Healthy Versions of Your Favourite Holiday Recipes

Cooking, entertaining, and eating is huge part of holidays, especially if YOU are the one in the kitchen! Use this guide to control how you prepare for this holiday season.

Tips for Healthy Holiday Cooking

1. Don’t cook enough to feed a small city! No left overs, bake for particular event, that’s it. Give left overs to guests.
2. Leave buying, making, and baking as late as possible without stressing yourself out. Less time to pick at these foods.
3. No need to double a recipe “just in case”. Most cases, there is plenty of food to go around.
4. Serving food in smaller bowls with smaller spoons = smaller portions.
5. If you can’t stop at just one, then wait until the end of the evening when you are leaving, then you know it has to be just one.
6. Start practicing now to slow down you eating. Turn off TV, cell phones, and other distractions. Appreciate what you are eating and the time it took to prepare it.
7. Limit high fat items such as fried food, cream based soup, cheese filled casseroles, pies, processed meats, pastries, and baked goods. There are many alternatives that tastes just as good, and WAY healthier for you.

Healthy Ingredient Alternatives

Instead of this…	Try this…
1 whole egg	2 egg whites
Sour cream	Plain yogurt, or puree some cottage cheese
Whole milk	Skim or soy
Ice cream	Frozen yogurt or no sugar added ice cream
Whipped cream	Chilled evaporated skim milk
Heavy cream	Evaporated skim milk, freeze for 30 min, add 1/2 tsp vanilla, whip
Margarine	Small amounts of olive oil or vegetable broth
Oil-based marinades	Orange juice or flavoured vinegar
Chocolate	Cocoa powder
Sugar	Splenda
Nuts	Use less and toast in the oven to bring out more flavour

Traditional Stuffing

• 2 sticks butter, 10 cups white bread (14 slices)
• 1 pound pork sausage
• 410 cal and 32 g fat per serving

Instead:

• Use whole grain bread (+ 3 g fiber)
• Use Turkey or chicken sausage (-52 calories and 6 g fat)
• Use olive oil and reduce the amount (-158 calories and 18 g fat)
• Add mushrooms and green peppers for more color

Save 210 cal and 24 g fat per serving

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• 9 inch pie crust
• 279 cal and 10 g fat

Instead:

• Use non fat evaporated milk (-25 calories and 1 g fat)
• Use 1 egg and 2 egg whites (-35 calories and 1 g fat)
• Eliminate the crust (-110 calories and 7 g fat)

Save 165 calories and 9 g fat