Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on medium-high for 1 minute or until smooth.

Sweet beets swathed in a rich curry sauce—this is sure to become the hit of the holiday table. It’s also the ultimate make-ahead dish, as the flavor gets only better after a day or two of lingering in the fridge.

Chef's Tip: If your beets come with their greens, go ahead and wash a few of them, then chop and toss them into the curry toward the end of cooking for an extra punch of nutrition.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and salt; cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add beets, garlic, and ginger; cook 3 minutes. Stir in spices and heat 30 seconds.

Add coconut milk, vinegar, and sugar to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover; simmer until beets are tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Refuel after your workout and maintain your blood sugar levels with this clean, lean protein shake to help rebuild muscles—and mix in some carbs to get your energy back. 

Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on medium-high for 1 minute or until smooth.

Earlier this month, UFC President Dana White reported that Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be interested in taking his talents to the UFC for a potential fight against Conor McGregor—and possibly a couple more bouts against other UFC fighters. White doubled down on this statement during an appearance on Undisputed, saying that he's going to meet with Mayweather’s camp.

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Take a look below for yourself:

"Don't count anything out on Floyd Mayweather coming over to the UFC ... I have a meeting with those guys today." — @danawhite http://pic.twitter.com/TNobRLCJT8

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) December 28, 2017

If we’ve learned anything from Mayweather over the years, it’s that the guy knows how to make money. And he believes that it’s very possible to cash in on a billion dollars if he decides to make the jump to UFC for a few fights.

Although talks seem relatively docile at the moment, remember that Mayweather is almost 41 years old, so if a multi-fight deal is going to happen, it’s going to be sooner rather than later.

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Most holiday desserts are loaded with many calories and so much sugar that you’ll be walking away from the table feeling stuffed—and not in a good way. Instead, finish off a festive meal with this healthy, protein-packed riff on ye olde pumpkin pie. If serving this to a hungry crowd, simply double up on the ingredients

In a blender, blend together all ingredients. Chill mixture for at least 2 hours.

To serve, place pudding in serving bowls and garnish as you like.

This squash-based version of carb-laden mashed potatoes is ready to take over as a holiday side dish must-have. The browned butter may seem like a high-flying feat, but it’s a cinch to make, and its nutty, toasty deliciousness takes any kind of mash to a whole new level.

Chef's tip: Many supermarkets now sell packages of chopped butternut. You can roast these as a recipe shortcut.

Heat oven to 400°. Slice ½ inch off bottom and top of squash, then slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds; brush flesh with oil and sprinkle on pinch of salt. Place squash, cut-side down, on a baking sheet and roast until a knife can easily pierce flesh, about 45 minutes.

Heat butter in a heavy-bottomed (and preferably light-colored) saucepan over low heat until melted. Raise heat to medium and cook butter, stirring and scraping the bottom often with a rubber spatula, until it foams and smells nutty and the color turns golden-brown. Do not let butter turn a dark brown, which means it has burned. Take pan off heat and immediately transfer butter and any browned solids to a heat-proof bowl to cool.

Scrape flesh of squash into a bowl and add browned butter, cinnamon, and ¼ tsp salt. Mash together.

Place squash in serving dish and drizzle on maple syrup, if desired, and scatter on pecans.

UFC 219 is quickly approaching, and the title fight is one you won't want to miss. Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm, the pro boxer-turned-UFC-fighter who won the bantamweight title from Ronda Rousey with a notorious knockout in 2015, will challenge UFC featherweight champ Cris Cyborg for her title.

But this is no ordinary title fight. If Holm wins the featherweight belt, she'll become the first female multi-division champ in UFC history.

The lead-up to the fight hasn't been short on drama or trash talk, which is to be expected ahead of any bout, title defense or otherwise. But Holm isn't one to play into it. No matter the hype around the fight or what her opponents say, she perpetually seems cool, calm, and collected. 

In a one-on-one interview with Muscle & Fitness ahead of UFC 219, Holm reveals her approach to fighting such a formidable opponent, why she plays it cool ahead of big fights, and the opportunity to become a multi-division champ in the UFC. 

On training

Leading up to a fight, Holm's training schedule is hectic. She runs five days a week, does mitt work for four or five days a week, and has a class each morning in sparring, wrestling, or grappling. On Saturdays, she knocks out a sprint run for good measure. 

On top of training, every fight brings a new wave of media obligations. While it can be tough to stick to her rigorous training schedule amid those responsibilities, Holm says it's a matter of staying disciplined and looking ahead. 

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"I go do my workout, do the media, and go right back to my workouts," Holm told M&F. "It may mean running in the dark with a headlamp on because I didn't get it done before the sun went down, but I know that the time put in then will pay off later. I'm disciplined to get it done, but there are times when it's challenging for sure."

On the highs and lows of her career

Holm made headlines for taking down Ronda Rousey with a knockout via head kick and punches to become the UFC women's bantamweight champion back in 2015, but she abruptly hit a slump, losing her next three bouts and shattering her thumb during a bout against Valentina Shevchenko. But even when she's down, Holm keeps her head up. 

"I've had highs and lows in my career before, and it's easy to be happy and confident when you're on top. But it's definitely a challenge when you have losses that come your way, and it's one of those things where you have to dig deep. It's not up to anybody else...My dad has always told me that you're in charge of your own happiness. If you're letting someone else control your happiness, you're letting them control how you think and how you feel."

Losses still get her down, of course. Holm is just wired to not stay down.

"I knew that I was able to still move forward and push through," she says. "It's my life, and it's not over after a loss. I know that I'm still capable and I still believe in myself, so I just keep trucking forward."

And when it came to recovering from her thumb injury, which required surgery, she took the setback in stride with a simple rule of, well, you know. "If it hurt, I'd still work with it, but if I'd damage it [by training], I'd still be careful," she says.

Despite those setbacks, Holm came back and won her last bout against Bethe Correia at UFC Fight Night 111. Now, she's ready to give it her all against Cyborg at UFC 219.

On the possibility of becoming the first female UFC two-division champ

During her career as a boxer, Holm held titles in three weight classes, defending her titles 16 times. If she dethrones Cyborg and wins the featherweight championship belt on December 30, she'll become the first woman to have held titles in two divisions in the UFC.

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"Holding a title in two weight classes is something that motivates me. I want to win a fight whether it's for a belt or not, but there's that extra motivation to be able to do something that hasn't been done." But even if she does win the featherweight title, she doesn't see herself going for a third weight class.

On the reason she's not afraid of Cyborg—or anyone

Cyborg may not be a UFC vet, but she's been an MMA powerhouse for more than a decade. Plenty would be intimidated by the thought of challenging her for her belt, but not Holm, who says she's going into it as prepared as she could be.

"She's dominant and has been doing well for a reason. She's very good at what she does, but that doesn't mean she's unbeatable," Holm says. "I'm ready to take on this fight, and I fear her, but I'm not afraid of her. I fear her in the way that I fear any of my opponents, because there's a possibility of losing a fight against anybody. Every fighter presents their own challenges, and there are lots of things to fear in her, but that doesn't mean that she's unbeatable."

On trash talk

Plenty of UFC fighters are known for their excessive trash talking, which is admittedly a huge part of the hype leading up to big fights. It's easy enough to bash opponents on social media, but Holm isn't one to do that. Despite the fact that fans expect trash talk and animosity between fighters, she prefers to let her performance on fight night speak for itself.

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"I try to just have my confidence show when I'm fighting," Holm says. "I want my actions to be what my message is. I don't really get too much into the trash talk with it, I just want to train hard, and I don't want to be the fighter who talks a lot of trash and then looks like a fool because it doesn't go my way. I try to just stay humble and work hard. I know the training and hard work that's gone into it, and that's when it pays off. It doesn't matter what's been said on social media."

On staying cool, calm, and collected

Athletes in every sport have strict, and sometimes downright ridiculous, pre-competition rituals or traditions to get them ready both physically and mentally—but Holm isn't one of them. Instead, she says good old-fashioned thorough preparation, sans superstition, is her good luck charm.

"I just try to stay healthy, keep my body feeling good, eat foods that make me feel energetic but not overly heavy. I like to be surrounded by my team—they make me feel good and confident, and the energy is good," she says. "Other than that, I just focus on the fight and I know that all the hard work has been put in."

Superstitious rituals, she says, won't make or break that hard work that's been done. "The hard work and training's done, and nothing can take away from that, so I try not to get worked up in my head," she says. "I try to stay level-headed and keep my body feeing good until it's time to shine"

Watch Holly Holm challenge Cris Cyborg for the UFC women's featherweight title on Saturday, December 30 atUFC 219.

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Not only does poaching the bird keep it moist, but it’s pretty hands-off. And since no festive feast should be without gravy, here’s one that will bathe your bird in savory goodness while still being waistline-friendly. 

To poach turkey, place breasts, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, lemon, salt, and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Add enough water to completely cover turkey by at least 1 inch. Bring water to a very slight simmer with just a few bubbles breaking the surface and cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes, or until meat is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165°F. Adjust heat as needed during cooking to maintain the slight simmer and skim off any foam that forms on the surface of the water.

To make gravy, melt butter in medium- size saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and salt; cook until mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine, raise heat to medium-high, and boil until liquid has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch, 1 tbsp at a time, into cup of broth. Add remaining broth, thyme, and pepper to pan with mushrooms. Return to a boil, then stir in the cornstarch- broth mixture. Simmer until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Slice turkey and place on a serving platter. Serve with a bowl of gravy.

Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on medium-high for 30 seconds or until smooth.

The keys to a trim waistline and good health aren’t big secrets: Eat your vegetables, get some whole fruit, stick with lean protein, and go for whole grains.

Fiber, though, is one often overlooked part of the equation. (And the average Western diets is woefully lacking it.) But fiber might be a cornerstone of eating right and staying healthy, according to two new studies on mice published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

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In both investigations, researchers gave mice diets with hardly any fiber. The researchers then studied what happened in the rodents’ guts, and tracked changes in weight and blood sugar. Not surprisingly, all mice who ate little fiber eventually gained weight, suffered from high blood sugar, and developed insulin resistance. The mice in one study also showed that the protective layer of mucus in the colon become more porous, and allowed bad bacteria to breach it, setting up inflammation. The gut flora also exhibited changes with the beneficial bacteria dying off, which led to an unhealthy balance of microbiota in the gastrointestinal (GI) system.

Researchers were able to help restore some of the balance and health of the GI tract by adding fiber back into diets of the mice, but it didn’t completely heal them, nor restore the diversity of original gut bacteria populations.

"Diets that lack fiber alter the bacterial composition and bacterial metabolism, which in turn causes defects to the inner mucus layer and allows bacteria to come close [encroach], something that triggers inflammation and ultimately metabolic disease," said a study co-author Gunnar C. Hansson, a professor in the Mucin Biology Group at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. "It is not enough just to add fiber to your diet; it also depends on which bacteria you carry."

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Healthy food