The weather is frigid, your social media is bombarding you with glorious Christmas cookies, your collective office freebie food stash is getting cluttered with treats, you have ugly Christmas sweater parties and ten other holiday parties to go to.

Yes, you're not facing the smoothest sailing when it comes to your nutrition over this next month. 

Like I said in my training post yesterday, you have to make your gym time count. But what is even more crucial for that bikini season that seems far off (but it's really not if I have sense of the difference in the way you want to look/feel from now versus then!), is going to be nailing your nutrition through all of the holiday madness.

As you guys know, I'm not a big proponent of relying on your willpower to sustain you through resisting all of these social gatherings- that is a miserable and futile way to go for the vast majority of people. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, set yourself up for success. Keep these three things in mind instead:

1. Your office holiday party has the best eggnog and cookies and you look forward to it each year.

   • Do not guilt yourself about moderately enjoying your favorite goodies.
   • Small, occasional indulgences will not blow your fitness efforts- simply treat the rest of your days/meals as your everyday routine, healthy meals. Consistency will always win.

2. Go big or go home is not the wisest game plan. The more you pit foods against each other as "good" and "bad," the more your brain gets fixated on that dichotomy

   • What that turns into is: "Oh no, I had that 'bad', giant cookie... feeling guilty....I have to be extra 'good' the rest of the week to make up for it...Well, if I'm going to be good the rest of the week and I've already eaten the cookie today, may as well enjoy another. And perhaps an extra glass of champagne."
   • Remember: Who you are today is who you are tomorrow. Your sugar cravings and inhibitions will not just go poof and disappear tomorrow- so it is unrealistic to rely on your future self to behave "better" than you did today.
   • We don't want to seesaw between "good" and "bad"- that sets us up for some extreme bads and extreme goods, neither of which are sustainable or healthy.

3. Set yourself up for success.

   • Fail to plan, plan to fail. This old fitness adage rings true especially with the many disruptions in routine we face this month. 
   • Surround yourself with the best options possible in the circumstances you have. Whenever I'm staying at my family's house for the holidays, I'm surrounded by a lot of foods I'd prefer to not primarily eat. I'm not saying you must bring tupperware meals with you or don't eat at all (hope you read that in Arnold Schwarzenegger voice). My tip: I keep a stash of my favorite Purely Elizabeth oatmeal (travel friendly: you only need water + a microwave! In the primary photo at the top of this post) at my mom's house so I don't even have to think about breakfast- because I planned it, I don't have to give it a second thought when breakfast rolls around. 

Now onto my healthy recipe roundup!

Here are some of my favorite recipes from my site to keep things healthy around the holidays:

Breakfast

Overnight Oats: All-time fave, least time-consuming brekkie packed w/nutrients.
Pumpkin Oat & Quinoa Granola: Super easy, snack-friendly. Throw some on greek yogurt!
Avocado Toast w/Poached Egg: Don't think I need more convincing. 
Blueberry Chia Jam: Fruit & Omega-3's w/out crappy sugars like other jams/fruit mixes in yogurt.
2-Ingredient Pancakes: Seriously, these are like dessert crepes and so simple to make.
Almond Butter Banana Smoothie: On the go, tastes like a milkshake. #winning at breakfast.

Snacks

Banana Oat Energy Cookies: Yes, cookies. Do it.
No-Bake Cranberry Almond Chia Bars: I know exactly whats in these, unlike a lot of other bars.
Popped Sorghum: Healthier than popcorn, this ancient grain is GMO & gluten-free. Movie Night!

Meals/Sides

Chunky Chicken Chili: Hearty, filling, and everything your winter belly wants when it's snowing.
Autumn Butternut Thyme Soup: Creamy soup w/Greek yogurt instead of heavy creams. Yes. 
Farro Veggie Stuffed Peppers: Stuff it, put in the oven, and forget about it. Dinner's ready!
Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken: Protein intake is crucial. This makes it easy.
Spicy Chile Garlic Soy Sesame Salmon: You'll want to say that 5 times fast after you eat it.
Simple Mexican Chicken: Easy way to spice boring chicken breast up. And it goes great in...
Quinoa Burrito Bowl: Yes, I made this based off Dos Toros Burrito bowls. Yes it's amazing.
Roasted Delicata Squash: Never tried Delicata? Well you gotta... Filling, ridiculously low-cal.
Balsamic Roasted Asparagus w/Pine Nuts: If you're feeling "fancy." Asparagus is a winner.
Roasted Cauliflower: Could eat this all day, everyday. And then in my afterlife too.
Classic Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Brussels are so in right now, and for good reason.
Guacamole: Yes, it's healthy sans chips. Eat w/my quinoa burrito bowl or as a side for chicken.