Last year I was in the midst of a “healthy holidays” series and I came to an important realization.

The holidays are meant to be enjoyed, without stressing out about how many calories are in that cup of egg nog and worrying about being perfectly healthy the whole time. I’m going to eat cheese and drink wine with abandon!

Here is what you should do in the next week!

Always fill a stocking. (Your own counts!)

Eat cookies. (keyword: homemade)

Do something active with your family. (I’m hoping for a hike in 80 degree weather before flying to Minnesota later that day!)

Enjoy a large, family meal that focuses as much on the laughter and the company as it does the food.

Kiss under mistletoe.

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Start a tradition.

Listen to all the holiday music you can.

Donate something. Time, money, etc. (Donate to Medical Missions in Haiti here)

Wear some fun holiday makeup!

Take a day off from the computer/twitter/facebook/etc. (We can all use it.)

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Be Thankful for what you have.

Think of those who aren’t as lucky.

Enjoy the holiday season! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or whatever you are celebrating!

I’ve been making a habit of preparing big batches of whole grains like quinoa and brown rice to last a few days. (Brown rice is on the stove right now.) It is so nice to have the base of a healthy meal ready to go!

The other day, I was feeling a little snacky and needed something so I decided to try making some quinoa cakes with the quinoa I had in the fridge. I’ve seen them at Whole Foods in the deli section and figured I could easily recreate them at home. I’m not sure what the Whole Foods version tastes like, has anyone ever tried them?

We loved these and have made them a few times since. They come together really quickly and are surprisingly addicting. I’m ok with an addicting snack of whole grains, protein and a little fat.

These reminded us of fried rice – but I didn’t add any asian seasoning so I’m thinking it must have been the combination of eggs and green onions.  They are great because you can flavor them with whatever you want. I chose to use olives because we had some on hand, but I think they would be great with vegetables, cheese, etc.