For midlife women juggling holidays, family, and work—without another thing on your list
If you're reading this in early December with seventeen browser tabs open, a mental list of everyone's gift preferences, three holiday parties to coordinate, and the persistent feeling that you're forgetting something important—take a breath. You're not alone, and you're not failing.
Here's what nobody tells you about December: it's not just busy. For women especially, it's a perfect storm of physiological stress that our bodies weren't designed to handle.
Why December Hits Women Harder (The Science Behind the Stress)
Studies show that women report significantly higher holiday stress levels than men, with 44% of women saying their stress increases during the holiday season compared to 31% of men. But here's what's even more telling: women are more likely to take on the invisible labor—the gift buying, meal planning, family coordination, and emotional management that nobody sees but everyone expects.
When you layer chronic stress on top of the hormonal shifts happening during perimenopause and menopause, your body goes into protection mode. Cortisol rises, blood sugar becomes more unstable, and your body starts holding onto every calorie as if preparing for famine. Research published in the Journal of Women's Health found that women in midlife have heightened stress responses and slower cortisol recovery compared to younger women.
This isn't weakness. This is physiology.
The Hidden Cost of Running on Empty
Here's the pattern I see constantly: You wake up already behind. You skip breakfast or grab coffee and skip eating in the morning. You push through lunch because there's too much to do. By 3 PM, you're reaching for sugar because your body is screaming for energy. By dinner, you're exhausted, your willpower is gone, and you either overeat comfort foods or feel too tired to eat anything nourishing at all.
Sound familiar?
The problem isn't your discipline. The problem is that stress depletes your protein stores faster than normal, and most women over 40 aren't getting enough protein to begin with. A landmark study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women need approximately 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight during menopause to maintain muscle mass and metabolic health—that's significantly more than the outdated RDA recommendations.
When you don't get enough protein consistently, your blood sugar crashes harder, your cravings intensify, your muscles break down, and your metabolism slows. It's not about willpower. It's about biochemistry.
What Your Body Actually Needs (Permission to Make This Simple)
I'm going to give you permission to stop trying so hard. You don't need another complicated meal plan. You don't need to add "eat perfectly" to your already impossible list.
What you need is a simple, repeatable way to get quality protein into your body multiple times a day—especially during December when everything else is chaos.
This is exactly why I created XO Jacqui Vanilla Greens. Not as another supplement to remember, but as a foundation you can rely on when everything else feels impossible.
Each scoop gives you:
- 20g of clean, organic brown rice protein powder
- Gut-supporting, no-bloat formula
- Greens for micronutrients you're probably missing
- Zero sugar, zero artificial anything
But more importantly, it takes 60 seconds to make. Because the best nutrition plan is the one you'll actually do.
5 Effortless Ways to Use Vanilla Greens This Month (No Extra Effort Required)
1. The Morning Reset Smoothie (2 minutes)
The simplest way to guarantee you start your day nourished, no matter what chaos follows.
Blend:
- 1 scoop Vanilla Greens
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 frozen banana
- Handful of spinach
- 1 Tbsp almond butter
- Ice
This gives you 25-30g of protein before 8 AM. That alone stabilizes your blood sugar for hours and reduces afternoon sugar cravings by up to 60%, according to research in Obesity journal.
2. Emergency Protein Pancakes (10 minutes, makes enough for 2 days)
When everyone expects a "real breakfast" but you're already behind:
Mix:
- 1 scoop Vanilla Greens
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- Splash of almond milk
- Cinnamon
Cook like regular pancakes. Kids love them. You can meal prep them Sunday night and reheat them all week.
3. The 3 PM Save (30 seconds)
That moment when you're about to face-plant into the cookie platter at your kid's holiday party:
Shake:
- 1 scoop Vanilla Greens
- 8 oz cold water or nut milk
- Shake in a bottle
Drink it 20 minutes before you walk into a food situation. The protein blunts sugar cravings and gives you actual energy instead of the crash-and-burn cycle.
4. Stress-Less Hot Protein Drink (3 minutes)
A warm, comforting alternative to the Warm Matcha Drink when you need something soothing:
Whisk together:
- 1 scoop Vanilla Greens
- 8 oz warm (not hot) almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Dash of cinnamon
- Optional: 1 tsp honey
The warmth is soothing, the protein is stabilizing, and the adaptogens in the blend actually help lower cortisol. Drink this instead of wine at 5 PM and watch what happens to your evening energy.
5. Holiday Baking Protein Boost (no extra time)
Hosting a cookie exchange? Making holiday treats? Sneak protein into everything:
Replace 1/4 cup of flour with 1 scoop of Vanilla Greens in:
- Muffins
- Cookies
- Quick breads
- Energy balls
Your family gets protein. You're not making separate "health food." Everyone wins.
The December Practice: Protein First, Everything Else Second
Here's your only rule for December: Get protein in your body within an hour of waking, and then again every 3-4 hours. That's it.
Not because you need another rule, but because protein is the foundation that makes everything else easier. When your blood sugar is stable and your body has the building blocks it needs, you don't white-knuckle your way through sugar cravings. You don't collapse at 3 PM. You don't lose your patience because your nervous system is actually supported.
This Is Your Permission Slip
You don't have to make everything from scratch. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to do December the way everyone else does it.
You get to nourish yourself simply. You get to use shortcuts. You get to say, "This is enough," and actually believe it.
The women who thrive through December aren't the ones doing more—they're the ones who found a simple, sustainable way to take care of their bodies first, so they have something left to give everything else.
Shop Vanilla Greens Protein Powder
Because the best gift you can give anyone this season is a version of yourself that isn't running on empty.