Halloween. And more specifically: leftover Halloween candy.

Sometimes, post-Halloween feels like the beginning of the end — like it'll just become increasingly impossible to live a healthy lifestyle, because the leftover Halloween candy binge will just lead into Thanksgiving, followed by several weeks of holiday luncheons, parties, and assorted craziness.

Living healthy during the holiday season can definitely have its challenges. However, that doesn't mean you have to throw in the towel, and resign yourself to gaining extra weight, running down your immune system, and generally feeling bloated and burned out.

Bringing healthier habits into your holiday season is much easier when you have a plan, and are armed with some “clean” recipes. I also encourage my clients to look at their calendar closely, and commit to the dates they can live as clean as possible.

That means cooking and enjoying healthy meals on non-party days/nights, and making workouts whenever possible. For example, when you have a stretch of non-party days — say, 2-5 days when you won't have evening commitments or luncheons — you can get a decent mini clean living bender going. This helps your body balance, restore, and recalibrate itself… before the next party hits.

In general, I recommend your “clean” days look like this:

• Go to bed early, whenever possible. The holiday season offers many opportunities for late nights, so it's important to prioritize sleep when you can.
• For breakfast, enjoy a green smoothie.
• For lunch, enjoy some homemade soup (made the night before), and a large salad with your favorite veggies and a sprinkle of nuts.
• For dinner, enjoy a meal that's once again high in vegetables — for example, a quick stir-fry, a “bowl” style meal with lots of steamed greens, or a simple miso soup with greens and other vegetables.

I have plenty of recipes here on my site, so feel free to browse around for ideas. Or, if you'd like to download my free One Day Detox, click the button below!