By Virginie Degryse
This is so tasty, super festive and right on point for the Holiday season. Plus it is so easy to make since we are using store bought dough.

Ingredients

• 1 pie dough (store bought, thawed)
• 1 small delicata squash
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1/4 cup of pumpkin purée
• 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese
• 4-5 sage leaves
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• 2-3 tbsp of olive oil

Directions
Preheat the oven at 400F. Place the pie dough on a lined baking sheet and reserve in the fridge.

Wash, cut in 2 lengthwise and remove the seeds from the delicata squash. Slice it in 1/2 inch has moon. Toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil, some salt and pepper and roast for 10-15 minutes in the oven. (more…)

Bridges

• 1.5 oz Tequila
• .75 oz Lime Juice
• 0.5 oz Agave Nectar
• 1 oz Hibiscus Tea
• 1 oz Club Soda
• Garnish: Chili Salt Rim

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By Catherine McCord
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup mild chunky salsa
• guacamole
• 1/4 cup sour cream (for spider web)
• 2-3 black olives (for spiders) (more…)

By Pamela Saltzman

SERVES 8-10
For an 8 x 8 pan of gingerbread:

• ¾ cup unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup melted unrefined coconut oil or unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour*
• 1 ½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon) ground ginger
• 3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon) ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup hot water

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By Catherine McCord

(makes 12 spiders)
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 15-20 whole pitted olives (black, green, or kalamata)

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Dr. Adrienne Youdim

As an internal medicine physician, I treat adults, but on occasion a parent will drag in their adolescent or young adult child so that I can talk to them about weight loss. As a parent, I can understand the fear and worry that comes with noticeable weight gain. We worry about their health, but if we are honest, we are often worried about the social consequences they may experience from excess weight. More often than not, weight gain in a child will invariably bring up our own emotions and biases as well as any difficult relationships we may have with food or our own bodies. As a mother and a physician, I know we want to help our children but the truth is that trying to motivate them, much less dragging them into my office, will not only not help but it may even backfire.

There are two types of motivation, intrinsic vs extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is the kind that comes from within the person themselves while extrinsic motivation comes from outside oneself, such as a parent or a spouse. External motivation can be positive and take the form of a reward or can be negative as in a punishment or threat, either way, positive or negative, extrinsic motivation does not work. (more…)

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Yields: 4 servings

By Lauren Haas

Ingredients:

Roasted Root Vegetables:

• 2 cup
• 1 cup
• 1 cup
• 1 cup
• 3 tablespoons 1 teaspoon
• 3 tablespoons

Quinoa:

• 1 cup
• 1 3⁄4 cup
• 1-2 teaspoons 1/3 cup

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