Source: 10 Tips For Maintaining Willpower During the Holiday Season

With Halloween fast-approaching and Thanksgiving around the corner, holiday party season is almost in full swing. And since that can mean nonstop temptations - from endless sweet treats to reasons to skip your evening workouts - you'll need a plan to make sure willpower wins over giving in. Here are 10 tips for making sure you have fun without going overboard this holiday season!

• Reward Healthy Choices: Holiday treats are not to be missed, so a hands-off policy can stress you out more than it should. Instead, give yourself room to have a treat - just make sure you can justify your indulgence by making smart decisions throughout the day.
• Make Goals Reasonable: Whether it's exercising or eating right, the abundance of holiday treats and fun events can make it hard to stick to your healthy resolutions. So instead of telling yourself that you need to exercise every day and forgo dessert for a week, make it more

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By Janet McCracken, Bon Appétit

As we may have mentioned once or twice this week, Thanksgiving is all about the turkey. So you really don't want to screw it up. We asked Deputy Food Editor Janet McCracken to run us through the home cook's most common mistakes when it comes to the big bird. Here's what you should avoid:

1. Not Getting a Good Bird
When it comes to anything you're cooking, the quality of the ingredients determines how tasty the final product will be. Order ahead to get a heritage bird. But no matter what kind of turkey you're roasting, make sure you're preparing it the right way. Check out how to prepare the kind of turkey you're making before you pick out a recipe.

Read More: Foolproof Fall Party Appetizers

2. Not Giving It Enough Time to Thaw
Since many birds come frozen, it's important to allow enough time for yours to thaw safely. In the fridge, your turkey will thaw at a rate of 4 pounds per day (do some light math to determine when you should start the def

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By Samantha Donohue, for SparkPeople

Each year, my local Junior College opens its 365 acre farm, vineyard, and agricultural center for an open house, during which the public can learn, taste and pick fresh produce for $1.50 per pound. Fall harvest is my personal favorite: my family had a blast filling our reusable canvas shopping bags with apples, sugar pumpkins, eggplants, squash, peppers, and basil. Here are three recipes that I've been using in my own kitchen to enjoy the Fall produce. I look forward to hearing which are your favorites, too.


Roasted Squash Soup












Roasted Root Vegetables












Easy Eggplant Napoleon











What are some of your favorite recipes for Fall?


Related links:

Lighter Three-Cheese Macaroni

Pumpkin Pie Dip

What to Eat This Fall

SparkPeople is the country's largest health and fitness website. Learn more--and get a free fitness and diet plan.

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By Kathy Hunt

Make no mistake - I love sweets. Yet, when I've had too much of rich desserts, I reach for a tin of golden shortbread. Rich, delicate and only slightly sugary, this Scottish baked good is the perfect replacement for all those cloying treats.

A rich history

Shortbread dates to the Renaissance and the baking of crumbly cakes known as shortcakes. Like shortcakes, this small, pale cookie gets its fragile texture from the generous amount of butter used to make it. Both take their names from an antiquated definition of short, which refers to brittleness.

RELATED: How about classic double chocolate cookies?

Although its exact birth date remains unknown, shortbread appeared in the first Scottish cookbook, which was published in 1736, "Mrs. McLintock's Recipes for Cookery and Pastry-Work." Since it was festive and easily transported, shortbread was often given as a gift, and came to be associated with the Christmas season and Scottish New Year's Eve or Hogmanay.

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