Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner. How in the world are you going to eat healthy with all those wonderful temptations staring you in the face? Well, you’re going to follow this guide. I’m going to tell you how to cook your Thanksgiving meals in a healthy way and follow a well-balanced menu through the holidays. Weather your cooking the meals or going to family’s house, you CAN stay on your diet AND enjoy your day!
Studies show that people gain 5-10 pounds over the Holidays and a typical Thanksgiving or Christmas meal can pack in as much as 3000 – 5000 calories. That’s not including seconds.
Part 1-Cooking Your Own Meals
(Healthy Alternatives)
The Turkey
Weather it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, Turkey is usually the main course. Turkey is an excellent source of lean protein, but most people saturate it in high fat gravy. Gravy can pack in 150 calories per serving.
Try this instead:
1. Leave the fat drippings in the pan.
2. Dissolve 1 tbs of cornstarch with 2 cubes of chicken or beef bouillon with ¾ cup cold water.
3. Add pepper and any other spices you prefer.
Another option is to by the powder gravy, and mix with cold water. These are surprisingly good and only have 20 calories per serving. Better yet, skip the Gravy altogether. If your eating with “not so health conscious” family members, then cook both types and let them choose. You will be better off with your healthy alternative.
The Stuffing
Stuffing cooked inside the turkey allows the fat to drip into the stuffing. A typical serving size of stuffing is only ½ cup with 200 calories. Most people consume at the least 1-cup, usually more. Try cooking stuffing outside of the turkey or;
Try this instead:
•¼ cup light butter
•1 cup minced onion
•¾ cup celery
•¾ cup grated carrot
•1 tsp ground cardamom
•1 tbsp dried thyme
•2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
•2 bay leaves
•1 loaf of whole grain bread chopped into small pieces
•1 cup raw oats
•2 eggs beaten
•2 cups vegetable broth
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Next, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat until bubbling.
3.Add in the onion, celery, carrot, cardamom, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves, cooking until the vegetables feel tender.
4.Next, take the bay leaves out of the skillet and combine a large bowl the bread, oats, and vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5.Third, mix together the eggs, beating until frothy. Drizzle the eggs over the mixture until coated and then add the vegetable broth to the bowl until the stuffing is moist but not soggy.
6.Transfer this to a casserole dish and bake for about 30 minutes.
Mashed Potatoes
Well, you can’t skip the mashed potatoes. Everyone will be talking if there are no mashed potatoes, but you can offer a substitute of butternut squash for yourself.
Try this:
1.Start by cutting the squash in half, and then removing all the seeds and excess fibers.
2.From there, cut into chunks and bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also boil the squash cubes until their tender for about 20 minutes if you’d prefer.
3.After that, drain and mash just like you would regular potatoes.
4.During the mashing process, add in 2 tbsp of ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ or another butter substitute product, 2 tsp of brown sugar, Splenda, salt and pepper to taste, and some ground nutmeg. If you would prefer an even fluffier texture, consider whipping with a beater rather than just mashing the squash.
Peas, Corn and Green Beans
So why am I pestering you about vegetables? They’re good for you right? Well, only when there not covered in butter and packed in salt. A healthier alternative is buying fresh so you don’t have the extra sodium and use a butter spray if needed.
Even better, replace these veggies with a salad topped with low fat dressing.
Cranberry Sauce
Instead of buying the premade cranberry sauce in a can, consider making your own healthier cranberry sauce.
Try this instead:
1.To do so combine one cup of orange juice with one cup of Splenda in a saucepan until it’s dissolved.
2.Then add in one 12-ounce package of fresh cranberries.
3. Continue to cook until the cranberries make a ‘popping’ sound (about 6-8 minutes), and then remove from heat to allow the sauce to cool. Swapping the sugar with Splenda in this recipe will definitely help reduce the calorie count.
Appetizers
Before the main meal, your guests will always want something to snack on. Traditional choices include, chips, crackers and cheese, olives and beer.
Try this instead:
1.Make hard-boiled eggs.
2.Devilled eggs with fat free mayo.
3.Sliced peppers, celery and carrots.
4.Bake soft tortilla shells and break apart for chips and serve with salsa.
5.Serve light beer or skip the alcohol all together.
Deserts
Of course, the holidays are not complete without deserts. This can be where your biggest calorie consumption can come from. Pecan pie, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate cake are common choices. Pumpkin pie is the lower in calories of these three choices. But, to make it even a better choice;
Try this instead:
1.First, in any dessert that calls for eggs try replacing one or two of the whole eggs with two egg whites. In certain desserts you will want to keep at least one egg yolk in there, but for many cakes, it can easily be changed.
2.Secondly, consider replacing applesauce or another fruit puree for oil as this will help to retain the moisture while also adding more of a sweet flavor.
3.If the recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, which is very high in both fat and calories, you can simply sub this in with nonfat sweetened condensed milk, which is available in most grocery stores.
4.To help cut down on the sugar content of the dessert, you can often replace at least one half of the sugar with a non-sugar substitute.
5.Low-sugar pudding made with skim milk and topped with fat free cool whip and fresh berries is also another very tasty dessert that is actually quite a healthy and low cal addition to your meal.
Don’t be afraid to modify the recipe a little. These modifications will be so slight in taste but will make a huge difference on the calorie content.
Part 2-Eating at Someone Else’s House
(You can control it)
So you’re not going to be cooking the dinner this year. Well, you still have choices right? You don’t have to eat everything that’s put in front of you. Or do you? Going to someone else’s house for the Holiday’s can be very challenging when you want to stay on your diet. Here are a few tips to help.
Try this:
1.Bring some dishes of your healthy alternatives listed above. Then you can just eat what you brought. Bring one healthy desert and side dish like Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes, and then you can eat the turkey they offer without the gravy. Have only a ½ cup of their stuffing and only snack on veggies as appetizers.
2.Offer your healthy recipe to the host before the big day. They may be willing to make the alternative for you.
3.Stick to portion sizes and only get one helping. No seconds.
4.Eat from a child size plate so your not pressured to filling a large plate with food. You will finish what is on your plate, so just make a small one and save yourself.
5.Drink water, lots of it. This will help make you fell full throughout the day so you’re less likely to snack.
Conclusion
You absolutely can enjoy yourself during the Holidays. Stick to your guidelines and just remember to stop when your full, not stuffed. Avoid temptations by keeping yourself busy. Play with the kids, help set the table, hold a relay race outside and join in!
So by following my easy guide to Holiday Eating you will stay on your fitness track and not gain the stereotypical 5-10 pounds of Holiday fat.
Kelly Taylor Fitness 
Leave a comment