I have a post going up tomorrow all about my time in Carmel + Big Sur with my fam (little photo evidence below for you to soak in the mountain beauty with me), but for now I wanted to drop a quick line about a wee little thing called b a l a n c e.

We all just had Thanksgiving. Not so arguably the most food-centric holiday in our culture, and I know a lot of us are probably feeling a little off balance.

I’ve been seeing a lot of, “coming back to LA 5 lbs heavier!” and “ate my weight in stuffing and I don’t even give a f**k” posts all around Instagram + Facebook, and while it is funny to joke about because we can all relate — it’s also not that funny, because none of us legit want to feel like a stuffed sausage post-holiday.

We want to find balance, and feel freaking awesome.

Without getting into too much detail about the way I ate on Thanksgiving, because that’s not really what this post is about, let’s just say I found a pretty happy medium between being my usual finicky self and enjoying all the delish Thanksgiving traditional foods + desserts.

That being said, we were at a buffet in Carmel (it’s called Stillwater if you’re familiar with the area… the besttttt restaurant on the most gorgeous golf course on the water) that is a hefty amount of $$ per person, so even though balance was on my radar it’s not like I was going to eat only a salad and some shrimp and be THAT girl.

I had some seafood appetizers (heaven!), a big plate with alllll the Thanksgiving goods from turkey to stuffing to yams to mashed potatoes to Brussels and salad, and of course I had to try two diff pies for dessert (which honestly were pretty disappointing — I had a way better dessert the following night at a restaurant in town!).

To me, that is a BALANCED Thanksgiving dinner. I was proud of myself for being pretty dang normal about it, and I didn’t go to bed feeling like a stuffed whale. I was definitely full, very full, but not full to the point of feeling totally bleh.

Also, we were on vacation! So the whole food enjoyment thing didn’t stop there. We were hitting up Big Sur Bakery (famous for their lattes and pastries), cute restaurants in Carmel, delicious dinners downtown, etc. So the whole weekend was a big food fest — which I’m sure anyone traveling for the holiday experienced this past weekend!

That’s why I wanna talk about balance.

Thanksgiving isn’t about the food, it’s about the people. But inevitably, for a lot of us, food was heavily involved in the social and family connectivity aspects of the holiday.

And it’s AWESOME to enjoy food with people we love. I am a foodie, so bonding with people over food is a social enjoyment that really, truly makes me happy. I would have been sad to forego all the usual Thanksgiving food for a salad + veggies the way I did a few years ago.

For a lot of us, there was probably wine + cocktails + desserts involved all weekend too! I’m on one of my “not drinking” kicks, but I know everyone else in my fam was all about the wine and martinis over the holiday.

Yay for everyone who enjoyed all the food, drinks and fun this weekend. That is what life is about. Being able to swing the pendulum one way, and then swing it back the other way to find our balance.

How cute is my fam bam?!

It’s not about stuffing our faces on Thanksgiving to the point of feeling gross and then restricting for days afterward to get back to “balance.” That is not balanced.

It’s also not about going on a full week bender because it’s Thanksgiving and it’s a good time to let loose, and then following up with a crash juice cleanse to “undo” the damage.

It is about finding that happy medium… that happy little balanced place in the middle where we enjoy ourselves and remember what the holiday is all about (people! fun! letting go and being present!) and then maybe take some extra steps afterward to swing our pendulum back into balance.

Arnold Palmers make me happy. <3

For me, getting back onto the balanced side of the spectrum post-Thanksgiving is going to include:

– lots of SWEAT! Hot yoga, light runs (I am getting back into running you guys, YAY!), maybe an infrared sauna sesh (if I do, I’ll Snapchat the whole thing, so follow along!)

– healthy, balanced food! I hit up the farmer’s market yesterday (and I saw RACHEL ZOE… holy shit she is literally perfect in person, I died) and stocked up on a bunch of healthy staples. Lemon soup, veggies, greek yogurt, organic chicken, free-range eggs, almond milk, cold brew — so I can make all of my meals at home and feel that “in control” feeling of meal prepping! I LOVEEEEE  cooking at home when I am trying to feel my absolute best.

– SLEEP! You may have seen my Insta post where I said I slept for 15 hours straight the day I got back to LA after Thanksgiving. I have no idea what happened, but I fell asleep at 6pm and woke up at 9am — the old Jordan never would have allowed for such a massive sleep window. My body needed it, and I listened! Early bedtimes after a few too many late nights and early mornings will do your body so, so well.

– Journaling + Meditation — this one is obvi more optional, but I like to journal and meditate so that I can reflect on what I really need. Does my body feel good, or is there something I need to address? I ask myself questions like that to make sure I am always seeking a state of true balance.

There you have it, babes! If you feel off balance today, DO NOT WORRY! This is your official reminder that everything is a-okay and you can swing that pendulum back starting today. Or tomorrow. Or whenever YOU please, because it’s all about listening to your body and doing what feels best. This is just a roadmap — so take it or leave it, but I want you (and all of us) to feel our absolute best, every day. XO

(Yes, there were the two Christmases in a row where I refused my mom’s famous Christmas breakfast in exchange for my own minuscule portion of coconut yogurt and hempseed granola… and was starving and miserable for most of the day. #YIKES.)

Even when I stopped being vegan, I had some challenges with the food — I would eat it, but the enjoyment still was not there. There was the part of me that wanted to try everything and enjoy the food and socialize over the meal (you know, all the things people in eating disorder recovery have drilled into their heads).

And then there was the part of me that simply could not enjoy it because there was still so much anxiety. I felt like I had to eat everything that was considered “holiday food” so that I could fully enjoy the holiday. But I also didn’t want to overeat and feel gross, and also didn’t want to eat anything that would make my stomach hurt. (Severely sensitive tummy over here with countless food intolerances.)

OH, and I had my fair share of overeating during the holidays because the anxiety would drive me mad. I wanted to stand up to the eating disorder side of me and say “LOOK, I can eat all this turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie and fudgey brownies and ENJOY THEM just like everyone else.”

But then I would feel disgusting and not myself and basically go into the New Year desperate for some balance, and for a chance to really, truly listen to my body.

Ummm, that doesn’t sound fun at all! Does it? No. It really doesn’t.

So, What Do I Do Now?

I have come a long way and I have learned a lot about what works for me and what doesn’t work for me when it comes to enjoying myself over the holidays without feeling like I’ve gone overboard.

This is just my opinion based off of experience, so if you are in eating disorder recovery and find that any of this does NOT sound doable or helpful to you, definitely don’t force yourself to go along with my tips! These are just meant to guide you in a balanced direction once you’ve done some of the hard recovery work to get to this point.

TIPS & TRICKS FOR HOLIDAY BALANCE //

– LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! — This one is hugely important, because if you can cultivate a true relationship between your mind and your body (specifically, your stomach) then you can eat & enjoy whatever you’d like over the holidays without going overboard or depriving yourself. I’ve found that in order to listen to my body I have to eat slowly, wait until I am truly hungry (and not just eating because everyone else is… so this takes some careful timing and love during the holidays), and always keep in mind how food is going to make me feel once I’ve finished eating it.

My bro & I on Thanksgiving a few years ago. <3

– Avoid or be MINDFUL of trigger foods — This might sound interesting to you, but if you’re in recovery from an eating disorder or any type of disordered eating pattern… trigger foods are a real thing. One of mine is sugar (even natural sugars), and also really salty and saucy foods like Thai food / Chinese food, etc.

Something about those foods that trigger me make me feel like I can never get enough — and like I will never “let” myself have them again, so I’d better eat them all. Even though I so know better than that and know that they are not off limits to me, so I can have them again. It’s an INTERNAL thing that happens in my body… something that I don’t have a lot of control over once it gets going. (Literally a bio-chemical process that goes down, it’s fascinating really.)

So I choose to be mindful of my trigger foods and when I can, I avoid them. This is far different than pure restriction, because I know I can have them if I really want to and if my body is craving them. But for the most part, I stick to NATURAL desserts and healthier versions of those salty comfort foods that I love.

On holidays, I will have a little bit — because I never want to be deprived. But that’s where the mindfulness comes in, and the listening to my body… when I am too full, I stop. Or when I am too hungry, I eat something healthy and THEN go in for the dessert so I don’t go overboard. It’s a balancing act!

– Really get in touch with what the holidays are about, and focus on that when you get nervous about the food — For me, this took a lot of journaling and drawing inward. Most of all, the holidays for me are about tradition with my family, spending quality time with them away from phones, routines and every day life, and really unplugging to remember what life is all about. When I think about all of those things… it makes it hard to get tripped up over the food. It’s just FOOD — it’s just one component of the holidays, and spending time with people we love is the component that tends to matter most.

Get in touch with what that means for you. Meditate on it, repeat a mantra if you like mantras (i.e. “I am enough. I am so enough,” or even just “So Hum,” to connect with your breath), or journal it out until you’ve found what most resonates with you come holiday time.

– Contribute a healthy dish, if your family is eating at home! This is something I’ve found that helps me tremendously. While my family eats out for Thanksgiving because we travel for the holiday, we cook at home for Christmas and Chanukah (yes, double holiday celebrater over here!) so I always contribute my own healthy dishes so that we have balance on our table. That way, I can eat my sister’s delicious pumpkin pie but I can also have a raw vegan peanut butter cup and a yummy roasted veggie salad along with the rich roast beef my mom makes every year.

– Keep checks & balances in mind — This is a tip that Kelly, my gorgeous friend and nutritionist (who will be on my PODCAST this week as a guest, yay!!!) has given me and it helps so much. We can have nights where we really celebrate with food and alcohol if we want to, and then the following week we can focus on light, healthy meals and get some sweaty, powerful workouts in. It’s not about overcompensating to make up for “messing up” but rather about living LIFE to the fullest and then balancing it back out so we can continue to feel our best at all times.

– If you’re starting to question, “Do I really want this, or am I just eating it because everyone else is?” then try to tap back into your body. Listen to your body. It knows the way. And if you’re REALLY confused… just eat the damn thing! It won’t be the end of the world, and sometimes learning that again and again is the best thing we can do for ourselves mentally and physically.

– Remember that exercise is a wonderful way to balance, but don’t take it too far — I had years where I spent the entire Thanksgiving morning running on our hotel treadmill. I’m talking like a 2.5 hour run. Awesome run, but not very balanced on a holiday. One of my fondest holiday memories is going to a yoga studio in Carmel with my brother-in-law… it wasn’t a particularly rigorous class, but it felt incredible to see the town in that very “local” kind of way, and to get my yoga on and spend time with my bro. So, if you are going to exercise… awesome! But make sure it aligns with your goals — to spend time with your family, to feel good in your body, to find balance, and to be kind to yourself, whatever your goals may be.

I hope this helps! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them below & I will absolutely get to them! I hope everyone has a beautiful holiday week with their loved ones… would love to hear your plans! I am heading to Carmel for the weekend with my whole fam + I can’t wait.  

My fam on Thanksgiving a couple of years ago… love these peeps.

& before I go on with this post and tell you all of my Cabo highlights, I want to let you know that we are offering a Cyber Monday sale on TBV Apparel today!!! Use the code ‘CyberMondayLove’ at checkout to get 10% off your order, PLUS free domestic shipping site wide. Get those holiday gifties in!!! There’s beauty Natasia Lutes below glowing in our ‘You Had Me At Savasana’ tank below!

Cabo Highlights

I’m going to tell you about this trip in a bit of a different way than my normal vacation recaps — mainly through PHOTOS. That’s for the sole reason that we were SO RELAXED on the trip that there’s not a whole lot to talk about other than our epic long beach walks, some really good workouts, a killer massage that I got, some delicious food, and lots of soaking in each other’s good vibes. So instead I’ll tell you some funny stories, a little bit about what I wore, and how freaking great it felt to disconnect for a few days.

I will begin with the funniest story, because if you’re anything like me and you find humor in people falling down as long as they’re okay (I know there is a full-on GENRE of people who find this funny; I am not the only one), then you’ll love this: My father is easily one of the most unassumingly hilarious people that I know. He has a cell phone only for “emergencies,” he has never had a computer (despite running a business), and if you’ve read anything about him on the blog or in my book, then you know he has a huge obsession with being overly early / overly neat and super duper clean. All of that being said, you can imagine that my penchant for taking photos everywhere & always drives him absolutely nuts. And yes, I was obsessed with capturing every moment on photo even before this bloggy came to be.

For years my dad went crazy every time I wanted to stop and take a picture while we were doing something, or better yet, make him stop and take a picture of me. He didn’t see the purpose in it and you’ve gotta love him for that, because he is so content and lives life so in the moment that it just never seemed necessary to him. And I suppose without having any form of social media to update, he simply could not realize where the heck these pictures were going once we took them.

But lately, in the last year or so, something has come over my dad and he not only enjoys my constant photo taking but he actually encourages it. (Yes, this is as funny as it sounds after all these years of his extreme rejection of taking photos.) If my phone isn’t out and something cool is going on or there is a beautiful sunset or a big wave on the beach, he motions for me to take out my phone and snap a photo. Or if he spots a really pretty rock in the ocean, he instructs me to get on said rock, strike a yoga pose and hold it while the wave comes in behind me so he can get the best photo.

This goes without saying, but I absolutely LOVE his change of heart and get way too much amusement out of it. Not only do I love it because we’ve gotten some sweet photos out of his newfound love and appreciation for capturing the moments, but I also love it because it’s a hysterical 180 from how he’s been. I know a huge part of it has to do with the fact that he understands that I’ve built my business off of taking photos for this blog, and the man loves a good business opp. He also has grown to appreciate the photos that my siblings send back and forth to my parents of themselves and their kids, and he has started to like the fact that we can do the same just as easily — imagine that.

So, with that background story in tow, now you can more fully appreciate the hilarity of what went down on our second to last day in Cabo. We were on one of our morning beach walks, and we had just wrapped up a mini photo shoot of me striking poses on a rock on one end of the beach. It was a beautiful and ominous day because it was only about an hour before a storm rolled in, so the clouds were thick and dark and looming. It might not sound so glamorous but man does that scene make for a good ocean photo. Here it is below…

(Sidenote: My mom is absolutely terrified of the ocean sweeping her away and will be forever traumatized by a wave a couple of years ago that she got slammed by on another one of our beach walks, so she was safely up-shore from us but nearby  when this was all taking place.)

As we were walking along and about to turn back to head toward the hotel, I notice my dad climbing on top of a rock in the ocean without warning — so I can only gather that he’s doing this because he wants me to take a picture. He strikes a pose, I snap a photo, and BOOM — all of the sudden, I see this massive tidal wave coming UP OVER HIS HEAD and crashing down on top of him from behind. For a split second I was terrified because I didn’t know if there was sand underneath him or more rock (there was no way to tell because the ocean floor had totally covered the area), and it was evident that this wave was totally about to knock him over.

He had only a second or two to think about it, and thank GOD he had the balance and quick enough reflexes to jump to the sand beneath him (not a small jump my friends) or else the wave totally would have knocked him into more rocks and bad things would have happened from there.

I know you can’t fully tell by this photo but take my word for it that this wave only intensified as it came to shore — SO CRAZY.

After he jumped and it was clear that he was okay, we laughed about it for days because really, at the end of the day, he did this all in the name of a photo. So you can see how much his views have changed when it comes to snapping a good photo opp.

And in case you don’t think it’s as funny as I do when people fall but don’t get hurt, here are some other photos from the trip that will hopefully peak your interest…

Our first day on the beach, enjoying the sunset from the epic Sunset Beach. Wearing Jen’s Pirate Booty coverup — Yes, the same dress I’m wearing on the cover of my book!

Gorgeous view from one of the many pools at our hotel — where we sat every day for lunch and watched the waves roll in from up high!

Chillin’ on our balcony before Thanksgiving dinner! Wearing the Banana Republic shift dress of my dreams. (PS they’re having a sale today for free shipping on $50+ orders, get on it!)

This beyond amazing cabana that I turned into my very own yoga hut on the beach. Heaven on earth. Wearing DKNY one piece + hat from Summit.

This perfectly wonderful view before the storm.

Flying home with some of our oldest & dearest friends — back in Sactown for a night before I flew back to LA!

How was everyone else’s Thanksgiving?! Hope you all had an incredible time. I am excited for the weeks to come… It’s the most beautiful and charming time of the year, in my opinion.

Even though I will be in warm Cabo weather, I am glad it’s cooling down here in LA. I am not necessarily a cold weather person, but I like to see a legitimate change in seasons whenever appropriate. The holidays are such a special, charming, inspirational, family-oriented time… And when the weather is still trying to trick us into thinking it’s summer I sort of get really annoyed.

Rocking Live Love Dream in all below photos, and all photo creds to Tynan Daniels & Austin Daniels, the talented dudes who bring my visions to life <3 

To celebrate the upcoming holidays, I’ve partnered with Aeropostale‘s new Live Love Dream activewear line to showcase how fitness & this special time of year can converge and create overall awesomeness. Just because the holidays are coming up does NOT mean we have to surrender to the unhealthy foods & lack of time to workout and just accept that holiday weight gain / unhealthy feeling we all fear so much.

The truth is, this time of year is so heartwarming and beautiful if we let it be. There’s no reason to fear it because of food insecurities, funky schedules that may not allow as much time to exercise, or because of holiday blues I know people experience when they don’t have the greatest holiday memories to draw back on or because they’re having a rough year. Trust me, as a deeply introspective and oftentimes anxious/overanalytical person, I UNDERSTAND the feeling.

Alternately, because the holidays always cheer me up no matter what type of shit is going down in my life, I can’t even think about the months November and December without my heart fluttering a little and reminiscing on family memories, holiday parties, moments with close friends, hot chocolate by the fire… I’m one of those real holiday lovers.

Even in the depths of my eating disorder I found a way to enjoy the holidays with my fam and even though I was eating the strangest foods while they ate from the typical holiday spread (and a healthy version of it at that, because my family is a very healthy bunch). This year I want to help you guys not fall prey to fear of overindulgence of fear of calorie restriction over the holidays.

Because guess what?!?! The holidays aren’t about that. They’re for enjoying time with the ones we love. Take food out of the equation. Have confidence in the fact that you can still make time to exercise and keep your healthy routines in check. And here are some tips to keep from overindulging:

Tips to Keep from Overindulging over the Holidays:

1. It’s not about the food, it’s about spending TIME with your loved ones.
2. Eat slowly. On Thanksgiving especially, I find that people often feel like if they don’t stuff themselves silly then they’re doing something wrong. If you focus on taking small bites, chewing thoroughly, and engaging in meaningful conversation while you eat, your body will naturally give you the signal when it’s full — then you don’t have to let your brain do all the work.
3. Load up on side veggies! If you have a bunch of nutrient-dense, filling leafy greens on your plate, you’ll be less likely to overindulge in the less healthy departments.
4. Don’t beat yourself up! Holidays are for ENJOYMENT. Eat that dessert. Have some of that pecan pie. Whip up a dessert with your mom/dad/sister/friend/roomie and trust yourself around it. Enjoy, and move on the next day!
5. Make it part of your family tradition to exercise in some way before or after you eat: go on a walk, go on a morning run, catch a yoga class. My brother-in-law and I have made a morning Thanksgiving yoga class part of our tradition for years, and it’s been awesome.

Another thing that will keep you happy, healthy and feeling good is rocking cute activewear clothes that inspire you to get active and stay active. These Live Love Dream clothes are ridic comfy, soft and they scream HOLIDAY. A bunch of them even have holiday phrases on them! And you know I’m a girl who appreciates a good graphic tee…!

Above all, as with all things wellness, don’t get caught up in the tiniest aspects of the holidays that you may or may not be concerned about — just let yourself ENJOY.

When I let my fears and concerns go, awesome things seem to start happening.

Like this moment. We were shooting photos, it started raining, we witnessed a guy who was pitching a tent to stay dry from the rain because he was homeless and living on the beach, and then, above us, this rainbow appeared.

There can be so much beauty in a singular moment if we allow space for it.

Throughout this holiday season, my best advice for you is to let go, let yourself live in the moment and experience the tiny joys that deserve to have space in your life.

Starting this week. Happy Thanksgiving, my sweet loves. Grateful for all of you.

A) In recovering from my eating disorder, I have found it incredibly liberating to eat whatever the heck I please without trying to make it pretty for a legit photo shoot and/or be concerned about planning it out in advance and giving food so much extra thought, and B) I wrote 75+ recipes for The Balanced Blonde App and am in the midst of writing 25 recipes for Breaking Vegan, so a lot of my new and fun recipes are going toward those awesome projects. Oh, and C) Now that I’m no longer vegan, I am only just beginning to get the hang of making non-vegan things and I wouldn’t want to lead you all astray with my sometimes very subpar creations.

But, alas, I am still a smoothie addict and I still like to create yummy concoctions in my VitaMix just about every day. With Thanksgiving coming up it only seemed right to post a yummy pumpkin recipe to add to your healthy holiday repertoire. One of my FAV things to do is blend pumpkin with cacao, banana, almond milk and oats to make one delicious nutritionally dense and well-rounded meal.

ALSO… I wanna make a quick note about something. My posting schedule. When I have my druthers (I’ve always wanted to say that), I like to post 5-6 days out of the week on TBB. Typically Monday-Friday, sometimes with a Saturday or Sunday thrown in there if I’m feeling extra inspired. Lately, with working on the book and busting out some new projects in the fitness world… my posting schedule has been more like 3 times per week.

Mainly, I don’t want to let you guys down. Your readership allows me to do what I do, and I shudder to think of being one of those unpredictable blogs where you never know what you’re going to get. Consistency is suuuuper important to me, so for the time being (while finishing the book) I might cut down to a 3-4 times per week schedule. How would you all feel about that?

I just want to be consistent. And bring y’all the best content I can possibly bring.

Things I want to write about that happened this week: An AMAZING dinner hosted by the sensational Tess Masters, Whitney Lauritsen and Jason Wrobel at SunCafe Organic in Studio City, a freakishly magical and ethereal “Into the Woods” photo shoot with the fab Miss Katie Shuler, my newfound obsession with Orange Theory Fitness, my new writing gig with Livestrong, and my musings on the importance of connecting with our community in this rockin’ health + fitness world.

But, for now, PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA SPLIT SHAKE. And, because Arman & I hate when people title their recipes something totally inauthentic, I can single-handedly promise you that this shake actually tastes like a pumpkin chocolate chip banana split… vegan (because I know you’ll ask) + healthified, of course.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Banana Split Shake

Serves 1-2 Ingredients: 1 overripe banana (overripeness is important for digestion/nutritional value + for sweetness) 1/4 cup organic pumpkin puree 1.5 tablespoons cacao powder 1/4 cup gluten-free oats (uncooked) 1/2 cup almond milk 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup ice *Optional: 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I like Vega One) Toppings: 1 tablespoon cacao nibs; additional handful of raw gluten-free oats Method: Combine all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend thoroughly. Top with cacao nibs and a sprinkle of oats, and you’re golden! Enjoy! Sip, sip, sip away!

Any other Thanksgiving recipes you’d like to see on the bloggy next week?! Share away! Happy Friday, lovelies!

I also want to take this time to say that just because the holidays are coming up doesn’t mean that you have to fall off the health wagon and overindulge. You can enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving treats in moderation and still feel fantastic the next morning. Who wants to be rolled out of the Thanksgiving dinner table anyway?

Five quick tips for not overeating this Thursday are:

1. Eat a snack before you go to your Thanksgiving dinner. Have an apple – it’s full of fiber and will fill you enough so that you aren’t starving when you get there but you’ll still be able to enjoy a little bit of everything. A banana is a good pre-dinner snack too. Any fruit or veggie is a good idea!
2. Bring healthy options! If you are worried that your family or friends will not have many healthy options at the dinner table, prepare your own salad, vegetable dish or one of the recipes I have provided below.
3. Eat breakfast and lunch. Many people wake up early on Thanksgiving to start preparing for the threateningly large meal ahead and they decide to skip out on meals so that they’re extra hungry for the Thanksgiving meal itself. Do your body a favor and stay on track instead. Just because Thanksgiving food is yummy doesn’t mean we have to eat twice as much of it. (And it’s fun to have leftovers, right?!)
4. Focus on spending time with your loved ones, having meaningful conversations and making memories rather than on the food. This might mean pulling yourself away from the dessert table or resisting on going back for seconds and thirds. Remember what this day is all about – the ones you love.
5. Move your bod. There is no better thing you could do for your body than get up and moving after having a big meal. Go for a walk after dinner or do some stretching before bed. You’ll thank yourself in the morning

Now for the recipes…

Kale Butternut Squash Salad

–       This is an original recipe I created specifically for Thanksgiving. The recipe can be found in my article on WorldLifestyle.com. 

Healthy Vegan Cranberry Sauce

–       This is also an original recipe I created specifically for Thanksgiving. The recipe can be found in my article on WorldLifestyle.com.

The Blonde Vegan Salad

–       Recipe can be found here. (Hint hint: this recipe will also be in The Blonde Vegan cleanse!!! Eek!!!)

Pumpkin Almond Butter Oat Bars

–  Recipe can be found here.

Pumpkin Spice Dessert Smoothies

–  Recipe can be found here.

Vegan Nutty Apple Crisp

– Recipe can be found here.

Pumpkin Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

– Recipe can be found here.

Autumn in a Jar

– Recipe can be found here.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

– Recipe can be found here.

Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

– Recipe can be found here.

FullyRaw Pumpkin Pie Brownies

– This recipe was created by FullyRaw Kristina, one of my greatest inspirations. I will definitely be trying this recipe this year! Recipe can be found here on Kristina’s YouTube Channel.

Two things I will be making this year are a Butternut Squash Kale Salad & a low-glycemic cranberry sauce. Technically, most cranberry sauce recipes are made of a small amount of ingredients (a staple for me) but they are extremely high in sugar and all sorts of additives. This is a healthier version of that traditional Thanksgiving treat we all know and love.

The salad is a delicious burst of flavor between the squash, the kale, pecans, pomegranate seeds and wild rice! Sneak it on the buffet table when you arrive and your friends and family won’t even know that it’s vegan, gluten-free, low glycemic and delish!

For the recipes, check out my recipe post on WorldLifestyle.com.

Also… I want to take this time to ask you all what are you thankful for? I am thankful for my incredible family, my amazing friends, my health, and my happiness. Under the umbrella of happiness comes a huge number of things (yoga, writing, TBV!!!, living in the fabulous city of NYC, being on this healthy journey, and so much more). If you post a photo on Instagram or Facebook, tag me in it (@thebalancedblonde) and hashtag #thebalancedblonde writing what YOU are thankful for, I will choose a winner by the end of next week to receive a free TBV Cleanse Program. To be thankful is to be aware, and awareness is where so much of our health and happiness stems from. I know I am ever so thankful for all of you!

Head on over to WorldLifestyle.com for more awesome articles on health, wellness, fitness and beauty. And while you’re there show my article some love!