Healthy and Hearty Holiday Feasting

Publicado por Ben White en 6 dic 2017

Original of this article was published on ZRT Lab Blog. Last reviewed: May 2026.

Now the weather is colder and days are shorter and we turn our sights to indoor activities for the holidays, many of us inevitably start thinking more about comfort foods.

This is the right time of year for festive feasting, but that doesn’t always have to mean heavy, unhealthy meals. Here are a few suggestions from our doctors for holiday foods that don’t have to weigh you down. What you eat has a direct impact on your hormonal health — and the festive season is a great opportunity to nourish your body as well as your spirit. If you’d like to understand how your weight and hormones are interacting, our Female Weight Management Profile Test measures the key hormones linked to metabolism, appetite and fat storage from a simple at-home sample.

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

3–4 shallots, in their skins
1½ tsp Kosher salt
1 lb fresh green beans, stemmed and halved crosswise
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)
2 TB unsalted butter
3 TB flour
1½ cups broth (chicken, vegetable or mushroom)
3 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the unskinned shallots on a baking dish, roast until soft, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, skin and coarsely chop. Set aside.

Bring a medium-large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt to taste. Add the green beans and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and rinse with cold water. Transfer the beans to a large bowl.

In the same saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with 1 teaspoon salt, cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the beans.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until golden, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the shallots, 1 teaspoon of the thyme and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir to combine evenly.

Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the pan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of thyme to bread crumbs and scatter over the vegetables. Bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the crumbs brown, about 20 minutes.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Pears

Ingredients:

16 slices of butternut squash, cut about ¼ inch thick
3 TB olive oil, for brushing
Coarse salt, pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 Anjou pears, ripe, thinly sliced
½ cup walnuts, toasted
Seeds from half a pomegranate
⅓ cup goat cheese (feta or blue cheese also work well)
Fresh baby greens and kale — about 8 cups

Dressing:

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 TB balsamic vinegar
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 TB maple syrup
Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Peel the squash and cut slices. Arrange on a baking sheet, brush each side with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary, salt, pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, turn over and roast another 10. Meanwhile, prep remaining ingredients while squash cooks. Once done, arrange on a platter, top with greens, pears, pomegranate seeds, nuts, and cheese. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small jar, adjust seasonings and shake. Drizzle on top of salad and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Tangy Tomato Dip

Ingredients:

6 TB light cottage cheese
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained well
¼ cup light cream cheese, softened
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Dash garlic powder
Dash hot sauce (optional)
2–4 TB buttermilk

Instructions:

In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese, lemon juice, garlic powder and hot sauce if using. Pulse until mixture forms a slightly textured dip, adding buttermilk to thin as desired. Scrape mixture into a bowl and serve with fresh vegetables, baked potato or pita chips.

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet potato is rich in fibre, beta-carotene and magnesium — nutrients that support blood sugar balance and adrenal health. The warming spices in this recipe (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) also have well-documented anti-inflammatory and glycaemic benefits. If you’re curious about how your thyroid and cardiometabolic markers are performing this festive season, our Thyroid & CardioMetabolic Test Kit provides a comprehensive at-home panel covering thyroid hormones, blood sugar, lipids and more.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked mashed sweet potato
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup sugar
1 TB butter
2 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp nutmeg
1½ tsp ginger
½ tsp salt
2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
12 oz can evaporated milk
1 x 9” pie shell

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Stir sugar, butter, eggs, and milk. Add spices, salt and extract. Then add the sweet potato and mix until smooth. Pour into the pie shell. Cover crust with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350°F for 30–35 minutes until a knife edge comes out clean. Serve with freshly whipped cream with a pinch of cinnamon.

Eating well over the holidays is one of the most powerful things you can do for your hormonal health. If you’d like a broader picture of how your hormones are performing as we head into the new year, our Advanced Female Wellness Test provides a comprehensive at-home hormone panel with a specialist doctor report included.

Sources: ZRT Laboratory Blog

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Healthy and Hearty Holiday Feasting

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Pears

Tangy Tomato Dip

Sweet Potato Pie

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