3 Festive & Healthy Holiday Recipes

December 9 / 2016

Skip the endless baking this holiday season and tempt your friends and family with some healthy treats. Impress your guests by turning everyday ingredients into a festive celebration of food! The following recipes are the perfect addition to a holiday gathering, party, breakfast or potluck.

Festive Pitas

festive-pitas-web

These trees may be miniature but their nutrient content isn’t! Avocado is an excellent source of healthy fat and this fruit (…Yes it’s a fruit!) is an excellent source of fiber; almost 7 grams per half.  This recipe is the perfect opportunity to get your kids in the kitchen this holiday season.

Ingredients

Whole grain pita

Guacamole

Yellow bell pepper, diced

Red bell pepper, diced

Pretzels

Directions

  1. Cut pita into triangles.
  2. Spread guacamole onto triangle pitas.
  3. Add diced yellow pepper to the top of the tree as the star.
  4. Place diced red pepper along the tree as garland.
  5. Slice a small hole in the bottom of the pita and add a pretzel, as the tree trunk.

 

Holiday Veggie Tree

holiday-veggie-tree-web

Not your typical Christmas tree – this one is trimmed with nutrients from a variety of vegetables. The greens in this tree are packed with vitamin C and fiber and the red cherry tomatoes add a boost of antioxidants. Impress your guests with this festive veggie platter at the next gathering.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, chopped

10 Pretzels

2-3 heads broccoli, chopped

1 pint cherry tomatoes

¼ yellow bell pepper, sliced

Directions

  1. Place the cauliflower florets on the bottom of the plate as the snow.
  2. Stack the pretzels on the plate as the tree trunk.
  3. Place the broccoli and cherry tomatoes in the shape of a tree with garland.
  4. Add yellow pepper slices to the top of the tree as the star.

 

Festive Owl Pancake

festive-owl-web

This recipe is a healthy twist on the traditional pancake.  It’s the perfect combination of antioxidant-rich fruits, protein-packed yogurt and fiber rich pumpkin pancakes. Spend a snowy morning putting together this fun breakfast with the whole family!

Ingredients

1 pumpkin pancake

1 apple, sliced (wings and scarf)

2 slices of clementine, chopped into triangles (feet and beak)

1 banana, sliced (2 eyes and pompom of Santa hat)

1 blueberry, cut in half (eyes)

¼ cup Greek yogurt (rim of Santa hat)

½ pint raspberries (Santa hat)

Directions

  1. Cook the pumpkin pancake
  2. Cut 2 apple slices for the wings, and 4 smaller ones for the scarf
  3. Cut a tangerine slice in half and place as the feet
  4. Place a triangle tangerine slice as the nose
  5. Place 2 banana slices for the eyes and add half a blueberry on both
  6. Add a greek yogurt hat rim over the pancake
  7. Add the rasberries and banana on the top