6 Healthy & Delicious Holiday Recipes

The holiday season is finally here and so are all the cravings for classic holiday treats! I know it can be especially hard to stay on track around this time of year, and while it’s totally ok to treat yourself to a few of your favorites, I decided to round up some upgraded holiday treats for you to enjoy. Remember it’s not about depriving yourself of your favorite foods– it’s about fueling your body with nutritious foods that taste delicious and make you feel good from the inside out! Weather you’re spending the holidays with family or celebrating by yourself, I’ve got you covered with these delicious healthy holiday recipes that you’re sure to love. With everything from baked goods to eggnog to fun activities and potpourri, there’s a recipe for everyone.

This chocolate pecan pie is crazy delicious and guaranteed to make you want seconds. Plus, it’s made of quality, whole food ingredients.

What you’ll need for the crust:

3 cups almond flour

6 tbsp ghee, melted

For the chocolate layer you’ll need:

1 cup canned coconut milk

10 ounces dark chocolate (about 2-3 chocolate bars)

For the pecan layer you’ll need:

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup whole pecan

½ cup coconut sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp sea salt

 

What to do:

1- Start by heating 1 can coconut milk & coconut sugar over high heat in a saucepan for the pecan layer, stirring often.

2- Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Then, allow to cool for 40 minutes while preparing the crust.

3- For the crust, mix the almond flour and melted ghee until combined.

4- Once combined, pour the mixture into a pie dish and flatten into a crust. Once crust is formed, bake for 10 minutes at 325F. Set aside and let cool. Once cool place in the freezer for 10-20 min.⠀

5- While crust is cooling, melt 1 cup of the canned coconut milk with the dark chocolate and stir until smooth.

6- Pour the chocolate layer into cooled pie crust and freeze for at least 30min-90min.

7- Take the cooled pecan filling (coconut milk + coconut sugar) and whisk in 1 egg at a time followed by the vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon and chopped pecans.

8- Pour the pecan filling over the frozen chocolate layer and bake for 50-65 minutes at 350F.

9- Allow pie to cool, top with more pecans & the place in freezer once it’s completely cool.

10- Enjoy!

I love a delicious baked good every now and then, and this blueberry cobbler is the perfect treat for colder weather. Plus, it’s so easy to make and much healthier than store-bought cobblers you’ll find at the grocery store.

 

What you’ll need:

4 cups blueberries

4 tbsps maple syrup

1/2 cup plus 1½ teaspoons tapioca flour

½ cup almond flour

2 tsps baking powder

3 ½ tbsps almond milk

3 ½ tbsps melted coconut oil

3 tbsps coconut sugar

2 tsps vanilla extract

 

What to do:

1- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2- In a bowl, combine the blueberries, syrup, and 1½ teaspoon tapioca flour.

3- Grease a casserole dish with a light coat of coconut oil spray and pour in the blueberry mixture.

4- In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour,  ½ cup tapioca flour, baking powder, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and coconut sugar.

5- Once smooth, scoop the mixture on top of the blueberries and spread with a spatula.

6- Bake for 30 minutes.

7- Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

 

While I definitely enjoy plenty of the sweet stuff, I also love bringing fruit or veggie platters to events to help balance all of the delicious, sugary goodies that we’re enjoying. These tasty dip recipes come in so handy around the holidays and are the perfect treat to serve with your favorite fruits and vegetables.

 

For the Pesto Dip (vegan):

2 cups spinach + 1/4 cup basil

+ 1/4 cup parsley + 1/2 cup pine nuts + 1/2 cup nutritional yeast +

3 cloves garlic + 1 tbsp lemon +

1/3 cup olive oil + sea salt + pepper

 

Yogurt Dip:

2 cups unflavored plain yogurt + 2 bananas +

stevia

 

What to do:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor & enjoy!

While of course enjoying the standard versions of these holiday drinks as a treat is totally fine, I thought I’d share these upgraded recipes so that you can enjoy them more regularly and from your own home. With these, you can enjoy all of the holiday-spice goodness of a peppermint mocha, eggnog, or hot chocolate without the filler ingredients and all the added sugar.

Here’s what you need for the Eggnog:

8-12oz unsweetened almond milk

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp maple syrup

¼ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp nutmeg⠀

Cinnamon to taste

 

What to do:

1- Beat the egg yolks, maple syrup, and almond milk in a separate bowl

2- Heat the mixture on the stove over medium heat and whisk regularly until it reaches 160°⠀(the temperature that is safe to eat eggs at). It shouldn’t boil. If it boils, remove to an empty burner and keep mixing.

3- Once it reaches 160°, pour into a blender.

4- Add the vanilla extract and spices.

4- Blend and sip!

 

Here’s what you need for the Hot Chocolate:

8-12oz unsweetened almond milk

2 tbsp chocolate protein powder (I prefer the taste of plant based protein in this recipe but whey should work fine too)

1 tbsp chocolate chips

 

What to do:

1- Heat the almond milk on the stove.

2- Add the hot almond milk and rest of ingredients to a blender.

3- Blend and enjoy!

 

What you need for the Peppermint Mocha:

8-12oz unsweetened almond milk⁠

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 instant coffee packet or espresso shot⁠

1/4 tsp peppermint extract⁠

1/2 Tbsp MCT oil or coconut oil⁠

Stevia to taste

 

What to do:⁠

1- Heat the almond milk on the stove.⁠

2- Add the hot almond milk and rest of the ingredients to a blender.⁠

3- Blend and enjoy!

Potpourri is an easy and natural way to make your home smell delicious AF, plus it can be a great way to use leftover peels, herbs, etc. The best part about these recipes is that you can add in extra peels, spices, and herbs that you may have on hand to make it your own and they take less than 5 minutes to prepare.⁠

 

What you’ll need for the Holiday Potpourri:⁠

-1 orange, sliced (or orange peels)⁠

-1 cup cranberries⁠

-4-5 cinnamon sticks⁠

-2-3 rosemary sprigs⁠

-1tbsp ground cloves

-2 tsp nutmeg⁠

⁠

What you need for Fresh Lemon Potpourri:⁠

-2 lemons, sliced⁠

-3-4 rosemary sprigs

-½ tbsp vanilla

⁠

What to do:⁠

1- Combine the ingredients for your selected scent in a large pot.

2- Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil.

3- Once boiling, bring potpourri down to a simmer for as long as you want. Enjoy!

I’ve shared this fruit tree with my friends in years past and it was a total hit! It’s very easy to grab the fruit off the toothpicks and of course aesthetically pleasing.

 

What you need:

1 pineapple

1 pear

1 wooden shish kebob skewer

Pack of toothpicks

Star cookie cutter (or if you’re skilled, you can just cut it in a star shape)

Strawberries

Purple grapes

Green grapes

Kiwis

Blackberries

(Option to add other fruits like oranges etc – have fun with it!)

 

What to do:

1 – Slice off the edges of the pineapple & the top. Cut an extra top slice for the star (make sure it’s thick enough so the star isn’t flimsy).

2 – Trim the top off a pear and use the shish kebob skewer to connect the pear and pineapple.

3 – Prepare the colorful fruit. Cut the tops off of strawberries and cut kiwis into slices.

4 – Use toothpicks to stick the fruit around the pineapple and pear. Use a toothpick to stick the pineapple star on the very top.