Around the Plate December 2013 | Page 7

Recipe of the Month

Pumpkin Spice Parfait

"I love the creamy texture and of course the

pumpkin spice flavor. It's a great protein packed snack

or even a healthy desert!" -Ashley Galloway, MS, RD

- TheFreshBeet.com

Recipe Yield: 1 parfait

Serving Size: 1 parfait

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dip (Mix together 1/3 cup peanut butter with 1 can pumpkin puree, 3 TBS honey, and hearty dashes

of cinnamon and nutmeg) 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt (or vanilla) Handful of strawberries, chopped Sprinkle of pumpkin seeds

(or other nut) 1 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1) Layer or mix together the yogurt and pumpkin dip.

2) Top with strawberries,

pumpkin seeds and spices.

Show yourself, and others, some compassion. Or in other words, don’t be too hard on yourself or those around you. Since “perfect eating” doesn’t exist, don’t expect to get the exact amount of nutrients in at your holiday meal, or perhaps even more importantly, don’t look back and think you got nothing in but junk. Neither of those statements could possibly be true in real life situations. Instead, focus on the small positive actions you took and celebrate them. Nothing else matters. Also, be sure to show your fellow party guests the same compassion. They may not be at the same place as you when it comes to how they eat and they may not know how to appropriately navigate through situations or conversations with someone making an effort to eat their best. If negative or hurtful comments occur because of this remember that this may be new for them too, and odds are that what they say is really more about them and how they’re feeling than it is about you.

Hopefully, by implementing a few of these tips, you’ll not only have your healthiest holiday, but your happiest holiday too!