Healthy Holiday Menu with Recipes (2024)

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You can have a healthy holiday menu that you enjoy even if you’re on the 17 Day Diet.

Don’t let the thought of a holiday meal put a damper on your enjoyment or derail you on your weight loss journey!

I’ve updated this menu to include a bonus side dish, Roasted Acorn Squash. Keep on scrolling for all the fun!

Plus, when you scroll to the end of this post, I’ll have a recap with an easy way to grab each recipe.

Your holiday meal doesn’t have to be full of calories, fat and sugar! You can eat healthy and still enjoy your meal time!

Here is a curated Healthy Holiday Menu complete with recipes. I’ve provided links to each recipe.

Healthy Holiday Menu

Depending on which cycle you’re on, I have two starter soups for you to choose from:

Starter Soup – Carrot and Apple Soup (approved for all cycles)

This is a great soup for those on Cycle 1 and wish to keep starches to a minimum on your special holiday meal day!

It might seem weird to combine apples and carrots into a soup, but the flavor combination actually works well.

This is a perfect canvas to switch up your ingredients to create different flavor combinations.

For a tangier soup, try Granny Smith apples.

For a slightly sweeter soup, try a Honeycrisp or an Envy apple.

Warm up your soup with different spices such as cumin, cinnamon or curry.

Starter Soup – Butternut Squash Soup (C2 and C3 approved)

This is a wonderfully gorgeous soup, and if you want to expand your ingredients if you’re on Cycle 2 or 3, this is the soup for you!

You can use the recipe as-is, or you can even use extra pumpkin if you have some on hand.

The sky is the limit with this Butternut Squash Soup.

Rosemary Chicken (or Turkey)

You can’t go wrong with this recipe – there’s something about lemon and rosemary that makes any bird sing!

This recipe for Rosemary Chicken or Turkey is the quick and easy way to get a main dish for your next holiday without all the extra hours of roasting.

Mock Mashed Potatoes (Cauliflower)

I’m a lover of mashed potatoes, but mashed potatoes don’t love me when I’m trying to keep the winter weight off!

This Mock Mashed Potatoes (Cauliflower) recipe tastes almost like the real thing.

If you make this for your family and don’t tell them ahead of time what it is, there’s a good chance they won’t even notice!

Roasted Carrots

Oh, there’s something so awesome about roasted carrots – their natural sweetness comes through like no other!

Actually, this is the case with all roasted veggies – the flavor is out of this world!

And if you’re lucky enough to get a few crispy edges, the flavor is even more rustic and intense!

Sauteed Green Beans with Crimini Mushrooms

Green bean casserole is a staple for any holiday party.

However, when you add in the creaminess, you’re also adding in the fat and calories – neither of which help your waistline!

This Sauteed Green Beans with Crimini Mushrooms recipe is a great alternative and tastes so fancy!

Cycle 1 Cranberry Sauce

Awe, ditch the store-bought, high-fructose corn syrup filled sauces and make and enjoy this guilt-free homemade cranberry sauce instead.

You won’t believe how super simple this recipe is!

Plus, if you have leftovers, you can put a spoon full of this Cycle 1 Cranberry Sauce into your plain yogurt to jazz it up!

Roasted Acorn Squash

Who doesn’t love a bonus side dish? I’ve updated this post to include a NEW recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash. Don’t let this little fella scare you – probably the most difficult part of this recipe is slicing up the squash.

Make sure your knife is sharp and your cutting board doesn’t slip.

Sprinkle your favorite warm spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg for that extra special kick!