I have to admit that one of my favorite things about the Halloween/ Thanksgiving/ Christmas holiday season is the FOOD. And I know I'm not the only one!
However, it can be difficult to stay healthy especially with the abundance of desserts that are constantly served and so hard to resist!
The key is to allow yourself to indulge a bit, while finding ways to stay as healthy as possible. And to stay on that healthy path, I always suggest dedicating some effort to planning ahead.
One easy way to stay healthy is to come up with healthier versions of the traditional heavier holiday meals. So I challenge you to make this holiday season your healthiest yet, by finding the holiday foods you love and making healthier versions of them. It's fun and easier than you may think!
I'm going to be sharing a series of blog posts and recipes to help you with healthy swaps this year, and to start off, I wanted to share my own healthy version of one of my favorite holiday desserts - Pumpkin Pie.
I enjoy this delicious recipe as a morning pudding or as an afternoon snack/dessert, and it satisfies my craving without having to indulge in the sugar-loaded, store-bought pumpkin pie.
There are many versions out there for "healthy" pumpkin smoothies and desserts, but I wanted to share with you my version, which I came up with after some experimentation.
Healthy tip: I use "pumpkin pie spice" which is a combination of warming spices that are really beneficial to your health, including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Cinnamon helps to regulate blood sugar levels and to tame any sugar cravings, Ginger and Nutmeg both help with digestion, and Cloves are great to maintain a healthy gut flora as they contains anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. So just adding a few sprinkles of these spices to your smoothies or desserts this holiday is a great way to add in some beneficial nutrition.
I hope you like my recipe, and please share your favorite Holiday dessert recipe, too!
Love and Holiday desserts,
Mariana