Indulge: Holiday Cookies

I’m so excited to be heading home for the holidays today! I have a full two weeks planned in Miami for plenty of activities with family and friends. One of the major Christmas traditions in my house is cookie baking. Every year, I have loved ones over and we bake up a storm. Now that we’re older, I’m sure large amounts of prosseco will also be involved!

.

After all of the baking, I love being able to send everyone home with a big box of cookies and packing the rest up to give as gifts as well. I’ve been hunting for some new holiday cookie recipes, some classic and some a little unique, to make this year and have my eye on some of these.

.

{Clockwise from left: Gift Wrap Icing on Sugar Cookies, Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti, Gingerbread Men, Almond Oat Lattice Cookies, Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies, Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies, Black and White Cookies}

.

Almost as important as the cookies themselves is the box they come in. I love giving an assorted box of cookies as a hostess gift. I’m loving the packaging below for some inspiration to deliver my holiday treats in.

.

.

What are your favorite holiday cookie recipes?

Veggie-Packed Chicken Fried Rice

Who doesn’t love chicken fried rice? When ordered from your favorite takeout menu though, each serving really comes up short of the protein and veggies making it more of a side dish than a main course. Obviously I thought it needed a bit of updating.

I’ve turned this take-out staple into a quick, easy and healthy weeknight meal option that comes together in minutes. The secret? Prepping everything in advance. The cook time on this recipe is just under 10 minutes which leaves no time for chopping once you start cooking. Just chop all of the vegetables, measure out the rest of your ingredients and you’re good to go.

===

To start, add some oil to a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chunks of chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute until brown and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add in all of your vegetables. Feel free to use any vegetables you like or have on hand. I keep a variety stocked in my fridge and freezer so I threw in a little bit of everything. You could easily sub a bag of mixed frozen vegetables for fresh if you’re short on time time, just be sure to defrost them first. Now back to the recipe. Saute the veggies until tender, 2-3 min. If they seem to be taking a while to cook through, I put a lid on the pan to speed things up. They should only need another minute or two.

Next up, the garlic and ginger. I use a microplane to grate mine in so there aren’t any large chucks in the fried rice. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant. 1-2 minutes. Move the vegetables aside and add in the egg/oil mixture. Stir to softly scramble, about a minute.

Then everyone into the pool. Return the chicken to the pan, add the rice and pour the soy sauce over it all. Stir to combine and finish with the scallions.

Don’t forget: Prep everything in advance. You’ll thank me later.

1 chicken breast, chopped into small chunks
1 ear of corn, cut from the cob (or 1/2 cup frozen corn)
1/2 cup frozen peas
6 baby carrots, chopped
7 snow peas, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon of fresh ginger, minced
1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon of oil
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups of cooked brown rice, preferably day old (it absorbs the flavors better)
2 tablespoons scallion, thinly sliced

Nutrition Info

Serving Size: about 1/2 cup (Serves 5-6)

Calories: 163 • Carbs: 24g • Fat: 4g • Protein: 10g • Sodium: 326mg • Sugar: 3g