Low Carb Healthy Treats for our 2018 Holiday Season
Fun Low Carb 2018 Recipe Ideas to Enjoy Over the Holidays
Who doesn’t love the holiday season? Whatever faith you celebrate, December is usually a month filled with parties, get-togethers, work events, family and, of course, an endless stream of treats, both sweet and savoury. Ask anyone who works in a gym’s membership department in January, people love to eat holiday treats in December.
Whatever your holiday pleasure—cookies, shortbread, fudge, cake—there’s a low carb option that is worth checking out. By simply swapping out an ingredient or two you can enjoy the same treats you have every December without any of the guilt.
The holidays should be a time to indulge in family and food so let us help. Here are some low carb recipes to make this upcoming holidays memorable and fun!
Traditional Holiday Treats
Every person or family has their traditions but holiday treats are typically broken down into two categories: sweet and savoury. On the sweet side, there’s fruit cakes that seem to be gifted (and re-gifted) plus more popular items like shortbread cookies, sugar cookies, fudge, gingerbread items, crumbles, and bread pudding.
The tradition of the holidays also includes carbs in the form of breads or wheat. That doesn’t have to be the case. Traditions can stay intact even if they have a slightly healthy twist.
Sweet Holiday Treats
December is chock-full of decadent sweet treats. It helps us get through the harsh weather and busy schedules. In addition, it brings us together with friends and family to relax and connect. Here are some of our favourites and the recipes to make them so that they are low carb.
Fudge
Who doesn’t love homemade fudge? Homemade fudge is one of the best things you can bite into during the holidays. It’s a rich blank canvass that you can add your favourite flavours to like nuts, caramel, salt, mint or strawberries. Here is a wonderful recipe for chocolate walnut fudge that will satisfy the loudest sweet tooth. One of its tricks is to use sweetened condensed milk to mimic fudge’s consistency along with vanilla stevia drops and low carb sweetener.
Sugar Cookies
There is nothing more Christmas than decorated sugar cookies. They are a stable but that doesn’t mean they must be high in carbs to be delicious. Celebrate the holidays and turn your work colleagues into friends with this low carb sugar cookie recipe. By replacing flour with almond flour and using vanilla extract and sweetener in lieu of sugar, you maintain the sugar cookie taste that everyone loves while kicking carbs to the curb.
Shortbread
Shortbread is up there with big pine trees and stockings when it comes to all things Christmas. This crispy and crumbly cookie made with butter, flour and sugar makes a great gift or a wonderful treat to put out for guests.
Looking for a low carb and gluten-free sugar cookie recipe? Try this one out. It is a true guilt-free crowd-pleaser.
Brownies
If you don’t RSVP in time to the holiday potluck you might have to scramble for something to make besides sugar cookies or fruit cake. Brownies are always a hit and can be easily made festive by garnishing with red and green sprinkles for Christmas or blue and white for Hanukkah.
We love this recipe, and if you plan on using a baking mix try one from Diabetic Kitchen as the base for your holiday brownies.
Fruit Cake
Fruit cake gets a bad rap but it wouldn’t be the holidays without it. It’s a wonderful winter cake and with the right ingredients it can be an absolute delight. Make it with your favourite dried fruits like cranberries, cherries, raisins, apricots and peaches.
Give this recipe a try and see how a holiday classic can be remade in a modern and healthy way.
Bread Pudding
A popular English treat, bread pudding is bread, milk, eggs, dried fruit, sugar and spices baked together. You can add whatever nuts and dried fruit you wish. Now, it might be hard to think that something comprised mainly of bread could be low carb but it’s true. With some simple adjustments to the type of sweetener or choice of bread, you can enjoy bread pudding without cheating on your diet. Learn more and give it a go with this recipe.
These treats might be low in carbs but they could still contain a lot of fat. Be mindful of your portions as to not undermine their healthy benefits or your diet.
Savoury Holiday Treats
Monkey Bread
For those unfamiliar with monkey bread, it’s a really fun dish that lets you empty out your fridge and pantry. The fact you can add any flavour makes it perfect for the holidays. Get creative and portion your monkey bread to feature different flavours, include ginger, lemon, poppy seed, cheese, chive to name a few.
It doesn’t take a lot of time and if you have an artistic eye, you can make it the centerpiece of the dinner table. Choose a bread or buns and toppings that are low in carbs.
Veggie Trays
Call us cheesy but we love taking a run-of-the-mill veggie tray and sprucing it up for the holidays. To make it fit for the holidays, choose vegetables that are red and green and arrange using vegetables of other colours to spell out a holiday greeting.
Check out one of our favourite examples of a veggie tray done right for the holidays.
Deviled Eggs
This Russian delicacy and common party appetizer can be transformed into a fun holiday treat. A deviled egg is a hard-boiled egg, cut in half, hollowed out and filled with a mixture of yolks, mayonnaise and mustard and topped with cayenne pepper.
All you must do is follow this recipe but with one additional step. Soak half the hard-boiled eggs in a bowl filled with water with red food colouring, and the other half in a bowl filled with water and green food colouring. The result will be a classic treat with a holiday twist and perfect for any party or family meal.
Latkes
For those celebrating Hanukkah or for those attending Hanukah parties, here are some latke ideas that are low carb and absolutely delicious. Since a latke is essentially the same as a fritter, you can replace potato as the main ingredient with zucchini, squash or cauliflower. Both take on the onion and garlic flavour and make the dish more carb friendly.
Latkes are an oily and salty treat that works as an appetizer, side dish or even a main course for the most ardent fans.
Enjoy the Holidays with Amazing Low Carb Treats!
The holidays only come around once a year so enjoy it. It’s a time for food, family, fun and a great time to relax. You can even enjoy without the guilt with these easy low carb recipes, which everyone will love. You don’t even have to mention that they’re low carbs, most won’t be able to taste the difference. And you might want to have a look at our low carb appetizer ideas for even more inspiration!
The Low Carb Grocery is here to help you get the ingredients you need to make the holidays happen. Be sure to browse our selection of products and brands to find an array of options that are sure to please.
Remember, the best way to end your year is by indulging in your favourite foods surrounded by your favourite people. The best way to start the year is by not having to spend extra time in the gym.
Save on your low carb holiday shopping with this great offer!
