It’s no secret: the holidays can be a calorie-packed nightmare. Instead of dreading the feasts and the pounds that come with them, you should know that there’s an alternative way to spend the season. And guess what? It includes eating. And enjoying it. All it requires is switching up a few key ingredients in your favorite holiday dishes.
The Cocktail: Pomosa
If you love mimosas, you will go crazy for the Pomosa. It's a yummy blend of pomegranate juice and champagne – and the pomegranate’s powerful anti-oxidants make the Pomosa the (obvious) better choice!
What you will need:
- 2 ounces pomegranate juice
- Champagne
Pour the pomegranate juice into a champagne flute and fill the rest with champagne. Voila!
The appetizer: Cranberry Chutney
This festive sauce is a great addition to salmon and can even be served as an appetizer – just pair with crackers and Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt makes a yummy and healthy alternative to cream cheese, which is typically paired with chutney. While both have high fat content, Greek yogurt is just as thick and creamy and has the good old fashioned metabolism-boosting fats!
What you will need:
- 2 12-oz bags fresh cranberries
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 apples, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sugar
Combine ingredients in a sauce-pan over low heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. After the mixture has cooled, pour over Greek yogurt and serve with whole wheat crackers!
The Main Dish: Salmon
Trade in the traditional turkey or fat-filled ham for a leaner option, like salmon, which has healthy Omega-3 fats.
What you will need:
- 5-6 oz salmon per person (size depends on how many people you plan to feed)
- Dash of pepper
- Squirt of lemon
Sprinkle your salmon filet with a dash of pepper and a squirt of lemon and wrap it in foil. Bake it at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. It doesn’t need much to taste amazing!
The Dessert: Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
The holidays are all about a little splurging, but the ingredients for these cookies are so healthy that you won’t feel the least bit guilty about going back for seconds…okay, and thirds. Try coconut oil instead of butter: although slightly higher in calorie content, coconut oil has amazing health benefits (glowing skin, anyone?) and metabolism-boosting fats – so you’re actually burning fat while you eat these cookies.
What you will need:
- 1 cup coconut oil
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup whole flax meal
- 1½ cups dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together ingredients until mixture is smooth. Drop 1-inch balls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are slightly browned. Let cool.
[makes 42 cookies]
