The holidays are officially upon us and with the influx of autumn cheer (read: pumpkin spice lattes and questionable office parties) comes a set of temptations for our wallets and waistbands which, if succumbed to, can put just the tiniest crinkle in our tinsel-wrapped plans. Because who can blame you for consuming an entire pecan pie when its been veritably forced on you by potentially unknown relatives whom you have neither mind nor attention to offend? Lest you bring in one more new year with just slightly more baggage than you were hoping to have (and I do not mean the material sort here) the following are a list of healthy tips to keep you on the straight-and-narrow through the oncoming holiday season:
1. Don’t skip meals! It seems counter-intuitive; not eating lunch should give you the right to indulge at dinner, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Skipping meals only makes you thoughtlessly ravenous, and much more likely to overeat at what may already be an indulgent dinner. Eat regularly throughout the day, and give yourself a chance to splurge at least once or twice a week so you don’t feel deprived from missing out on all the fun.
2.  Be realistic. If you don’t eat dessert every night in your regular life than doing so for the entire holiday season will in fact have an impact on your waistline. But eating a slice of your grandmother’s pecan pie will not make you a beached whale, and skipping a few days at the gym to go visit the family will not have a prolonged impact on your fitness goals. Don’t use Thanksgiving as an excuse not to work out for the month of December, but don’t beat yourself up if you just can’t make it there as often as you’d like.
3.  Find time to cook. Don’t roll your eyes, if you find just a night or two to whip up a dish to contribute to your office holiday party, you then have control over what to put in it and thus at least one healthy option to enjoy at the festive social gathering.
4.  Choose your drinks wisely. Eggnog and hot buttered rum may sound like fun ways to celebrate, but they’re often higher in sugar than even one slice of pie. Ordering your liquor on the rocks or sticking to wine and champagne are wise and equally fun ways to partake in the holiday cheer, and they wont leave you with the awful sugar hangover.
5.  Don’t set new goals for yourself. Leave the resolutions for New Years and try to stick to your regular healthy routine. Burdening yourself with a new set of fitness targets will only set you up for the “since I already skipped the gym today, I might as well…” thinking that can only lead to sadness and cellulite. Think positively, forgive readily, and stay committed to an active and healthy lifestyle.
Below are some fun and guilt-free alternatives to some of our favorite holiday classics:
Butternut-Carrot-Ginger Soup
From Rawlicious, by Peter and Beryn Daniel
Serves 3–4
1-cup (250 mL) carrot juice
2-cups butternut, roughly chopped
1/2-avocado
1-tablespoon olive oil
1/2-teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
1/2-cup-(125 mL) apple juice
1/2-cup-(125 mL) warm water 1 clove garlic
1/4-cup cashews
1/2-inch (1 cm) piece ginger
1-teaspoon cumin
1/2- teaspoon cayenne pepper
Blend all the ingredients together in a power blender.
Pecan Pie
From Sweet Gratitude, by Matthew Rogers and Tiziana Alipo Tamborra
Makes one 9-inch pie
Macadamia Crust:
3-cups macadamias
1/8-teaspoon salt
Process both ingredients carefully.
Pecan Filling:
1 1/2-ounces Irish moss (weight)
3/4-cup water
3/4-cup agave syrup
1 1/2-cups pecans
9-ounces date paste (weight)
2-tablespoons liquid vanilla
2-tablespoons yacon syrup
1/8-teaspoon salt
Blend Irish moss with water and agave until Irish moss is completely broken down.
Process pecans first until a paste-like consistency is achieved. Now add to the processed pecans the blended portion of the recipe along with the vanilla, yacon syrup, and salt, and process until smooth. While processing, add the date paste in small amounts. Continue processing until mixture is smooth and dates are completely broken down.
Pour into prepared piecrust and top/decorate with:
1-cup pecans (chopped)
Set in fridge 20–30 minutes.
Storage and life span: This pie will keep for at least three days. Keep covered in the fridge.
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Pumpkin Pie
From Sweet Gratitude, by Matthew Rogers and Tiziana Alipo Tamborra
Makes one 9-inch pie
3-cups pecans
2 1/2-ounces date paste (weight)
1/4-teaspoon vanilla
1/8-teaspoon salt
Process all ingredients.
Pumpkin Spice Filling:
3-cups raw butternut squash (medium-packed, about 7 1/2 ounces weight)
1 1/4-cups coconut milk
6-tablespoons agave syrup
1-tablespoon ginger juice
2-teaspoons cinnamon
2-teaspoons liquid vanilla
1/2-teaspoon nutmeg
1/4-teaspoon clove
1/8-teaspoon turmeric
1/8-teaspoon salt
2-tablespoons lecithin
3-4-cups coconut oil
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Storage and life span: This pie will keep for at least three days. Keep covered in the fridge.
Note: Despite the common belief that squash cannot be eaten raw, it can. Though often hard on digestion, the raw squash in this pie with all the spices is no problem to digest! Always use fully ripe, bright yellow-orange squash when making this recipe, or else the color and flavor will be weak.
Featured image by Chan8806 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
