If you are cooking a holiday meal with all the trimmings, it’s a great opportunity 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:
· When selecting a turkey, choose a plain bird rather than a self-basting bird.
· Remove the skin from the turkey before eating.
· Refrigerate the pan juices and skim the fat off the top before making gravy.
· For stuffing, use less bread cubes and more onions, celery and other vegetables. For something different, try adding cranberries or apples. Moisten 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 in ½ in all holiday baked goods.
· Substitute 2 egg whites for every egg in a recipe to cut back on fat and cholesterol.
Below is a sample recipe showing how much a difference you can make if you make some substitutions. Take a look at the two labels. The original version of sausage stuffing has 365 calories, 17 grams of fat and 44 grams of carbohydrate per 1 cup serving. The lighter version has 242 calories, 8 grams of fat and 34 grams of carbohydrate per 1 cup serving.
If you have a favorite holiday dish, you can often find a lighter recipe. Here are some places to look on the web for healthier holiday recipes:
www.cookinglight.com
www.eatingwell.com
www.foodfit.com
With a little effort and planning, healthy eating can be a realistic and tasty option this time of year. Happy holidays!
Rebecca
Cornbread Stuffing (from Eating Well)
Makes 12 servings, 1 cup each
| Ingredients |
Directions |
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage (about 4 links), casings removed
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 ½ cups finely chopped celery
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 pounds prepared cornbread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 ½ to 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth |
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 10 minutes.
3. Add onion and celery; cover, reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add cornbread, parsley and sage.
5. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour 1 cup over the stuffing mixture and toss gently (the cornbread will break into smaller pieces). Add as much of the remaining broth as needed, 1/2 cup at a time, until the stuffing feels moist but not wet.
6. Spoon the stuffing into the prepared pan and cover with foil. Bake the stuffing until thoroughly heated, about 25 minutes. Serve warm. |
