Quick Post: Holiday Survival Tips and MORE Cookies!

You're about to enter a dangerous time.  You're moments away from being submerged into bottomless vats of desserts and fat and sugar and gravy.  You're going to have to do battle against those who aren't trying to watch what they eat and will make you feel guilty for not cleaning your plate.  Luckily, I'm here to help.

Tips for surviving the holidays are at times contradictory.  There's a fine line drawn between not depriving yourself and over indulging.  If you don't have the strength to keep from eating 5 cookies, then no, I would not advise you to eat a cookie.  I've definitely achieved that level of self control, so when I baked the cookie recipe that I'll share with you below, I only took one.  That one rocked my socks off... but I only had one.  It helps knowing that I'm going to share them with others.  I want to make sure I take enough with me.

Some things to consider when it comes to the holidays... same principles can be applied to anything celebratory.  Birthdays.  Family reunions.  Anytime when you're doing something outside of you routine that strengthens your resolve.


1.  Do your best to keep true to your already-established eating schedule.  For me, this involves my protein shake in the morning, a second breakfast at 10:00 AM, lunch, a snack midday and then dinner.  If your family's holiday festivities start at 2 (so many people eat at 2 for the holidays... and that screws me up!) then prolong your eating as much as you can.  Be the last person in line.  Consider this you midday snack.  I'm sure there'll be more food around for you to eat later when you get hungry again.

2.  Ignore "But it's Christmas..." and other excuses on why you should over eat.  I've said it many times, bad behavior breeds more bad behavior.  Sure, today's Christmas.  Tomorrow's not.  And tomorrow, when you wake up with a belly ache because of all of the stuff you crammed down your throat yesterday, you're off your game.  Stay alert.  Again... I'm a big supporter of "don't deprive yourself" but if you're full, don't eat a piece of pie.  Treat food like food.  Eat it when you need it. 

3.  Not all holiday food is bad!  Fill your plate with veggies.  If you're contributing to the meal, bring a salad!  Turkey's not bad.    You just don't live every day with the volume you'll be up against.  Fill your plate like you always do.  And don't say a word. 

4.  Exercise!  Dinner's not until 2?  Kids are up and playing with their new toys?  No one is going to miss you for 20 minutes.  Go for a quick run.  Pop in a workout video.  If you burn calories today you're going to be less likely to overeat. 

I've already got my Christmas-day workout in mind.  We should have some flurries that morning, so that'd be fun to run in.  I'm probably going to be toasty and warm indoors with a video before starting my day.

Now... to the COOKIES!  These cookies have fruit in them.  Hah.

This is another cookie recipe that I scored off of Pinterest, so the recipe isn't mine.  These are from Better Homes & Gardens, a White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread.  I went a little cheap and didn't get the $12 bar of white chocolate.  I also mixed it up a little and dipped some of my cookies in semi-sweet chocolate to give it a chocolate covered cherry taste.  I waited to try one until I had the chocolate on them... and wow.  Very tasty. 

This recipe says it makes 60 cookies but I made mine bigger.  I love soft cookies and pretty much every cookie recipe I make ends up with soft cookies.  Here's how it went down on my end:

4 oz maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold and cubed
4 oz white chocolate chips, chopped
1/2 tsp almond extract
Addition chocolate chips for dipping

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spread cherries on a paper towel to drain well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and flour.  Mix in your cold butter until you're left with a crumbly mixture.  Stir in cherries and white chocolate.  Stir in almond extract.  I left out the food coloring, but if you want to really make them red, mix in some red food coloring.  I think they're plenty pink on their own.

Knead the mixture with your hands.  The heat from your hands will melt the butter slightly and keep it together.  Shape the dough into balls and place them at least 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet.  Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls.

Bake for 10-12 (more like 12) minutes or until centers are set.  Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet and then cool on racks.

When all of the cookies have baked and cooled, melt your additional chips in the microwave.  Heat for 1 minute at 40% then 15 second intervals at 100% until hot. 

Don't dip the cookie, that's what I learned about 1/3 of the way through dipping them.  Just press half of the top of the cookie into the chocolate.  Let the excess drip off and use a spoon to knock some of it off the edges.  I did some semi sweet, some white, and some mixed.  I tried a mixed one and whoa.  Yum. 

Hope everyone out there has a happy Christmas!  and remember that a holiday is no reason to ruin your progress.  It's just another day.  Enjoy the company, but let food do what it does every day.

Last tip?  Weigh yourself every day of the holiday.  I woke up this morning to my lowest weight... so you never know what could happen.