Welcome to Week 4, Day 7 of the EBOOST Fitness Holiday Challenge!
Today is the last day of the challenge and you can still participate in our challenge with the chance to win prizes by posting your images on Instagram and tagging @EBOOST, #eboost, and #fitnessholidaychallenge. Each post is an entry into a chance at winning one of our prizes–Apple Watch Nike+ Series 4, EBOOST gift cards and more! To see the full list of prizes, please check out our Fitness Holiday Challenge Overview blog post.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Crazy right!? This challenge was purposely executed before the holidays because we wanted to give you a good workout schedule and challenge that you can keep up through the holidays. We strive in keeping fit all year round and not falling off the wagon for the holidays and then jumping back on in the New Year. No, we are here to keep you guys on track always. To help you through the first holiday, Thanksgiving we are going to share a healthy side dish that you can make to incorporate into your Thanksgiving meal because heck at least you know you can count on your dish and the turkey to be healthy!
Cranberry Brussels Sprouts
recipe by Cookie and Kate
serves 2 (you may want to double or triple the recipe)
ingredients
1 pound small Brussels sprouts, sliced in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
⅔ cup fresh cranberries (or ⅓ cup dried cranberries)
⅓ cup crumbled goat cheese
⅓ cup freshly toasted pecans
1 ½ cups cooked barley
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
instructions
- Preheat your broiler.
- If you have a cast iron skillet grab that, otherwise use your best frying pan and place it on the stove with medium-high heat. Let it heat up for two to three minutes. It should be so hot that a few drops of water sizzle and quickly disappear after contact.
- In a medium-sized bowl, toss the already cut in half Brussels sprouts with the olive oil and salt. You will want to make sure each sprout is coated evenly in with a thin layer of oil.
- Once the pan is hot, dump the sprouts into the pan and quickly rearrange them so the flat sides are face down. Let them cook for two minutes.
- Take the sprouts off the heat, toss in the fresh cranberries, and transfer the pan to your broiler. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet and the frying pan you are using shouldn’t go into the broiler, then quickly transfer your sprouts to a baking sheet.
- Let the sprouts broil for about three minutes. Check the sprouts for doneness—their tops should be a little browned and the bottoms caramelized. The cranberries should have also started popping by now; set the hot pan on your stovetop for a couple of minutes.
- While they are cooling, use this time to reheat the barley.
- Toss the barley, sprouts, cranberries, cheese, and pecans in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.
- Season with salt if you’d like and serve.
