Healthy Holiday Recipes
With so many holiday sweets around, it can be easy to go overboard on your sugar intake. If you are hosting a holiday party, attending a holiday gettogether, or just looking for some healthier holiday food options, we’ve got the perfect list of recipes to try!
Snacks
- Edible Snowmen: These cute snacks are made from hard boiled eggs, carrots, and peppercorn. They are sure to please any crowd, so get the recipe here!
- Elf Wands: This super easy treat is both fun and delicious. Simply arrange red and green grapes on a skewer and freeze for later!
- Healthy Candy Canes: On small plates, you can make healthy candy canes out of strawberries and bananas, or cherry tomatoes and white cheddar cheese. You can also put the ingredients out as a station for family and friends to make their own candy canes.
- Christmas Tree Pizzas: You can make one large pizza or several small ones with this recipe! The crust doesn’t require baking and is made from almonds and dates. You simply blend, mold, top with yogurt and then decorate with pomegranate seeds and diced kiwis. To make it even easier, you can skip the curst and just arrange trees out of sliced kiwis and decorate them with pomegranate seeds.
Desserts
- Christmas Bark: We all love the different types of yummy dessert “barks” made during the holiday season, but this recipe is much heathier than others! Ingredients include almond flour crackers, coconut sugar, ghee, dark chocolate, almonds, and cranberries.
- Apple Crisp: Another festive holiday favorite! This simple and healthy recipe has only a few main ingredients: apples, rolled oats, coconut oil and holiday spices! Click here for the directions!
- Cranberry Poached Pears: This is such a beautiful, healthy, and satisfyingly sweet dessert! Served with yogurt and honey, this recipe is definitely a must try over the holidays.
- Chai Spiced Snowball Cookies: This is our favorite healthy cookie recipe. They are made from almond flour, warm chai spices and a little bit of coconut sugar!
Healthy Holiday Meal Tips
When it comes to holiday meals, follow these tips to help make any dish a little healthier!
- Cook with “good” fats. Unsaturated fats are considered “good” fats because they can improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation and stabilize heart rhythms. When cooking, opt for extra virgin olive oil instead of butter and try incorporating avocados, nuts, and seeds into the recipe!
- Include more Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients that are important in preventing and managing heart disease. Try using oils that provide omega-3 fatty acids, such as flaxseed oil and add walnuts to salads. You choose salmon, lake trout, albacore tuna (in water, if canned), mackerel or sardines as your meal protein.
- Avoid Frying Whenever Possible. Instead of frying, try sautéing with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. You can also bake, broil, or roast your lean meats and fish. You can also drain the fat off of cooked, ground meat for a leaner meal.
- Go unrefined. Choose whole grains instead of refined grains at the grocery store. This ensures you are getting more fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients.
- Remember portion control. When cooking dinner, think about plating. You want half the plate to be filled with non-starchy vegetables of all colors. Then 1/4 should be dedicated to lean protein, about the size of a deck of cards, and the last 1/4 should be made up of whole grains.
- Shop in Season: The healthiest meals are made with fresh ingredients. Feel free to switch up the fruits and vegetables in your favorite meals and use what’s in season rather than resorting to canned or frozen options. Beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, collard greens, onions, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and winter squash are all great in season options.
- Reduce sugar and sodium intake. Try to shop only the outside isles for your ingredients and be mindful of food labels if you buy any packaged foods. Then, try flavoring your dishes with fresh herbs, spices, and citrus instead of salt, sauces, or dressings.
