‘Tis the season to be merry. What better way to be merry than to treat your family (and yourself) to a tasty feast that is also healthy. We have put together a five part series of your favorite holiday dishes, all with a nutritious twist. Each day we will feature a super power food and teach you how to incorporate it into your holiday celebration in an uber healthy way!

For day 1, we’re focusing on beautiful and tart cranberries.

To reap the benefits of cranberries without all the added sugar try making it yourself with fresh or frozen cranberries.  C’mon be the person that brings homemade and healthy to your family gathering.

Add chopped walnuts. Just a handful of walnuts can improve your heart health through their high omega-3 fatty acid content and antioxidant power. Walnuts also contain both fiber and protein, helping to keep you full for longer so that maybe you won’t find yourself reaching for that second helping after all!

Cranberry Compote: serving size ¼ cup, makes 20 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla bean
• 12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
• 2 peeled Bosc or Anjou pears, diced
• 2 peeled Granny Smith apples, diced
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts (if desired)

Directions:

Combine brown sugar, water, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla bean, aClick to see savingsnd bring to a boil. Let simmer 3 – 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Lower the heat and add cranberries. Simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the berries pop open. Stir in the pear, apple and raisins. Cook 20 minutes or until fruit is tender. Remove from the heat, remove the cinnamon and vanilla and add the lemon juice and walnuts, if desired.

‘Tis the season to be merry. What better way to be merry than to treat your family (and yourself) to a tasty feast that is also healthy. We have put together a five part series of your favorite holiday dishes, all with a nutritious twist. Each day we will feature a super power food and teach you how to incorporate it into your holiday celebration in an uber healthy way!

For day 1, we’re focusing on beautiful and tart cranberries.

To reap the benefits of cranberries without all the added sugar try making it yourself with fresh or frozen cranberries.  C’mon be the person that brings homemade and healthy to your family gathering.

Add chopped walnuts. Just a handful of walnuts can improve your heart health through their high omega-3 fatty acid content and antioxidant power. Walnuts also contain both fiber and protein, helping to keep you full for longer so that maybe you won’t find yourself reaching for that second helping after all!

Cranberry Compote: serving size ¼ cup, makes 20 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla bean
• 12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
• 2 peeled Bosc or Anjou pears, diced
• 2 peeled Granny Smith apples, diced
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts (if desired)

Directions:

Combine brown sugar, water, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla bean, aClick to see savingsnd bring to a boil. Let simmer 3 – 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Lower the heat and add cranberries. Simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the berries pop open. Stir in the pear, apple and raisins. Cook 20 minutes or until fruit is tender. Remove from the heat, remove the cinnamon and vanilla and add the lemon juice and walnuts, if desired.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups steeped green tea, cooled to room temperature
• 1 cup champagne
• 1 cup 100% cranberry juice
• 2 limes
• 1 red grapefruit
• 2 navel oranges

Directions:

1. Mix tea, champagne, and cranberry juice in a large pitcher or punch bowl.
2. Slice limes, grapefruit, and oranges into thin wedges.
3. Reserve one sliced orange for garnishing glasses.
4. Toss remaining fruit into tea mixture and stir.
5. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 8 (1-cup) servings

Why we love this recipe:

There’s nothing better than mingling with friends and sipping on a delicious cocktail–especially when it’s packed with nutrients! Fresh orange and grapefruit provides a healthy dose of vitamin C to help ward off sniffles during the busy holiday season. These citrus superstars also contain a large amount of water to keep you hydrated and counteract the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Bonus: ORAC-packed green tea kicks your metabolism into gear and may help you speed up your weight loss.

Go ahead and raise your glass to a healthy you!

Cheers!

Try this delicious recipe just in time for Thanksgiving, courtesy of The O2 Diet recipe developer, Therese Baran. It takes just 5 minutes to add this colorful side to your menu (no cooking involved!) Plus, you can use the leftovers for topping oatmeal or adding to yogurt! You’ll get more than 3,000 ORAC points per serving.

Therese’s Spiced Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 oz) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed and sorted
• 1 medium orange, cut into 1” pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
• 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar

Directions:

1. Place half of the cranberries, orange, and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon in food processor fitted with metal blade.

2. Chop remaining cranberries, orange, and cinnamon in food processor and add to bowl.

3. Add honey and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 12 (1/3-cup) servings.

Why we love this recipe:
What makes cranberries so great? For starters, they have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties to support our health. The tart red gems are also noted for their ability to help prevent urinary tract infections and improve cardiovascular health by reducing oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.

Next, the orange will help keep you de-stressed during the hectic holiday season… the magic nutrient here is vitamin C! Research shows consuming this antioxidant may help normalize blood pressure and levels of cortisol (a stress hormone). Just one orange is bursting with the daily value of vitamin C.

Topping off the list of healthy ingredients is cinnamon…the smell of this heavenly spice is enough to curb fatigue, ease frustration, and increase alertness.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup quinoa, rinsed and dried
¼ cup chopped almonds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon agave syrup
½ cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the oats, quinoa, nuts, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the applesauce, agave syrup and vanilla extract in small saucepan over low heat until heated through.
4. Pour applesauce mixture into reserved oat mixture. Stir evenly to coat.
5. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
6. Remove from oven and stir in cranberries.
7. Let cool completely on baking sheet. Divide and serve over 6 oz fat-free plain yogurt.

Makes 4 servings

Why we love this recipe:
This is the perfect breakfast recipe that not only tastes great; it will leave you with a sense of satiety –helping you feel full and happy all morning long!

Well, where do we begin? For starters, this yummy granola uses quinoa – one of my fave grains that’s not only high in protein, but the protein it supplies is a complete protein, meaning it includes all nine essential amino acids that are key players in the development of bone and muscle strength. Quinoa is a very good source of manganese and copper, two minerals that act as antioxidants, protecting us from free radical damage.

The recipe also calls for almonds, which are high in monounsaturated fats to help lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Additionally, the vitamin E found in almonds gives you an added antioxidant boost, to help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Topping off the list of healthy ingredients that will make your mouth water is cinnamon… Just the smell of this heavenly spice is enough to curb fatigue, ease frustration, and increase alertness. Even better, recent research shows that consumption of cinnamon may inhibit the progression of certain types of Alzheimer’s cells.

Sounds delish, doesn’t it?! Enjoy!