One of the challenges of this festive season is the endless round of holiday gatherings — office parties, tree-trimming shindigs, open houses, cocktails, and then of course the actual holidays themselves. Visions of sugarplums dancing are everywhere, and those sugarplums are loaded with unhealthy ingredients that will take a toll on your body before the New Year rolls around.
Vegan Peppermint Brownies courtesy of MindBodyGreen
We have come up with some suggestions to keep the joy in the festivities without sacrificing wellness. Eat, drink, and be HEALTHY!
Try these for size — easy, wholesome, crowd-pleasing snacks:
Shredded Kale Salad
http://ohsheglows.com/2013/11/25/the-best-shredded-kale-salad/
Raw Food Cheesecake:
http://kriscarr.com/recipe/raw-cheesecake/
Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6383/Raw-Vegan-Chocolate-Peppermint-Brownies.html
Dreamy Chocolate Peppermint Patties
http://ohsheglows.com/2013/12/08/creamy-dreamy-peppermint-patties-vegan-gf/
Vegan, Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/12/05/crispy-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies-vegan-gluten-free/
Vegan, Gluten-Free Florentines
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/12/10/vegan-gluten-free-florentines-almond-lace-cookies/
Vegan Classic and Peppermint Nog
http://ohsheglows.com/2010/12/18/vegan-nog-classic-and-peppermint/
We all know that French onion dip on a potato chip is tasty, but not remotely healthy. Instead, you can mix up your own dip with a seasoning packet (sans MSG) and plain Greek yogurt. Serve with cut-up vegetables or baked veggie chips.
Another delicious item is sweet potato fries roasted with coconut oil, salt, and pepper. Everyone loves them!
Run, don’t walk to concoct this sweet, quick, raw and vegan truffle treat: Add a little cashew nut butter or almond butter to the inside of pitted Medjool dates and form the dates into little balls. Plop them into raw cacao powder, roll ’em around until fully covered, and — voilà! Or, skip the nut butter and cacao and just roll them in some coconut flakes. (Yumminess.)
If you are in New York, there are lots of places to grab something on your merry way. Here are a few good options:
BabyCakes (vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free bakery)
– Gingerbread Boy Cookies – $24/dozen
– Holiday Cookie Tin (chocolate chip, ginger, thin mints, and lemon shortbread) – $30/tin (dozen cookies per tin)
– Gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon or vanilla frosting – $4.95/ea
– Red velvet cupcakes with vanilla frosting – $4.95/ea
– Chocolate Bars (vegan and gluten-free, sugar-free and raw) – $10.50/ea
LifeThyme (all-natural market)
– Pre-order a holiday cake or cheesecake (vegan, gluten free)