Stir-Up Sunday

When Tradition Meets the Health-Challenged Kitchen

If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate a holiday tradition without sending your nervous system into open revolt, this one’s for you.

Today, November23, is Stir-Up Sunday—the old English tradition where families gathered to mix the Christmas pudding, make a wish, and let the spices perfume the whole house while the cold season settled in. Historically, everyone in the household took a turn stirring the batter clockwise for good luck. (Honestly, the clockwise part was probably just to prevent family squabbles about whose arm was the “right” arm.)

But this year?
We’re giving Stir-Up Sunday a makeover.

Because maybe you can’t tolerate the brandy-soaked fruitcake.
Maybe gluten, cow dairy, or chicken eggs treat you like a medieval punishment.
Maybe you’re simply totally over traditional desserts that hit like a brick.

So here’s a version designed for the health-challenged body — gentle, grounding, and still a little bit magical.

✨ The “Stir-Up Sunday, But Make It Functional” Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• Ezekiel bread (sprouted grains, nutrient-rich, no preservatives, easier to digest)

• Goat milk (gentler proteins + typically better tolerated)

• Quail egg (nutrient-dense, often tolerated when chicken eggs aren’t)

• A tiny drizzle of real maple syrup (just enough to feel like a treat)

Why this works:
This is comfort food that doesn’t fight you back.
It’s warm, soft, nourishing, and built from ingredients that give the nervous system a little exhale instead of a meltdown.

As far as the actual recipe goes, I don't have one. I simply soak pieces of hard Ezekiel toast in a mixture of one quail egg and enough goat milk, then put the mixture into a small, greased dish (oiled with ghee), then shove into the toaster oven until done (about 20 minutes for my single serving). Drizzle away with maple syrup and enjoy.

🍽️ Nutritional Snapshot (Approximate)

Ezekiel Bread (per slice):

• High in protein for bread (≈ 4–5 g)

• Sprouted grains → better mineral absorption

• Lower glycemic impact than typical bread

• Naturally rich in fiber

Goat Milk (1 cup):

• ≈ 8–9 g protein

• Contains medium-chain fatty acids that digest easily

• Often tolerated better than cow dairy

• Naturally high in calcium and potassium

Quail Egg (per egg):

• Protein-packed for its size

• Rich in iron, selenium, and B vitamins

• Contains more nutrients per gram than chicken eggs

• Frequently tolerated by people who react to chicken eggs

Maple Syrup (1 teaspoon):

• Manganese + antioxidant content

• Low “dose,” high flavor

• Natural sweetness with real minerals

This isn’t dessert that leads to a crash. It’s dessert that feels like a tiny, warm vote of confidence from your body.

🧠 Did You Know?

Food intolerances — as opposed to food allergies — are often a sign of nervous system dysfunction.

When the autonomic nervous system becomes overloaded or dysregulated, digestion shifts into “cautious mode.” That means foods your body should handle might suddenly become too stimulating, too inflammatory, or simply too much. Adjusting ingredients is less about restriction and more about listening to what your nervous system is capable of processing today.

And honoring that?
That’s a form of Stir-Up Sunday magic, too.

🥄 A Quick History of Stir-Up Sunday

Stir-Up Sunday traditionally falls on the last Sunday before Advent. The name comes from the Anglican prayer book, which opened its seasonal liturgy with:
“Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord…”
Cue generations of families taking the phrase literally and gathering to “stir up” their Christmas pudding.

Victorians loved the ritual: everyone from grandparents to toddlers took a turn at the bowl, wishes were whispered, charms were sometimes tossed in, and the mixture was steamed for hours until rich, dark, and sticky.

Your version?
No steaming. No brandy. No dried-fruit cake-brick capable of knocking out a burglar.
Just warm comfort crafted for a modern, health-challenged body.

✨ A Stir-Up Sunday Worth Celebrating

This year, you’re stirring up something else entirely:

• gentler ingredients

• kinder traditions

• a reminder that comfort can be rebuilt

• and a dessert that feels like it believes in you

If there was ever a moment to reclaim an old ritual and make it your own, it’s today.

Go stir up something good.