The holidays are such a wonderful time of the year full of laughter, good cheer, and food. Lots of food. And not just any food. Special holiday foods that are usually incredibly calorie-dense and full of salt, oil, and sugar. It’s a special time of the year, right? We’ve been good all year, so we can indulge. Right?? January is coming and we’re going to make resolutions and get back on “The Wellness Wagon” anyway, right?!?! 

That’s the difficult thing about the holidays; they’re such an easy time to get off-track with our healthy lifestyles. Everyone else seems to be doing it. We often find a hundred ways to justify eating all the things, only to suffer for it in the sluggish way our bodies feel and the psychological torture of guilt, regret, and mustering up the will to get back into a healthy flow.

Wouldn’t it be nice to not have those same struggles come January 1? Aren’t you sick of those predictable food comas and resulting hangovers that leave you feeling bad in body and mind? We certainly are. And we’re happy to say we’ve been able to let that go thanks to creating delicious and satisfying recipes that we make around the holidays, so they still feel like something “special” for this time of year. Here are our Top 5 Healthy Holiday Recipes for you to try this year and ditch the “January Blues” for good:

#1 - Rooty Rice Bake

We just debuted this one and it’s already a hit! This dish is so simple; simply chop a few ingredients, mix them all together in a bowl, pour it into one casserole dish, pop it in the oven and that’s about it. It’s got all the seasonal flavors we love from the herbs and spices such as sage, thyme, and rosemary, plus a little richness from tahini. Filled with root vegetables, squash, and wild rice, this hearty dish will satisfy your need for a big warm serving of serious comfort food without putting you in a yucky food coma.

Click here for the Rooty Rice Bake blog post!

 

#2 - Spinach Artichoke Latkes

We shared this recipe on the Hannukah episode of our Well Your Weekend Cooking Show and decided to release it to the public for the holidays this year. It’s so good and I honestly don’t know why I only associate latkes with the holidays; I really should be making these all year. They’re essentially potato pancakes with a few extra veggies. We crisp them up in the air fryer or oven and they come out with a nice crunch on the outside and a creamy center. Paired with some simple cashew sour cream and applesauce, they’re truly a special holiday treat.

Click here for the Spinach Artichoke Latkes blog post!

 

#3 - Green Bean Casserole

The traditional American Green Bean Casserole served during the holidays typically consists of two ingredients:

1. Canned garbage

2. Canned green beans

Our healthy Green Bean Casserole uses fresh (or frozen from fresh) green beans, naturally, and our Well Your World Mushroom Gravy Mix to quickly create a savory sauce. We toss thin-sliced onions in a little flax seed and crisp them in the air fryer, then top the dish with a few (optional) slivered almonds. It obviously tastes different than the its unhealthy counterpart, made with fatty canned cream of mushroom soup and deep fried onions. The difference is you can actually taste the healthy ingredients. This dish comes together so fast you could even call it ”a dish in a dash”!

Click here for the Green Bean Casserole blog post!

 

#4 - Roasted Whole Cauliflower

We recently shared this as our Halloween Cauliflower Brains for one of our Halloween videos but we originally debuted it as a holiday dish on one of our Cooking Show episodes. Take away the spooky skull and you’re left with a beautiful dish for the center of the holiday table. We make this dish by creating a flavorful marinade that we baste on a whole head of cauliflower and bake in the oven; it makes quite a dramatic presentation!

Click here for the Roasted Cauliflower blog post!

 

#5 - Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes, typically drowned in poisonous artery-clogging dairy, and baked in the oven. Our healthy version is still super-delicious because we’ve left the best parts in this recipe; potatoes, onions, and a creamy vegan cheese sauce. Our products are all about helping you create healthy shortcuts in the kitchen and just like the Mushroom Gravy Mix we used for the Green Bean Casserole, we simply blend up a batch of Well Your World Cheese Sauce Mix to make this dish in no time. We love tasting all the flavors of the holidays but we don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen; we’d much rather spend time laughing over a mug of hot cocoa with friends. That’s what the holidays are really all about for us.

Click here for the Scalloped Potatoes blog post!

Bonus Recipe #1 - Jingle Balls

It wouldn’t be a Top 5 video without a bonus or two and it wouldn’t be the holidays at our house without some Jingle Balls to snack on! Folklore would suggest that everyone is supposed to love Jingle Bells but Dillon’s Jingle Balls are really where it’s at. They remind me of a mix between Thanksgiving stuffing and meatloaf bites. And yes, these also taste amazing with some delicious mushroom gravy drizzled on top.

Click here for the blog Jingle Balls post!

 

Bonus Recipe #2 - Mashed Potatoes & Roasted Vegetables

This dish is from a video Dillon made way back in 2018. It’s what he always makes and eats for Thanksgiving. The ultimate holiday comfort food will always be mashed potatoes smothered in a rich, brown gravy for us. Adding some gorgeous, savory roasted veggies on the side makes it even better. How could you go wrong? Sure, it’s simple and basic but that’s the beauty of it. It looks pretty and it’s just plain delicious.

Click here to watch the original video on YouTube!

There you go! We’ve taken all the guesswork out of making this the happiest and healthiest holiday ever. We hope this helps you during the holidays (and all year long!). Just imagine how wonderful it’s going to feel rolling in the New Year already at the top of your health game; no more silly resolutions for you! Enjoy!!

Until Next Time, Xoxo Reebs