So, what's a girl (or guy) to do in the face of all of these irresistible sweets and snacks? In the past, I myself have contributed freely to the mass gluttony occurring all around me by baking and cooking up a storm.
This year? Not so much. So, first rule in avoiding overconsumption of holiday calories? Don't bake/cook as many goodies if you can't resist them.
Second rule? Give healthier gifts. I'll still make a batch of shortbread to pass out to select few. And I might whip up 1 batch of pecans. But for mass teacher gifts this year, I gave out Chai concentrate spice mix. (and it was a huge hit!)
Third rule? Choose your recipes and occasions wisely. Our families identify lots of foods with this time of year, but that doesn't mean our own immediate families must consume each recipe's worth of our favorites. For instance, I needed to bring 1 dozen cookies/per kid to a cookie-decorating party (I have 3 kids). I found a recipe that made 3 1/2 dozen smallish cookies (no giant 5-inch cookies here).
I made lowfat gingerbread men (which taste great) so we could decorate those for our yearly gingerbread extravaganza--but we made them the day before a party and passed most of the cookies out at the party.
I made Gingersnaps to send to a family on moving day (and saved just a few back for us to enjoy).
And I made Chex Mix for a family get together that would include lots of folks to help nosh on it...rather than having a batch sort of always on hand at this time of year for just us.
Some healthy (yet still delicious) food items to consider for gifts--teacher and/or hostess and/or others!
- Granola packed in a Mason jar (this has been a BIG hit with folks)
- Chai Concentrate spice mix
- Mulling Spices mix (very tasty)
- Spice Tea Mix (not so healthy, but it won't tempt you to keep snacking...)
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