Are you cooking the holiday meal with all the trimmings and would like to save some calories without your guests knowing? Holiday meals don't have to be full of fat, sugar, cream, gravy and lots of butter to taste good. It's easy to trim a little fat, sugar and calories from traditional holiday foods without sacrificing flavor. Here are some ideas for making those favorite holiday dishes lower in fat and calories and your guests will never know!
- When selecting a turkey, choose a plain bird rather than a self-basting bird.
- Remove the skin from the turkey before eating.
- Either use a gravy cup or refrigerate the pan juices and skim the fat off the top before making gravy.
- For dressing, use less bread cubes and more onions, celery and other vegetables. For something different, try adding cranberries or apples. Moisten the dressing with low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- When mashing potatoes, use skim milk, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese in place of whole milk and butter.
- Steam vegetables or cook in liquids such as broth or water rather than oil. Use herbs and spices for flavor in place of margarine or butter.
- Put orange juice concentrate and a touch of cinnamon in the center of squash instead of margarine or butter.
- Prepare fresh green beans with chunks of potato instead of cream soup. Top with almonds rather than fried onion rings.
- Cut the sugar to ½ cup in all holiday baked good recipes it will save calories not change the food.
- Substitute 2 egg whites for every egg in a recipe to cutback on fat and cholesterol.
Have a favorite holiday dish try finding the recipe in a lighter version. Here are some places to look on the web for healthier holiday recipes:
www.cookinglight.com, www.eatingwell.com, and www.foodfit.com
As you can see, with a little effort and planning, healthy eating can be a realistic and tasty option this time of year. Be sure to remember to practice portion control this holiday, just because it is healthier does not mean you can eat more! Happy holidays!
Rebecca
