6 Quick and Healthy Holiday Recipes to Keep Your Diet on Track

When we think about the holidays, the images of festive decorations and snow don’t just come to mind. Most of our imaginations and expectations involve food — like a long table banquet with plenty of food.

As an aspiring or current pro cheerleader, one can easily forget about weight management during the season and eat their fill. Because it only happens once a year right? The problem is, it’s hard to burn those extra calories during winter, especially if you don’t have indoor workout equipment.

Exercising outside is also a greater challenge. Which is why, this holiday season, prepare meals and snacks that are delicious and filling but won’t lead to weight gain. Here are six recipes you should put on your pro cheer holiday diet plan.

1. Mini Cheese Balls

Let’s start this list with a delicious snack. Cheese is a calorie-dense food but what makes it perfect for the holidays is that it gives you energy for winter household chores. Plus, this recipe also uses almonds to fulfill your fiber, healthy fats, and protein needs.

Get the recipe here.

2. Roasted Honeynut Squash

Need a tasty yet healthy entree for your meals? No problem. Honeynut is sweet but has a hint of a nutty taste. Although it’s sweet, this fruit is packed with fiber and potassium. This recipe is very easy to prepare and good for women with nut allergies.

Get the recipe here.

3. Kale, Jicama, and Orange Salad

The third recipe on this list is this vegan salad. It’s perfect for lunch during winter when you’re tired of eating soup, want to just sit on the couch, and binge on Netflix until evening. If you’re not familiar with Jicama, it’s a root veggie that tastes like a combination of a pear and potato but has significantly fewer carbohydrates.

Get the recipe here.

4. Citrus-Roasted Salmon

Now that we’re done with vegan and vegetarian recipes, let’s move on to the dish for seafood lovers. You’ll only need 40 minutes to cook this salmon recipe and it doesn’t take too much time to prepare it. However, you’ll need to take out the salmon after 10 minutes of roasting to brush it with the citrus, lemon, and honey sauce.

Get the recipe here.

5. Roasted Pork and Potatoes with Creamy Applesauce

If you’re not into fish, that’s okay. Here’s a simple pork recipe you’ll surely enjoy. You can share the remaining 3 servings of this roast pork with your family for breakfast. Since there’s potato in this dish, it’s best to do some light activity after eating your meal to burn the extra calories.

Get the recipe here.

6. Pomegranate-Honey Glazed Chicken and Squash

When a winter day is over, you’ll just want to relax and have a long sleep in your comfy bed. There’s no better way to hit the hay with a filling dinner that’s rich in tryptophan. Chicken is abundant in this essential amino acid. This dish only takes 35 minutes to cook and like the roasted pork recipe, it also has 4 servings which you can share the other 3 with your family.

Get the recipe here.

As always, we recommend preparing all your cooking ingredients in food containers during your meal prep sessions. Then store them in your fridge. By doing so, you’ll only need to take out the uncooked foods and put them into your cooking appliances during the cooking process. This will help you save a lot of time.


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