtle Pecan Delights – we hope you enjoy them!

Merry Christmas!