From the end of year festivities to entertaining and preparing for the New Year, our Coaches have broken down their favorite tips and hacks by food, drink, social, and body to make surviving the season easier––while also staying on track towards your goals!
Food
- “Shake up your traditional mashed potatoes by adding mashed cauliflower to the mix! I guarantee no one will know unless they see you do it! This works best when using a 1:2 or 1:1 ratio of cauliflower to potatoes! Boil the tops of the cauliflower along with the potatoes and mash into the mix all at once” – Coach Kassy
- “Lighten up popular comfort dishes by using applesauce in place of sugar (1:1 ratio, adjust the number of wet ingredients included in the recipe) or oil (1:1 conversion ratio); and you can even use Greek yogurt in place of milk or sour cream!” – Coach Jessee
- “Switch your sweeteners. Use date paste or date syrup in place of sugar for cookies, cakes, marinades, and other sauces. Date paste works best for cookies and cakes; date syrup is great for marinades and other sauces” – Coach Shannon
- “Looking for a way to lighten up the traditional turkey? Cut out the dark meat by making a delicious turkey breast roast!” – Coach Dallas
- “One bite rule! We all know this season is filled with yummy food – don’t deprive yourself of trying it all but don’t go overboard either – have 1 bite of every dish to enjoy all the goodies! If you’re still hungry after that, go back for the white meat and veggies” – Coach Jared
- “Going to a gathering or hosting family? Bring a veggie platter and a yogurt dip that’s 40 calories or less (such as Bolthouse Farms yogurt ranch)! This way you know there will be something healthy to munch on.” – Coach Polly
- “For those who don’t want to cook, purchase a bag or two of the frozen mashed sweet potatoes from Trader Joe’s to keep it easy, healthy and delicious!” – Coach Polly
Drink
- “Rule of thumb: alcohol or dessert..which do you want most? Decide and go with it!” – Coach Jared
- “For all those liquor lovers, decide if one glass of your favorite drink is enough to satisfy you. If it is, have what you like and enjoy it! If you want more than one, stick with hard liquor to minimize the calories and carbs” – Coach Dallas
- “For all those who love a good cocktail – give one of these three liquor-free mixers a try!” – Coach Cat
Here are Coach Cat’s favorite MetPro friendly seasonal drinks!
- Drink 1: Zingle Bell
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
1 soda water
1-3 oz of apple cider vinegar depending on taste
1-2 fresh limes squeezed depending on taste
Salt the rim with Himalayan salt
Directions: - Drink 2: Grapefruit mock-mosa
Servings: 3, Calories per serving: 59
Ingredients:
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar-free honey
1 12oz bottle sparkling water, chilled
Directions:
-Combine orange juice, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and honey and stir until honey is dissolved. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours to blend flavors
-Pour juice mixture into four glasses then stir in sparkling water - Drink 3: Sparkling Pomegranate Punch
Servings: 4, Calories per Serving: 67
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups seltzer
2 cups pomegranate juice
Lemon twists, for garnish
Directions:
-Combine pomegranate juice and seltzer in a large bowl or pitcher
-Serve over ice with a twist of lemon
Social
- “Start a new family tradition! If weather permits, take a short walk around the block/neighborhood after holiday meals” – Coach Melissa
- “Instead of focusing on the food and drinks, switch your attention to family, friends, and activities!” – Coach Dallas
Body
- “Try to spread out the seasonal food love by having a drink or two around lunchtime and dessert in the evening. Give your body time to digest one cheat at a time instead of consuming it all at once” – Coach Jessee
- “Stable blood sugars during the day primes the body for weight loss at night. Remember this every time you think ‘I’ll just skip my meals leading up to or after our big meal tonight’” – Coach Eric
We hope these tips and tricks help you enjoy the season while also making good decisions that support your health goals. Even if you momentarily veer from the plan, the next meal or the next day is always an opportunity to get back on track.
“Enjoy the time with Family and Friends, plan out your “cheats” for the event or weekend prior too, that way when you achieve that goal you can celebrate it vs feeling guilty about it. When it’s over make sure you get right back on track – progress is never stopped because of a few cheats, it’s due to your broken routine.” – Coach Megan
