Merry Christmas! (Day 28)

Breakfast: Oatmeal with almond milk and scrambled eggs

Lunch: A natural turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with an avocado spread. On the side, I kept this dish simple with a pairing of walnut and about 1 1/2 cups of green grapes.

Snacks: a fiber bar, crunchy peanut butter

Since today is the most joyous day of the year, I decided to share some of my favorite ways to fight the bulge over the holidays:

• Skip the starchy, simple carbohydrate filled rolls and biscuits and opt for the veggies. Think celery, carrots, peppers, and broccoli—with a light dip. The fiber in the veggies will help fill you up so you'll make better decisions when the main meal finally rolls around, whereas the rolls will actually spike, then drop your blood sugar, likely leading to overeating and more refined carbs on your plate.
• Toss the cranberry sauce. Whether canned or homemade, cranberry sauce brings refined sugars from the dessert plate into your side dishes
• Swap white potatoes for sweet potatoes
• Skip the eggnog and go for sugar free hot chocolate. There's no easier way to cut out unnecessary calories than to cut caloric beverages, and it doesn't get any heavier than egg nog's 343 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat. Sugar-free hot chocolate is low in calories but still has the feel of a holiday hand-warmer. Can't live without that egg nog goodness? Try non-dairy varieties that will cut down on the saturated fat if not the calorie count.
• When choosing your protein main dish, chose turkey instead of ham. All poultry is naturally lower in fat, sodium, and cholesterol than their red-meat counterparts and ham especially is laced with all the above. Add in the sometimes sugary glaze and you'll be needed a bigger pants size in not time. Just remember to lay off the gravy as well!
• If you must have pie, pumpkin is almost always the best option. Since it only has a bottom crust, you are cutting out needless amounts of calories and saturated fat. To be even healthier, try a no-crust pie

Whether you are spending the holiday season alone or are with your family, here are a couple healthy meal alternatives. Try 'em and tell me what you think!

Drinks:
Blood Orange Pomegranate Mimosas
Candy Cane Fizz-Ini

Appetizers:
Orange and Pomegranate Salad
Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
White Bean and Spinach Soup

Main Course:
Veggie Pot Pie
Roasted Chicken

Dessert:
No Bake Pumpkin Tart
Chocolate Pudding

-Eating Clean in College