Holidays are for having fun and rewarding yourself for a year well-spent. You have worked on your goals, diligently attended your Pilates classes and have eaten healthy throughout the year. The last thing you want to do is feel guilty for indulging in some holiday goodness.

Here are 3 simple healthy, fun and yummy recipes for your house parties to celebrate the end of this year. Try these out and let us know what you think.

Christmas Crostini

Ingredients:

Base

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tbsp coconut or olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp paprika

Salsa topping

• 1 avocado
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 2 tsp Italian herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary)
• 2 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Pre heat oven to 180℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Slice the sweet potato into even ½ inch thick slices.
3. Place slices on the tray and coat with the oil. Sprinkle over the salt and paprika.
4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until cooked but firm.
5. Remove the crostini from the oven when cooked and allow to cool.
6. While the crostini are cooking, chop and dice the avocado, tomatoes & onion.
7. Combine in a bowl with the oil and herbs.
8. Top the crostini with salsa just prior to serving.

NOTES

You can bake the crostini base and prepare the topping ahead of time if necessary.

Keep them separately in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble them.

Christmas Tree Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch mixed lettuces (dark leafy ones), chopped
• ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds
• ¾ cup red grapes, sliced
• 2 oranges, peeled and sliced in half, segments separated
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tablespoon dried cranberries , optional
• 1 small apple, chopped
• ½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ⅛ teaspoon coriander powder
• a few pinches of orange zest
• pinch of cayenne or chili flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste

Star Topper:

• 1 slice toast, sliced into a star

Instructions:

1. Simply prep all your ingredients and toss them with the dressing/spices in a large bowl. Toss and mix very well since this will help to distribute the flavors and infuse the lettuce with flavor.
2. You can serve right away or chill in the fridge for up to 12 hours in advance before serving. Any longer and your chard will begin to get a bit soft. Serve raw and chilled. Top it! For the “star” tree topper, simply toast any slice of bread and using either your knife (free-hand) or a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out a toast star to top the tree salad.

Rum-Soaked Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

Rum Soak

• ½ cup Rum
• ½ cup chopped dried fruits (raisins, blueberries, cranberries, apricots, etc.)
• ½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashew)
• Peel of one orange
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 star anise

Truffle

• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup date paste/ maple syrup/ honey
• 4 digestive biscuits
• 300 gms of dark chocolate

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the Rum soak and keep them in an airtight container for minimum 48 hours to 15 days in your refrigerator.
2. The rum-soaked dried fruits taste better the longer you let them soak.
3. Remove the star anise, cinnamon and ginger from the rum-soaked dried fruits and mince the rest using a big knife or in the chopper attachment of your food processor.
4. Grind the biscuits in a food processor to a coarse powder.
5. Mix in the syrup, peanut butter, biscuit powder, and the chopped dried fruits and combine to form a thick dough.
6. Roll this into small bite sized balls and freeze for a few hours.
7. Melt the chocolate and roll the frozen balls in the chocolate to coat them.
8. Enjoy these fun boozy rum-soaked chocolate truffles.

Have a fun holiday season and a happy new year!

Written with Gauri Shingote, our in-house Nutritionist.