5 Need-to-Know Healthy Holiday Cooking Tips
If you know us, you know we love to eat! We’re huge proponents of eating a nutritious diet, but that doesn’t mean every meal has to taste like cardboard. In fact, we believe that eating healthy can actually taste pretty amazing too.
As you find yourself in the kitchen more throughout the holiday season, consider these 5 tips to give your holiday cooking life a healthy makeover!
Use natural sweeteners.
Sugar is everywhere throughout the holiday season. From cookies and pies to sauces and brines, refined sugar is hard to avoid. We’d encourage you to make the switch this season to natural sweeteners instead. Options like maple syrup, honey, dates, and stevia are much less processed and more mineral-rich than refined cane sugar. Almost every dish can be sweetened naturally. As you plan your holiday menu, look for recipes that lean on unrefined sweeteners instead of sugar.
Swap in veggies for starches.
A well prepared veggie dish can totally steal the show at a holiday meal. Instead of stuffing, rolls, or potato-based dishes, load up on colorful veggies like brussels sprouts, carrots, green beans, and winter squash. Vegetables are nutrient-dense and contain fiber, which will keep you satisfied longer.
Stock up on fresh herbs.
Fresh herbs will totally transform your holiday cooking! Any herb gets the green light from us, but fresh rosemary and thyme are particularly delicious around the holidays. Add finely chopped herbs to salad dressings, soups, roasted veggies, and more. One of our favorite simple sides is to toss halved brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary and roast it until it’s crispy around the edges. It may sound simple, but it’s addictively delicious!
Keep nuts and seeds in the freezer.
Many holiday recipes call for pecans, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. We love these nutrient all-stars! But remember that nuts and seeds have oils, and oils spoil. To preserve the life of your nuts and seeds, keep them in the freezer to keep them fresh. You can use them straight from the freezer just as you would if they were room temp.
Keep extra food storage containers around.
With lots of extra food in the house around the holidays, overeating can be super tempting. A great solution is to share leftovers with friends and family! Keep extra food storage containers around so that you can easily pop a few pieces of pie or a few scoops of mashed potatoes in a container to send home with your guests. If your containers are freezer safe, you can also freeze many holiday dishes and enjoy them throughout the new year.
Happy holiday cooking!
