Healthy Holiday Recipes

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For my second article for Tennessee Health & Wellness this Christmas, I got to do one of my favorite things...browse new recipes! There is no other time of year when people host and attend potlucks and family dinners, and sometimes you need something quick and/or new. If you're like me, cooking can be a great way to express yourself and serve others. This was a great stress relief for me during the end of the semester!

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We all know that holidays are the best time of year to gather with family and friends to enjoy each others’ company, and this rarely happens without food. Holiday food tends to be the most delicious, too, right? This can strike fear into some people as they are worried about their health and how indulgent a dish may be. There is no reason that holiday meals can’t be healthy, too. Here are some examples of healthy foods including sides, desserts, and main meats that you can make for the holiday celebrations.

Coffee braised pot roast recipe from Eating Well uses reduced sodium and adds coffee, garlic, thyme, and onion for a boost of flavor.

By using garlic, ginger, curry, and cumin, your turkey can have great flavor and health benefits. A yogurt topping can provide more protein and a creamy option other than gravy. (Eating Well)

Fig and pig quiche is a recipe that will impress your guests. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, this versatile dish from Run Fast, Eat Slow will help you savor the season while feeling good about what you put on your plate.

Squash in combination with chili gives it an even more winter-comfort-food feel while adding color and vitamins. Adding in “hidden” chia seeds packs a nutritional punch for protein, fiber, omega-3s, and iron. (Food Network)

Mushroom and sweet potato pot pie could serve as a side or a main dish depending on how big you want to make it, where it could serve as a meat-free main dish. (Taste of Home)

 -Monique at Ambitious Kitchen makes this traditionally sweet and buttery sweet potato casserole with few ingredients and as much or more satisfaction. Instead of sugar, butter, and marshmallows, this casserole uses maple syrup, oats, and pecans.

For another root vegetable side, these lemon parmesan carrots go beyond basic while still making the cooking simple. (Cooking Light)

I don’t know how you can have a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal without green beans, so here are two options: A casserole found on Cooking Light uses mushrooms and cauliflower for creaminess and wheat bread crumbs for crunch. For simply seasoned beans, add miso to the sautee pan. (MyRecipes.com)

 Food Network’s winter fruit salad recipe brings in some of the season’s best fruits, adding minimal extras, to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Bobby Flay’s brussels sprouts with pomegranate and hazelnuts make this side a nutrient-packed side that could cover the bases for an entire meal! (Food Network)

Cauliflower tapioca pudding is a recipe from Spartan Race weekly newsletter. The creaminess of this pudding from coconut milk will make you forget that you made it from a vegetable.

Apples are one of the traditional fall fruits, and peaches carry similar baking uses. With only apples, orange juice, nuts, raisins, and spices, you have a simple and healthy dessert. For a slightly sweeter and creamier option, follow this recipe for a peach crisp with a coconut milk caramel drizzle.

USA marathoner Shalane Flanagan shares sweet treats in her famous cookbook Run Fast, Eat Slow that are hearty, yet healthy, because your body needs healthy fats to indulge in. That is the goal of her pecan butter truffles. With only five ingredients, these are simple to make even if you are pressed for time. Fig jam cookies just sound like a holiday pastry. A wheat-based dough encompasses a figgy center for a bite that may remind you of Fig Newtons, but make you remember that the better things in life are homemade.