Recently, the Wellness Lead for Nestle Corporation asked me to come in to do a recipe demo for their employees on “Healthy Holiday Recipes.” I brought easy, healthy holiday recipes ideas to demonstrate.
The first thing I did when everyone walked in is was to ask, “Do you really want to be healthy during the holidays? Isn’t this the time you want to relax and not worry about what to eat?”
Nestle Wellness Leads love MasalaBody.com cooking too!
I got a resounding “Yes, I want to be healthy during the holidays!” Two of the reasons people said they want to be healthy during the holidays are:
Didn’t want to put on the “Holiday 10”
Didn’t have as much time to work out with shopping, parties and other holiday events to attend or take care of
Cooking Healthy Holiday Recipes for a Nestle cooking demoI’m getting ready to do a healthy holiday recipes demo for Nestle employees!
I encourage adding healthy options to your dinners – not making it 100% healthy – but lighter and healthier than it may otherwise be.
If your company or organization or company is interested in a healthy cooking demo OR a talk about mindsets and healthy habits, please contact me at nagina@masalabody.com. I am actively looking for more opportunities to speak to professionals and entrepreneurs about how eating healthy boosts energy and well-being and how to make healthy food taste good!
Everyone got to get a plate to try for themselves! The favorite was the homemade Ginger Cardamom cranberry sauce, but everything went really fast!
Here are four healthy and delicious recipes for the holidays.
Click here to receive your free “Healthy Holidays Recipes” ebook with 4 easy, healthy holiday recipes in one PDF document (you can print or view easily on your iPad or phone!).
Here’s what I’ll be sharing in the Healthy Holiday Recipes book and on this blog post:
Appendix: 3 Tips to Stay in Control During the Holidays
The ingredients are so good for you that it really doesn’t matter how much you eat! You won’t have to worry about the “Holiday 10” when you put some of these dishes into your rotation for your holiday dinner(s).
Here’s the best part – NONE of these recipes taste “healthy.”You know, the stereotypical bland, boring healthy tasty that most people do NOT want on the holidays. That’s exactly what you WON’T get in the Healthy Holiday Recipe book! Get ready for delicious and memory-making meals!
4-6serranoes or jalapenos,minced (skip if you prefer no heat)
1cupcilantro (coriander),chopped, for garnish
1 1/3cupsweetened, grated coconut,firmly packed
Instructions
Rinse and chop ends off green beans, chop into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces.
put beans, turmeric powder, salt and water into large saucepan or pot and boil. Turn to medium heat and cook, covered, until beans are tender but still crisp ~ 15-20 min. Drain and set aside. (Can do this step ahead of time)*
Heat cooking spray over high heat in large skillet. Add mustard seeds when pan is hot. Seeds will pop; immediately turn to medium heat.
Add firmly packed, grated coconut. Add minced chilies. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Coconut will be a light brown, and be careful because it can burn quickly.
Add cooked beans, mix to coat beans with mustard seeds, and stir fry for ~ 5 minutes.
Turn off heat, and add chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves on top before serving.
Notes
*Note: for 4 lbs. (1800g) of green beans, do steps 3-6 in 2 batches; halve the ingredients for each batch (one right after the other or in separate pans, because one pan is not big enough for all at once)
1/2 - 1teaspoon chili powder(add more for more heat, can use paprika as a substitute, which will give less heat)
1tablespoonolive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Optional: grated lime rind + 1/2 - 1 sliced lemon
Instructions
Spray baking pan with cooking spray.
Wash salmon and dry completely with paper towels. Set onto baking pan with edges (because some juices may be released).
Sprinkle all spices on salmon and drizzle on olive oil, rub onto salmon.
Let salmon marinate for 3-4 hours or up to 12 hours in fridge. About 2 hours before ready to bake, take out of fridge to bring to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 475°F/250°C
Bake salmon for 20 minutes. Note: Salmon should be pink and cooked all the way through, If needed, depending on your oven, keep in for additional 5 minutes.
Remove salmon from oven. Move to serving plate.
Squeeze lemon onto salmon and grate optional lime rind and/or slice lemon rounds and place over salmon steak. Enjoy!
Happy Holidays to you, your family and your friends!
For three tips to stay in control during the holidays, see my post here!
Nagina Sethi Abdullah, BA, MBA
Nagina Abdullah is a health coach for middle-aged women and professionals. She coaches women to boost their metabolism naturally, shed pounds and keep them off. Her work with weight loss clients led to the creation of Masala Body, an online weight loss platform that provides an easy and accessible system that helps women sustainably lose weight. She has helped over 1200 women successfully lose from 10-80 lbs and create a sustainable lifestyle change. Nagina earned her degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley.
Reader Interactions