Here are some holiday recipe ideas to make your feast a little healthier and lighter:
Consider these healthier appetizers:
- Dips- when preparing holiday dips use a low fat Greek yogurt for the base- the extra protein will make it more satisfying and creamy with less fat. You will find a variety of ideas on the Stoneyfield website: http://www.stonyfield.com/recipes/topic/dips
- Hummus is a great choice- high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats
- Guacamole – fiber and healthy fats- raises HDL, lowers LDL, lowers triglycerides
- With dips, choose vegetables or whole grain crackers instead of chips.
- For cheese and crackers- make it a little healthier with whole grain crackers- Triscuits are a great choice.
Make your gravy a little healthier. Instead of using white flour or corn starch to thicken gravy, use whole wheat flour or ground flaxseeds instead.
Make your holiday side dishes a bit healthier with these tips:
- Sweet potato casserole- Use yams instead of sweet potatoes, they are naturally sweeter. You will find you don’t even need the sugar and the marshmallows, use regular olive oil or canola oil instead of butter and bake. Here is a healthier version of a traditional sweet potato casserole recipe: https://cookthestory.com/healthy-sweet-potato-casserole-recipe/
- Green bean casserole- Use Campbell’s Healthy request soup, skim or 1% milk to cut back on fat, calories, and sodium.
- Mashed potatoes- Use roasted garlic in your mashed potatoes to add a lot of flavor and many health benefits. Check out this recipe here: http://www.eatingwell.com/video/6728/how-to-make-mashed-potatoes-healthier/
- Salad is a great way to focus on veggies and nutrient rich foods. Try a festive and bright red and green salad using baby spinach and pomegranate, here is the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipes/957/holidays-and-events/christmas/salads/?page=2
No holiday meal is complete without dessert. Here are a few tricks to pie crust healthier:
- Substitute yogurt for some of the butter
- Substitute some of the white flour for whole wheat flour
- Substitute some or all of the flour for almond meal (since it has healthy fats, you won’t need to add anymore fat to it).
- For the filling cut back on the amount of sugar suggested or use Stevia instead. You can find a variety of healthier pie recipes on sites such as eatingwell.com and www.cookinglight.com.
By Sheri Berger, RDN