The holidays can be extra challenging if your diet is restricted. Maybe it’s your first Thanksgiving with celiacs or your hosting friends with food sensitivities, no one wants to eat crap food at the most wonderful time of the year. To be honest, I’m pretty sure I lived on Chex Mix my first year as a vegan. Festive or healthy? Definitely not. So today I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite healthy holiday cookbooks that are sure to give you the best recipes this holiday season. You can eat amazing food and still honor your body at the same time. You in?
Celebrations by Danielle Walker*
I made both Thanksgiving and Christmas from this cookbook last year and I can’t wait to do it again. Danielle is one of my favorites for all things healthy, gluten free & grain free. Her green bean casserole, apple sausage stuffing and brined & roasted turkey are definitely ones to win everyone over. Plus, if you’re a host who likes to prep ahead, she’s got you covered.
Her recipes are really easy to follow. However, you’ll want to do a bit of pre-shopping because there are a few things you might not have on hand. Items like palm oil shortening, light-colored raw honey and A LOT OF CASHEWS are probably better to snag from Thrive Market* or your local Costco/Sam’s Club if you want to save some cash. However, if you’re short on time, Whole Foods is always a fab choice.
Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon*
So many of my favorite go to recipes over the years have come from Angela and the holidays are no exception. Technically, this is more of a cookbook than something in the healthy holiday cookbooks category. There’s only really one dedicated holiday cookbook in today’s list. But it’s got some staple recipes that make for amazing sides.
I LOVE her shredded kale salad. Super simple, packed with nutrients and always a favorite amongst my friends. You’re sure to find more than one amazing dessert recipe in here. And you can’t go wrong with her appetizers. All the recipes are vegan with most of them being gluten free. Definitely a cookbook to win your heart this holiday season.
MINIMALIST BAKER BY DANA SCHLUTZ*
In my brief tenure as a vegan, Dana became my bestie from a far whether she knew it or not. Need some bomb biscuits? Call Dana. Want the best pumpkin sugar cookie recipe ever? You need Dana. THINK OF ANY VEGAN ALTERNATIVE COMFORT FOOD AND NEED A RECIPE? Dana’s probably got that too.
Now while Dana isn’t vegan nor is Minimalist Baker, there’s a lot of AMAZING recipes on her site and in her book. So if you’re looking for simple, tasty and easy for anyone to make options, this is definitely one for the healthy holiday cookbooks list. If you’re looking for the full scope of recipes, I would consult both her blog and the cookbook. But I will pretty much always be a Dana fan girl for making such amazing recipes. It’s a great club. You should join too!
EAT SMART BY NIOMI SMART*
I don’t really think many of the healthy holiday cookbooks need a disclaimer. This is the exception. Niomi is British so there’s a few words you might need to google to know the ingredient. None of them are crazy but if you can’t be bothered, skip this one. All of this to say, there’s loads of fab options in here. Her mac n’ cheese recipe is one of my favorites. I will always love a good risotto even if I don’t eat many grains these days. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to discover a recipe you might not normally come across. Perfect if you’re looking to try out something new this holiday season!
BLISSFUL BASIL BY ASHLEY MELILLO*
If you’re in charge of making all the epic appetizers for the holidays this year, you’ll need this one in your corner. Everything from biscotti to cheesy garlic-herb crackers to a cashew cheese plate is in this healthy holiday cookbook. She’s done an amazing job at making bite sized healthy food even more fun. So if you’re got that one family member that can’t even fathom the idea of a dairy free life, you’ll be sure to win their hearts with Ashley’s recipes.
Wherever you find yourself this holiday season, I hope today’s post will make it easier for you to navigate eating healthy. Making the change to your diet can be challenging especially if you feel like you have no options or all the ones you do suck. So I hope that these healthy holiday cookbooks will inspire you to get cooking up a storm in no time!
Do you have a favorite healthy holiday cookbook? Let me know in the comments below! And if you have a favorite recipe, I’d love to hear those too. Feel free to share today’s post with someone you think might enjoy it. Until next time. Xoxo, Savvy
