All your holiday favorites made healthy and light with simple ingredient swaps, fresh foods, and easy cooking hacks! Fun twists on classic holiday dishes with all the taste AND a much better nutritional profile.
December already, friends?! Can you believe it?! I really can’t believe it actually.
All of 2016 seemed to fly by, but these past few months have been especially quick. The holidays have always been a super busy time of year for me with lots of family birthdays (including my own) and the two major celebration days of course, but this year has been EXTRA crazy and chaotic. Moving, spontaneous trips with friends, marathon training….it’s just NUTS!
Sometimes, this year more than ever, I find myself a few days out from the big days without a concrete plan of what I’ll be making or serving to family or friends. Well, I made a vow to myself…NOT THIS YEAR!
No matter how fast the holidays seemed to sneak up, I am determined to be well prepared and ready to make my family’s holidays the best ever! I did well with Thanksgiving thanks to lots of inspiring Friendsgiving ideas here and a some menu planning with my Healthy Alternatives to Holiday Classics roundup, but now with Christmas coming soon, I knew it was time to put my thinking cap on again!
I, for one, LOVE menu planning. It’s fun for me! I love coming up with new ways to make classic recipes a little healthier (and TASTIER) and figuring out how to craft a meal that goes well together. Different people like different things, but there are definitely some staple holiday comfort foods that everyone can agree on.
Comfort food. That’s the theme I decided to go with for this year’s holiday meal. Classic, traditional, perfectly providing of that warm & fuzzy feeling that only favorite dishes can create inside of you. Being me though, I wanted to do these comforting staples with a healthy spin! It wouldn’t be a Healthy Helper holiday without that, you know?!
In my own menu planning, I found some really amazing recipes from friends around the web that also had the same idea about amping up the nutrition in some classic Christmas appetizers, sides, and desserts! I’ve collected them here for you today to add to your own holiday menu. A lot of these will be on my family’s table this year and I think once you see them for yourself, you’ll want to add them to yours too!
Vegan Pork n’ Bean Mac and Cheese | Healthy Helper
Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower Quinoa Gratin | Bytesized Nutrition
HCLF Vegan Cheddar Broccoli Soup | Healthy Helper
Roasted Sweet Potato and Beet Stacks | Eat the Gains
Creamy Spinach and Kale Dip | Minimalist Baker
Sweet Celeriac Mash | Healthy Helper
Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Easy Cranberry Dressing | Miss Allies Kitchen
Oil-Free Roasted Kabocha | Healthy Helper
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes | Whole Health Hacks
Fresh n’ Fruity Sweet Potato Hash | Healthy Helper
Healthier Green Bean Casserole | Gimme Some Oven
Roasted Root Veggies | Leah’s Plate
Gluten-Free Potato Ranch Biscuits | Healthy Helper
Sweet and Savory Sausage Squash Stuffing | My Uncommon Everyday
Pumpkin Spice Walnut Cake | Healthy Helper
Low-Fat Vegan Pudding Pie Tart | Healthy Helper
Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies | Healthy Helper
Flourless Red Velvet Brownies | Healthy Helper
With this delicious roundup, you can have your favorite holiday foods the whole season thru! Same great flavor with much better nutritional qualities and ingredients. The best of both worlds in my opinion!
What are your favorite holiday comfort foods?
What recipe do you most want to try from the roundup?
What’s your favorite part of the holiday season?
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48 responses to “18 Holiday Comfort Foods Gone Healthy”
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Can i please just have them all!!!!?
That’s exactly how I feel!
Now of course the dessert section is always my favorite part of these posts, but I’m even eyeing a fair number of the savory options here too! That spinach dip. And your celeriac mash. You should be proud, I finally tried celery root this week! I made a savory mash with it, but I’m really curious to try your sweet version with the spices now 🙂
RIGHT?! That spinach dip looks INSANE! I seriously want to dive in and eat the whole bowl!
I’ve made that spinach dip before and I can attest that it is quite possibly even MORE delicious than it looks. If that’s even possible….
GOOD TO KNOW!!!
All the food.
All the recipes
All the holiday cheer.
🙂
But really, everything looks so amazing I am bookmarking this to come back to! Especially eying the various sweet potato/squash recipes and the healthier green bean casserole.
Me too! I thought those recipes looked amazing as well!
Oooh that green bean casserole looks amazing! So many great recipes – thanks for including mine!
There is NOTHING better than comfort food this time of year! (Okay, well maybe cookies.. but I’d say those could also fall under the umbrella of comfort foods). These recipes all look amazing – thanks so much for including my Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower Quinoa Gratin!
So welcome! It looks like an amazing recipe that I can’t wait to try!
These all look SO delicious!! Thanks so much for including me 🙂 xox
So welcome lovely!!
All of these look absolutely delicious. But that pumpkin spice walnut cake is calling my name! It just might find its way to our Christmas table.
Thank you, friend!! Let me know if you make the cake…it’s one of my ALL TIME favorite recipes!!!
My goodness there are so many wonderful ideas here! i especially would love to try the gratin, yummy!
Thank you!
There are so many scrumptious recipes here! I feel like this would make a delicious holiday menu!
YES for sure!
Great stuff!!! You don’t know how much I need this list for meal planning!!! So excited to try some of the recipes!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
You’re welcome Jake! Thanks for stopping by!
These all look delicious! I can’t wait until I can host Christmas, right now we still go to our families houses. When I host I can control more of what we eat and have healthier options. I usually always travel with a few healthy treats though.
HI Kaila,
These recipe all looks so tasty and healthy but I think my favorite is Low fat Veggie Pudding. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!
THANKS MARLA!
[…] loving these holiday comfort foods gone healthy (one of my recipes was included – […]
Absolutely YUM! I especially love roasted root veggies in the winter 🙂
Me too! Root veggies are the bomb!!
That spinach and kale dip looks great! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up!
Thanks Helen!!!
Ooh I have not had green bean casserole in a long time! Lots of deliousness here. thanks for linking up
So welcome! Love your linkup and that green bean casserole is AMAZING!!! Made it last week!
Wow, great looking recipes for before, during and after the holidays! Thanks for linking up to Funtastic Friday!
Thanks Kimm! You’ll love these recipes!
Oh this is such a great idea! I’ve been wanting to set aside some time to hunker down and figure out my holiday menu plan. The idea was making me anxious as it can be overwhelming – thanks for sharing all of these awesome recipes to help with the meal planning =)
Thanks for sharing at Healthy Vegan Fridays – I’m pinning & sharing!
Thank Kimmy! Lots of great options here to help you figure out your menu! I am sure it will be fab!!!
A huge YES to healthy comfort foods! Thanks for the great list!
Thanks for stopping by!!
[…] Holiday Comfort Foods Gone Healthy from Healthy Helper […]
I grew up eating many of these comfort foods but I stopped eating them when I changed my diet. It is so delightful to see these healthier versions of many of the foods my mother used to cook for us. I’m pinning and sharing.
Thanks so much Deborah!
[…] Holiday Comfort Foods Gone Healthy from Healthy Helper […]
Mmm…I have to try that Creamy Spinach and Kale Dip recipe! Thank you for linking up to the Creative K Kids’ tasty Tuesday – I can’t wait to see what kind of yummy goodness you come up with next week!
So welcome!
The Pumpkin Spice cake looks delish! Thanks for linking up to Merry Monday! Pinned! Have a great week!
Kim
[…] 18 Holiday Comfort Foods Gone Healthy […]
[…] 18 Holiday Comfort Foods Gone Healthy from Healthy Helper […]
Hi Kaila,
Just a note to let you know that I have chosen our post as one of my features this week on Real Food Fridays blog hop that goes live every Thursday @ 7pm EST. Thank you for sharing your valuable information with all of us and helping to make this world a healthier place to live.
Thank you so much!!!