Tips to be good with food during the Holidays

We’ve all been there. Regretting our poor decisions about food and alcohol in January. It’s so easy to loose perspective of our health goals during the Holidays and it’s so hard to get back on track. I did things differently last year and it worked but I never really posted about it, so this year I want to share my tips on how to be good with food during the Holidays.

Tips when going out: I know this time of the year is more common to eat out and of course, that usually means drinks! Please keep in mind that these tips are for people who eat outside multiple times a week and are trying to be good. If you only go out once, then by all means, please enjoy yourself!! Here’s what I try to do:

• Order drinks with less calories. My go-to is Prosecco. If you can skip the drinks even better, or you can drink slowly and alternate with water. This will keep you hydrated. Try to avoid cocktails! Those usually have a lot of sugar.
• Check out the restaurant menu beforehand. This sounds silly, but it works!! It’s better to be tempted with that mac & cheese at home and have time to think about it, than to wait until you are in the restaurant when you are hungry and can’t help yourself, and end up ordering carbs only! Sometimes I have to prepare mentally to just have a salad for dinner, so knowing the menu in advance really helps.
• Always make sure to order something with protein. This will help you feel satisfied faster and for longer time, which means that you might be strong enough to skip dessert (or just have one bite!).
• If you order a salad, ask for the dressing on the side. Dressings usually have a lot of calories and by ordering it on the side, you can control the amount you’ll eat. A good trick is to dip the fork in the dressing and then in the salad. It will taste the same without the extra calories.
• Have a snack before you leave. Let’s face it; it’s easier to make better decisions if you are not hungry! If I’m going out and I’m trying to be good that day I usually have some nuts and a protein shake. It never fails!

Tips for eating healthier at home: We are usually busier at work and in life during the Holidays, which makes it more difficult to go grocery shopping and doing meal prep. The only meal I’ve been making in advance these days is breakfast (I make this banana waffle recipe in bulks!). That’s when services like HelloFresh come in super handy! (You can try it and get $90 off your first month – that’s 9 meals! – using the code WAYSOFSTYLE9).

Their recipes are so delicious and easy to make, you don’t have to shop for anything and all the quantities are already measured for you. All you have to do is cook it and it really does saves you a ton of time! I’m an advocate for eating at home and that’s exactly their vision; they are passionate about everyone being able to cook great food for themselves and their friends & family.

These are my top 3 recipes:

Tilapia with Scallion Sriracha Pesto: Super easy and so yummy! The Scallion Pesto is out of this world! I would have never thought on putting those ingredients together!

Prep time: 10 minutes – Total time: 30 minutes

Cherry Balsamic Pork Chops: This dish is such a perfect dinner for Fall/Winter! I’ve never been able to cook pork chops like this, or when they do, they taste plain, but the cherry balsamic sauce is so delicious. I’ll be adding this recipe to my future orders for sure!

Prep time: 10 minutes – Total time: 30 minutes

Lemon Chive Chicken: This was G’s favorite because for some reason we never eat mashed potatoes and it felt like a treat. And not to brag, but their mashed potato recipe is the best I’ve had in my life! They suggest an ingredient (that I won’t share!) that I never thought to use and it really makes them so delicious and moist. Also the chicken… I always overcook chicken and by following the instructions I was able to cook it to perfection! I’m proud 🙂

Prep time: 15 minutes – Total time: 45 minutes

See why we love HelloFresh? They make it super easy for us to eat healthy meals at home and save us a lot of time during this particularly busy time of the year, so I suggest you to check them out!

And one more thing that will make a huge difference…

Don’t abandon the gym! Even if you only go once or twice, that’s better than nothing! On the days you can’t make it, try to move more, take the stairs, park the car a little further… Those extra calories really add up at the end of the day!

How about you guys? How do you stay good with food during the Holidays? Feel free to share any tips in the comments below!

Remember you can try HelloFresh and get $90 off your first month (about 9 FREE meals!) using code ‘WAYSOFSTYLE9‘ or clicking directly here.

Thanks so much for stopping by and happy almost Thanksgiving!!

XO,

Aimara