Healthy Holiday Options
Delicious alternatives to high-calorie foods, enjoying but eating less of your favorite treats, and having 3 balanced, calorie-conscious meals each day are among the ways you can eat sensibly and help prevent weight gain during the holidays.
Breakfast and Brunch Beginnings
- Homemade, high-fiber, granola
- Mix 5 cups of steel-cut oats with 2 cups of dried raisins, craisins, tart cherries, and dried blueberries
- Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, chopped pecans, pistachios, unsalted peanuts, or unsalted cashews
- Add ½ cup of chia, hemp, or pumpkin seeds
- Stir together ½ cup water, ¼ cup canola oil, and ¼ cup molasses and pour the mixture over dry ingredients
and mix them thoroughly - Spread the granola evenly over a large baking pan
- Bake at 275° F for 1.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes
- Use the granola alone, with 1/2 cup of skim milk, as a topping on fat-free plain yogurt, fresh fruit, or whole grain pancakes
- Makes 26 servings
¼ cup of granola contains 150 calories, 6 grams of fat, no sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.
- Whole wheat bran muffins
- 2 cups of bran cereal flakes
- 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of fat-free milk
- 1 egg plus 1 egg white
- 1/4 cup of canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 medium banana, mashed
- Mix dry ingredients
- Mix liquid ingredients together
- Add mashed banana
- Stir until well blended
- Combine liquid and dry ingredients, mixing just enough to moisten everything
- Spoon the mixture into a greased mini-muffin tin
- Bake at 375° F for 10 to 15 minutes or until the top of each muffin is brown and springy
- Serves 24 (makes 24 mini muffins)
Each muffin contains 80 calories, 3 grams of fat, 120 mg of sodium, 12 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.
- Whole grain pancakes or waffles
- Replace 1/2 pancake mix or flour with a combination of whole wheat flour and rolled oats
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed
- Replace butter with canola oil
- Add a dash of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- Top pancakes or waffels with fresh fruit
- Drizzle pancakes or waffles with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or top them with Greek yogurt and fresh fruit
- Serves 8 (yield is 8 pancakes)
Each pancake contains 90 calories, 1 gram of fat, 230 mg of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.
Outstanding Hors D’oeuvres
- Delicious dip
- Mix 1 cup of plain fat-free Greek yogurt with 8 ounces of fat-free cream cheese
- Thaw, thoroughly drain, and add 1 10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach. (Cheese cloth is excellent for wrapping, squeezing, and draining thawed spinach)
- Add ¼ cup diced onion
- Add 1 minced garlic clove
- Add 1 14-oz can of chopped artichoke hearts
- Add 2/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- Add a dash red pepper flakes
- Mix all ingredients well
- Bake dip at 350° F in a greased baking dish for 20 minutes until it is thouroughly heated
- Serve dip with a platter of fresh, raw endive leaves, celery slices, green pepper slices, yellow pepper slices, red pepper slices, jicama slices, tender baby broccoli fleurets, and carrot slices
1 tablespoon contains 15 calories; ¼ cup contains 50 calories, 1 gram of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrate, 230 mg of sodium, 1 gram of fiber, and 6 grams of protein.
- Dressed dates
- Remove the pit from each date
- Stuff them with garlic/herb goat cheese, chopped walnuts mixed with low-fat cream cheese, or chopped pecans mixed with bleu cheese
Each date contains 66 calories, no fat, 18 grams of carbohydrate, no sodium, and 2 grams of fiber
- No-guilt nuts
- 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Mix all spices together
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and add the spices
- Stir mixture for 30 seconds
- Add 1 pound of unsalted almonds, walnuts, cashews, or peanuts
- Stir dressed nuts over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until they are coated
- Transfer nuts to a greased baking pan
- Bake at 300° F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Place nuts on paper towels to drain excess oils until they are cool
- Makes 12 ¼-cup servings
Each serving contains 230 calories, 20 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbohydrate, 90 mg of sodium, 4 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein.
Seasonal Sides
- Roasted vegetables
- Mix 4 cups fresh cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, or cherry tomatoes with 1 teaspoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Roast vegetables at 450° for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes
- Season roasted veggies with your favorite herbs
Each ½-cup serving contains 20 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbohydrate, 90 mg of sodium, 1 gram of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.
- Superb sweet potatoes and Granny Smith apples
- Slice and steam sweet potatoes and apples until they are soft
- Mash sweet potatoes and apples together
- Season with ginger, cinnamon, or a dash of salt and pepper
Each ½-cup serving contains 90 calories, no fat, 21 grams of carbohydrate, 20 mg of sodium, 3 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.
- Great green beans
- Steam or sautee green beans
- Toss them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- Add toasted walnuts or chopped Canadian bacon
Each 1/2 cup serving is 45 calories, 3 grams of fat, no sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.
Demi Desserts
Bite-sized desserts can give you a treat taste without the excessive calories of an entire dessert. If you enjoy eating and baking cookies during the holiday, reduce the size of your cookies so that a recipe that typically makes 3 dozen cookies makes twice that many. Divide sweet breads, fudge, brownies, pies, and cakes into bite-sized helpings. Enjoy your bite-sized treats with small sips of hot tea or coffee. Take small bites and savor them. Focus on taste rather than volume.
- Perfect parfait
- Make a simple syrup by simmering ½ cup sugar in 1 cup water until it reduces to ½ cup
- Cool the syrup and pour it over 4 cups of mixed fresh strawberries, blueberries, pineapple chunks, sliced peaches, and sliced bananas
- Refrigerate overnight
- Make your favorite flavor of sugar-free instant or cook-and-serve pudding or tapioca
- Layer fruit with pudding/tapioca in individual dessert dishes, beginning with a layer of pudding/tapioca on the bottom
- Top with 1 tablespoon of sugar-free whipped topping
- Serves 8
Each serving contains 110 calories, no fat, 160 mg of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein.