As the holidays approach, going healthy does not mean that you have to skip out on some of your family’s favorite dishes. Rather, look at the recipes and consider how you can easily tweak it to make it more healthy. Below are some simple and easy ways to make your holiday cooking healthy.
Gravy:
Okay, I think that most people know that gravy is not something to overindulge in at turkey time, however, did you know that you can do something really simple and remove 56g of fat per cup of gravy? All you need to do is simply refrigerate the gravy prior to serving and skim off the fat before reheating it to serve. Now there’s something to be thankful for!
Dressing/Stuffing:
Use a little less bread and add more onions, celery, garlic, and other veggies that your recipe calls for when you make it this year. Consider the addition of fruit such as cranberries and apples. Moisten and flavor with low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth and applesauce. Not only will it taste great but it will be full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. It will be a whole new way to look at dressing/stuffing!
Turkey:
Enjoy skinless turkey breast and save 11 grams of saturated fat per 3 oz. serving.
Green Bean Casserole:
This is definitely one of my all time favorites, and thankfully there is a way to make it tasty and healthy! Steam fresh or frozen green beans. Use low-fat, low-sodium cream of mushroom soup and skim milk. Top with almonds instead of fried onions. You will get all the flavor plus some added fiber, protein and healthy oils from the almonds.
Mashed Potatoes:
When mashing, use skim milk or low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth and garlic and Parmesan cheese to flavor the potatoes instead of whole milk and butter.
Desserts:
Top your pies and cakes with fresh fruit, fruit sauces, or powdered sugar. Replace heavy cream with evaporated milk in recipes. Substitute two egg whites for each whole egg in recipes. These simple tweaks will allow you to enjoy all the flavor without excess sugar and fat!
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