Keep Your Holiday Plates Colorful

One of the things my aunt and I joked about during her recent visit was temporarily being on the “beige diet.” Case in point, our Friday night fish fry included fries, a roll and, of course, deep-fried fish … beige, beige and more beige. Lunch that same Friday wasn’t much better and may or may not have included one or two fried treats. While our beige splurge seemed fun at first, afterwards we both felt heavy, sluggish and even a little blue. The occasional splurge is totally fine and, in my opinion, keeps your meal plan realistic and sustainable. But one of the simplest ways to help keep you on track with your healthy goals is to think in color with plenty of vegetables and fresh fruit. Thanksgiving is tomorrow here in the U.S. and includes plenty of beige foods (I’m looking at you, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy). Enjoy these holiday staples, but don’t forget to color your plate! Try one or two of these tips.

• Go beyond the usual cheese and crackers for pre-meal snacks, and serve up this light dip with plenty of fresh vegetables.
• Skip the canned cranberry and make your own cranberry sauce. It’s surprisingly simple and you can toss in chopped apples, pears, pineapple chunks or orange wedges.
• Bust out of the Brussels sprouts. Roast them and toss with shallots, dried cranberries, walnuts or bacon*. Or keep them simple and still delicious by roasting them with a little olive oil and kosher salt.
• Make a medley of roasted root veggies like beets, sweet potatoes, carrots and turnips.

If you have ideas for keeping your holiday plate colorful, tell me about it in the comments section below!

*TOPS members can find a recipe for Bacon-y Brussels Sprouts in the Members Area of tops.org under “Healthy Eating & Recipes.”