With December upon us, you’re sure to be asked to bring an hors d’oeuvre or two to a holiday party. While we can all oblige with our favorite stand-by recipes, I love it when I discover something new and delicious.

This idea is less of a recipe than it is instructions for assembly, perfect for those of you who aren’t looking for anything too complicated, but still want a dish that will dazzle.

The classic combination of pear, bleu cheese and prosciutto – sweet and salty with a little hint of bitter from the arugula and tart from the lemon juice – it’s just perfection on a plate. Enjoy!

Pears With Blue Cheese and Prosciutto

Ingredients:

• 2 pears (such as Bosc or Barlett) each cut into 8 wedges
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup arugula
• 3 ounces blue cheese, cut into small pieces
• 8 slices prosciutto, each cut in half lengthwise

Directions:

1)   In a large bowl, toss the pears and lemon juice.

2)   Place a wedge of pear, one arugula leaf, and one chunk of cheese on a piece of prosciutto and roll up.  You may secure with a toothpick.

If you overindulged a bit yesterday, take heart! Thanksgiving is all about celebrating abundance, and I hope you enjoyed every single bite of your feast. I certainly did! This is no time for guilt; you SHOULD enjoy your favorite foods in the company of the people you love on a holiday.

The key to fitting holiday celebrations into your healthy lifestyle is simply to get back to normal as quickly as possible. If you’re like me, you want to feel energized and level-headed going into the holiday season that is now officially upon us. So…

This green smoothie will do the trick. Your tummy will feel better and you’ll have the spring back in your step after a pick-me-up like this one. It’s refreshingly simple and will be oh-so-welcome today. By the way, this makes two smoothies (share one with someone you love!). I promise they’ll thank you. Bottoms up!

Thanksgiving Recovery Drink

serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh spinach or kale
1 ½ cup water
1 cup pineapple (fresh or frozen)
1 cup mango (fresh or frozen)
1 medium banana
1 Tbsp. flaxseed
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 cup ice cubes

Directions

1. In a blender, blend water and greens together until smooth.

2. Add in pineapple, mango, banana, flax seed, and ginger and blend again until smooth.

3. Finally, add in ice cubes until there are no big chunks of ice left in the blender.

On this final Friday before Thanksgiving, I’m wrapping up my series on Thanksgiving sides with this dessert idea. By all means, make the traditional pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie, but you may want to add these little bites as well.

When I make desserts like this, I like to cut them into small squares to make them more of a nibble than a full blown dessert. I’m more of a dessert nibbler at this point, so several small bites of different delicious options suits me just fine. The photo I have here is bigger than I’d cut these, but you certainly could serve it as a full sized dessert if you’d prefer.

Pumpkin Pecan Crunch Squares

Ingredients

15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
1 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar (divided)
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cinnamon (divided)
¼ tsp. salt (Divided)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, diced
1 ½ cup roughly chopped pecans
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Whipped cream for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine pumpkin, beaten eggs, granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, nutmeg, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. salt in a bowl until well blended.  Pour into a greased 8×8 inch baking pan.

3. In a bowl combine butter, pecans, flour, and remaining brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Scatter the pecan mixture on top of pumpkin mixture.

4. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the edges are puffed and the filling is set in the center. When you insert a knife, it should come out clean. Cool until room temperature.

5. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.