Wellness Wednesday: A Healthy Christmas

Why wait until the new year to start eating healthy? Here are some healthy recipes for Christmas cookies and Christmas Day breakfast.

Santa eats a lot of cookies on Christmas Eve. Why not offer him a slightly healthier cookie this year, that still tastes yummy? Add a glass of fat-free milk and he is ready to go.

Glazed Cranberry-Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (recipe created and owned by Danielle Garcia, please contact me if you want to reprint this)
yield: 28 cookies

1 c. wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
3 c. quick cooking oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c pureed or canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. egg substitute (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
1/2 c. fat-free milk
1 1/2 tsp maple extract (you could use vanilla in a pinch)
1 1/2 c cranberries, chopped (can use fresh or dried)
2/3 c. walnuts, chopped

Glaze ingredients
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp fat-free milk


1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2) Sift together flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt; set aside. Cream together pureed pumpkin, butter, and sugar. Stir in egg substitute, milk and maple extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture, until well-blended. (Note- this can all be done with a mixer, up to this point, from here proceed by hand.) Stir in cranberries and nuts.
3) Drop dough by tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let sit for 1-2 minutes and then remove to wire cooling rack.
4) Combine glaze ingredients. Place into a Ziploc-style bag. Snip a small corner off and drizzle glaze onto cookies.


For breakfast Christmas morning, try Cooking Light's Overnight Caramel French Toast served with sliced banana on top. It is great because you can prepare it tonight and pop it in the oven while opening gifts and it will be ready when you are done (well 50 minutes later).

Another breakfast option is:
Hot Brown Rice Breakfast Cereal(recipe created and owned by Danielle Garcia, please contact me if you want to reprint this)
serves 6

3 c. cooked brown rice ( a great way to use up leftover brown rice)
3 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. dried blueberries (other dried fruit may be substituted)
1/4 c. toasted almonds (or other nut), chopped
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. honey
1/4 c. egg substitute
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp butter

1) Combine rice, milk, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon and honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low; simmer for 20 minutes.

2) Whisk together 1 Tbsp. of the rice mixture and the egg substitute. Continue doing this, 1 Tbsp at a time, until you have added 6 Tbsp. Stir the egg mixture, the vanilla, and butter into the hot rice mixture and cook over low heat for another 1-2 minutes.


Whatever you choose to eat, enjoy and have a wonderful Christmas season!