Eating is an important part of the holiday season. It holds sentimental value as a long-time tradition. A problem is that most of the food we eat during the holidays are high in fat and calories and not much else.
There are many modifcations you can make in traditional recipes to make them healthy and nutritious. In other words, you can have your cake and eat it too!
Try these tips ...
Change your recipes to have less fat and more fiber when possible. Find ways to use whole grains, and include a variety of fruits and vegetables in your meals.
- Use reduced-fat sauces for vegetables instead of cheese or cream-based sauces.
- Try evaporated skim milk as a substitute for cream in some recipes.
- Use reduced fat cheeses in recipes.
- Try reduced fat sour cream or plain yogurt instead of sour cream.
- Skim the fat from meat juices when making gravies or sauces.
- Baste meat with fruit juice or broth instead of fat.
You can also cut some of the fat and calories from your holiday baking, and still have the same great flavor! Some things to try are:
- Substitute 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg in baked products.
- Substitute half the fat or oil in a recipe with applesauce or fruit puree (prune puree). Sunsweet™ makes a product known as “Lighter Bake” which is a prune and apple mixture that may be used in your baked goods.
- Use chilled evaporated skim milk to replace cream.
- Substitute cocoa for baking chocolate – 3 tablespoons cocoa for 1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate (try recipe for Cocoa Molasses Bundt cake - see below).
- Use a fruit sauce as a cake topping instead of a high-fat/high-sugar icing.
More information:
Healthy Holiday Baking Tips [PDF]
Cocoa Molasses Bundt Cake [PDF]
Healthy Substitutes or High-Calorie Holiday Foods [PDF]
