We all know I won’t be slaving away in the kitchen this year, but if you are, here are a few healthy tips I found online that I thought I would share with you. It really is scary how fattening a lot of people make their food just so it tastes extttra delicious. People need to know they can make some pretty yummy tasting things with a few easy, healthier substitutes! I bet no one will even know the difference

I already ate FOUR cookies yesterday, so I really need to be a bit more careful, next thing you know I’m the holiday fatty I warned you all about. I think people exaggerate how much weight people gain in the holidays… UNLESS you totally lose all control and are eating everything in sight, you should be ok as long as you are cautious. Here are a few ways to still enjoy yourself without feeling too guilty.

Steps to a healthier holiday feast! Email this onto who ever is doing the cooking in your family Nee Nee, I know you read this so print it out!

Click to continue to the steps!

Step 1

Replace sugar with Stevia, a natural sweetener that does not have an aftertaste like other sweeteners. Do keep in mind that flavors may change if you skip the sugar completely, so test the recipe in advance. If you do not like the flavor, try using half the sugar and replace the other half with the sweetener.

You can buy Stevia sweetener from most health food stores and in the health food sections of grocery stores.

Step 2

Get rid of the butter. Nothing adds more calories to a dish than butter. This is especially true in holiday dishes like pies, cookies stuffing, which tend to call for lots of butter. An alternative is to use light whipped butter, which has about half the calories than regular butter. You can also skip the butter entirely and instead use pureed cottage cheese, pureed banana, unsweetened applesauce or plain yogurt. But that is extreme and sounds gross so lets just at least aim for light whipped butter k?

Step 3

Do not butter the turkey. Instead, use a light mix of olive oil and herbs. Brush the mix (instead of pouring it) over the turkey. If you usually baste with oil or heavy sauces, switch to a fat-free stock or broth. The stock is better than the turkey’s own drippings.

Step 4

Use substitutes or egg whites instead of full eggs when you bake. It will cut down on calories and get rid of the cholesterol content. Everyone should do this anyway, super easy and the yolk is yucccck.

Step 5

Use flour alternatives. You cannot eliminate all-purpose flour completely from your recipes, but you can substitute up to 1/4 of the amount called for in the recipe for whole wheat flour, ready-to-eat bran or ground oatmeal.

Step 6

Use puréed pumpkin (fresh or canned) to replace both oil/butter and eggs in a recipe. This works especially well in brownies, pies and chocolate cakes, as the pumpkin adds texture and kicks up the chocolate flavor at the same time. Another extreme measure but if you have time, try it!

Also: Using spices and herbs instead of salt can make the recipe not only heart healthy, but it can also reduce the bloating that come with large holiday meals.

Also, remember to eat a healthy, sensible breakfast and lunch. Many people choose to starve themselves through the day so they can have more room for the scrumptious meal, however this will lead to binge eating. Instead, have a small, healthy breakfast and lunch. Drink water throughout the day to keep you from overeating or consuming empty calories from soda or alcohol. This will help you feel more satisfied so you won’t overeat at dinner.

To break it down even further I added lists of each kind of food and specific ways to cut the fat!

Meat/Poultry/Fish
♦ Choose plain over self-basting. Baste with low sodium broth, wine of fruit juice, or place
foil tent over as it cooks to avoid drying out
♦ Roast on rack to allow fat to drip into pan
♦ Remove any skin before cooking or before eating
♦ Marinate in fruit juice, wine or low fat sauces. Try rubbing dried herb and spice mixtures
(oregano, basil, rosemary) onto surface for added flavor

Gravy/Condiments
♦ Use fat separator or zip-lock bag to obtain pan juices but eliminate fat layer (clip small
whole in bottom of bag and allow only juices to flow out-discard fat layer and bag)
♦ Freeze pan drippings so you can remove hardened fat (save 56 grams of fat per cup)
♦ Skip drippings and use broth thickened with cornstarch or pureed potatoes-add broth for
flavor and to thin down and prune, apricot or apple juice for a kick!
♦ Try pineapple salsa, mango chutney or fruit compote on top of or on the side of meat,
poultry or fish for a easy and zippy flavor enhancer

Side Dishes
♦ Sweet potatoes are a rich source of beta-carotene! Offer baked or mash with vegetable
broth or skim milk and add vanilla extract, lemon zest, orange juice, ginger and or
nutmeg. If you insist on sweetness, skip butter and add thin layer of marshmallows or
sweeten with apple or orange juice and ground cinnamon
♦ For mashed potatoes, use skim milk, garlic powder a little parmesan cheese, and just a
small amount of low-calorie margarine. Another seasoning would be minced garlic or
horseradish and puree with non-fat half –and-half product.
♦ For stuffing, use whole grain bread or wild or brown rice-add cranberries or other dried
fruit and nuts

Fruit
♦ Stew mixed dried fruit with enough water to cover, season with ginger, cinnamon and
apple juice concentrate until fruit is soft. Use as a condiment or side dish or serve over
low-fat frozen yogurt or ice cream
♦ Add dried cranberries to whole grain stuffing or rice pilaf or green beans

Dessert
♦ Other dessert ideas :baked apples, fruit tarts or fruit pizza, bread pudding
♦ Try pumpkin-tofu pie for a custardy silken texture with no sat fat and soy isoflavones
♦ To intensify rich flavor of chocolate, add ½ to 1 tsp. instant coffee granules
♦ Try decreasing sugar in recipes by ¼ to 1/3-increase sweet spices or double vanilla or
almond extract or add citrus zest for more flavor
♦ In baking substitute half of fat in recipe with applesauce or prune puree
♦ Try fat-free sorbet-lemon, or strawberry
♦ Consider poached pears-poach in dessert wine or cinnamon and clove-spiked apple cider
♦ When making holiday cookies, use small cookie cutters or cut bars into smaller pieces
♦ Top cakes with powdered sugar, cinnamon or cocoa instead of thick frosting
♦ Using a streusel topping rather than second pie crust saves fat and calories
♦ For pumpkin pie, use nonfat evaporated milk for filling and eliminate crust and serve
soufflé style
♦ For fruitcake, add nontraditional fruits such as dried apricots, cherries, prunes and
cranberries-substitute ground flaxseed for ¼ to 1/3 of butter

Snacks
♦ Add raisins, dried cranberries and pretzel sticks to a bowl of nuts to decrease calories
and fat
♦ For a low-fat cheese dip, add diced tomatoes and chilies and serve with baked chips or
fresh veggies

Share me!

•