Holiday Recipes and Healthy Tips
The holiday season is here! Family and friends will gather for Thanksgiving and celebrate with food. This year, choose to feel satisfied and happy instead of stuffed and lethargic.
3 Tips for a Healthier Holiday Season:
1. Eat Real Food – Choose food that comes from the ground, a tree, or was raised on the land. Top choices include vegetables of all kinds and color, fruits, lean protein, eggs, raw nuts and seeds. Avoid real foods that are smothered in creamy sauces, fried, or sweetened.
2. Eat What You Love – Build your meal around foods you really, really like. Pass on the rest. Just because it’s a seasonal tradition (eggnog, fruit cake, cranberry sauce…) doesn’t mean you have to eat it.
3. Eat Dessert – Go ahead; enjoy the deliciousness of the season. However, be mindful that a little bit goes a long way.
You can eat healthy and still enjoy all the flavors of the season.
Check out these 3 Holiday Favorites:
One of the best ways to ensure there is something delicious and nutritious on the buffet table at any holiday gathering is to make and take a dish to share.
Fancy Deviled Eggs are savory in taste and loaded with the perfect balance of protein and fat providing fullness and satisfaction. Harvest Roasted Vegetables are full of color, texture, and taste. Even people who don’t like vegetables will appreciate the crunch and flavor. Gluten Free Gingerbread is a tasty treat without the aftermath. Even without flour, this gingerbread is dense, flavorful and loaded with the spices of fall.
These recipes are easy to make and delicious! Serve them throughout the holiday season and you’ll be the talk of the table.
Fancy Deviled Eggs | yield: 2 dozen egg halves
Ingredients
- 1 C cup finely chopped red onion
- 4 T capers, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ½ C mayonnaise
- 12 eggs, boiled, cooled, cut in half
- 6 oz cold smoked salmon, chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- dash of smoked paprika
Instructions
- Cut eggs in half, lengthwise, remove and place the yolks into a mixing bowl.
- Place whites on a serving plate.
- In the mixing bowl with egg yolks, add onion, capers, lemon juice, mayo, salmon, salt, and pepper.
- Mix thoroughly
- Scoop a spoonful of mixture into each egg white half.
- Sprinkle a dash of smoked paprika on the top of each egg.
- Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Roasted Harvest Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 small cabbage, cored
- About ½ C olive oil
- 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 C red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 medium parsnips, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 turnips, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ pound of Brussels sprouts, cut in half
- 2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small red onion, cut into wedges
- Herbs:
- 1 Tbsp rosemary
- 1 Tbsp thyme
- 1 Tbsp basil
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Grease 2 large baking sheets or 11x17-inch baking pan with 1 Tbsp olive oil.
- Place chopped vegetables in a large glass mixing bowl.
- Add the herbs.
- Mix well.
- Drizzle the olive oil a few Tbsp at a time. Tossing between adds. Stop adding when the vegetables and herbs are evenly coated with olive oil.
- Spread the vegetables evenly on the baking sheets or baking pan.
- Roast 20 minutes.
- Toss the vegetables.
- Return to the oven and roast another 15-20 minutes.
Gluten Free Gingerbread | yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients
- ½ C coconut flour
- ¼ C tapioca flour
- ¼ C almond flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- ½ C butter, melted
- ¼ C coconut sugar
- ¼ C molasses
- ½ C unsweetened applesauce
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 mini loaf pans with butter or coconut oil or ghee.
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, molasses, and applesauce.
- Whisk in eggs one at a time.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients. Slowly pour and stir the wet ingredients into the dry.
- Divide batter into the loaf pans
- Top with chopped pecans.
- Bake 20 minutes.
- Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the bread. It should come out clean.
