RDToolkit2020-CC-FINAL_UPDATED-8-1-23

December Healthy holiday ideas

Social posts

Entertaining friends and family for the holidays? December is National Eggnog Month! Serve up this sweetpotato eggnog for a refreshing twist on this holiday beverage! #holidayparty #recipe

ncsweetpotatoes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-egg-nog/ Do you enjoy baking cookies over the holidays? Add these sweetpotato cranberry white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to your baking list to celebrate National Cookie Day on December 4th! #christmascookies #christmas recipe ncsweetpotatoes.com/recipe/sweetpotato- cranberry-white-chocolate-oatmeal-cookies/

Talking Points y Sweetpotatoes are available year-round and make for great holiday staples and additions to your holiday table. Consider starting your morning with sweetpotato cinnamon rolls or french toast, serve sweetpotato soup as a side or appetizer, or add a sweetpotato casserole or baked sweet potato fries to your dinner spread. Sweetpotato pie makes a great dessert as well. Not only are you adding extra nutrients, but sweetpotatoes pair well with Christmas add-on’s, like cranberries, pomegranate arils, sage, thyme, and brussel sprouts. y Heading to a holiday party? Make a quick sweetpotato appetizer dish to avoid showing up empty-handed. Top baked sweetpotato rounds with ricotta cheese or Greek yogurt, and garnish with your favorite toppings. Some ideas include pomegranate arils or dried cranberries, nuts, seeds, maple syrup or honey for a no-fuss, healthy, holiday-friendly dish. y Continue supporting your healthy habits during the holidays. Avoid going too long without eating, which can cause a dip in blood sugar and lead to more cravings and overeating. Instead, eat regular meals and make sure to eat something before attending holiday parties to avoid overeating. Include protein on your plate, rather than just snacking on chips and dips. If possible, bring your own healthy dish so you have something balanced to choose from.

Involve your kids in your holiday food prep and show them that the holidays can include healthy foods, too. Let them cut up fruit and decorate a holiday fruit yogurt

parfait, have them prepare a veggie food platter in the shape of a Christmas tree, or have them top baked sweetpotato rounds with yogurt or ricotta cheese. ncsweetpotatoes.com/recipe/sweetpotato- rounds-with-vegan-ricotta-and-toasted-walnuts/

Newsletter - Copy Try to include at least one fruit or vegetable in each meal to help stick to your healthy habits. This could be as simple as adding tomatoes or lettuce to a sandwich, sweetpotatoes to a salad, or berries or dried fruit to your oatmeal. To lighten up holiday recipes, consider using low-fat and low-calorie ingredient substitutions, such as ¼ cup applesauce for ½ cup butter, fat-free half-and-half for heavy cream, or low-fat yogurt for full-fat sour cream or heavy cream.

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