6 Tips For Keeping Slim Over The Holidays
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, yet for many of us it can be the most challenging when it comes to eating healthy and taking good care of ourselves. When it comes to sweet treats and festive indulgences it’s tempting to let your guard down. Between the holiday parties, friendly treat deliveries, and racing around town, it’s easy to get caught up in the gluttony of it all.
Here are six tips to keep you on a healthy track this season while still enjoying yourself:
Drink plenty of water ~ not only is this helpful for your skin during the drier season it’s a great way to keep your metabolism going. Before heading out to the office holiday party or neighborhood soirée drink at least 8 ounces of water. This will prevent you from arriving to the party famished.
Grab the smaller plate ~ when sitting down to eat this will help with portion control and keep you from loading up on things that you don’t necessarily need to eat. Start with a healthy amount of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins –– filling you up to help avoid the breads, cakes and cookies.
Toast with grace ~ limit the amount of alcohol consumed and choose cocktails that aren’t made with a lot of sugar. This will prevent some extra calories from being consumed and also keep you feeling good for the next day.
Cut a rug ~ now more than ever it’s important to continue to exercise. Whether it’s a yoga class, a daily walk or dancing at the party, this will help with stress levels and also keep you feeing good during the holiday season.
Rest up ~ sometimes easier said then done. Be sure to get plenty of sleep during the night or try to catch a cat nap whenever you can
Try healthier recipes like these Honey Baked Brie Apples ~ big on flavor, light on calories and perfect for holiday parties.
Honey Baked Brie Apples
serves 4-6
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 35-40 minutes
Ingredients:
4 small apples
1 small lemon – zest & juice
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 pound brie cheese
1/3 cup pecans – chopped
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice each apple in half from top to bottom. Using a spoon remove the seeds from the apples making a small dip into the apples to hold the cheese later. On the outside of the apples slice a small amount off to make the apples flat on that side.
In a small bowl add lemon zest, juice, honey and salt. Place into the microwave for 20 seconds on high. Remove from the microwave and gently stir mixture together until well combined.
Place apples onto a baking sheet with the pitted side facing down. Brush mixture over the each of the apples to coat. Once finished set mixture aside and bake apples for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from the oven, flip over each apple so the shallow hole is facing up. Brush each apple again with the mixture. Place a small slice of brie (about 1 Tablespoon) into each apple hole and place baking sheet back into the oven. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is just melted. Remove from the oven top each apple with pecan pieces and serve warm.
Elizabeth Van Huffel is a self-proclaimed food geek, local food curator, advocate, and founder of Local Savour. With over 20 years of restaurant experience, working with some of the finest chefs in North America, a background in restaurant public relations, and owning a small catering company mixed with an extensive knowledge of food and wine, she is more than passionate about food. Local Savour navigates through the local food scene to unite tastes, bites, eats and flavors into a dish near you. Established in 2010, the award-winning Local Savour.com set out to prove that a quick and easy meal can still look amazing and taste grand while satisfying both you and your family –– bringing a little fine-dining flair and grace to your table without the fuss or pretension while guiding readers through the bounty of Texas Farmers Markets, vendors and producers. The website has now grown over the years into capturing audiences with collaborations on and off of the web both locally and nationally, with the newly founded Local Savour Cooking Channel and now through it’s new seasonal Farmers Market inspired e-book series.
Loved the brie apples Elizabeth, thanks for sharing!