What’s on your holiday menu? It seems Holiday cooking just keeps getting richer. But, there is a way to cook delicious food that will delight your friends and family without the worry of added pounds that make the Holidays even more stressful. So let’s remind ourselves of what we are dealing with. Calorie counting helps us quantify food. Calories don’t specifically tell us what’s in the food, but they give us an idea of what it might take to burn off said food item.
For example, If one cup of turkey stuffing has 360 calories and it’s alongside a six ounce serving of turkey at 340 calories, we’re already up to 700 calories. Add 300 calories for mashed potatoes and gravy, 150 calories for ½ cup candied sweet potatoes, 225 for green bean casserole and that brings us up to 1375. If you are inclined to add a dinner roll at 110 calories and slice of apple pie at 410, we have a new total–drum roll please—1,895 calories! For many of us that’s enough calories for a whole day! And when all those foods hit the belly at the same time, it’s a digestive nightmare that sends you to couch groaning. Keep in mind those calories will need to be used or burned and if brisk walking burns 100 calories per mile, I’ll let you do the math. All this in the name of tradition.
But tradition is memorable—it adds to the fun of the holiday menu. And it’s tough to explain to Uncle Larry that his favorite candied yams have been cut from the roster. Or, to tell Aunt Lucille she’s not getting her favorite apple pie. So maybe we can’t (without a mutiny) omit the family favorites, but we certainly can lighten them up a bit.
Stuffing made by cutting the butter in half is almost undetectable when you add that same amount of chicken broth back in. Pumpkin pie made by reducing the sugar ¼ cup and adding ¼ cup agave nectar is delicious, your family won’t know you made the adjustment. Be sure to reduce the cream or milk by one tablespoon so the pie will set nicely. Rather than add butter and cream to the mashed potatoes, use chicken broth, a little rosemary (1/4 tsp. per about 8 potatoes) or a hint of onion powder to bring out the flavor of the potato. Do we really need to add sour cream and butter to something that is going to have gravy poured over the top anyway? With a few minor adjustments such as these, you can save hundreds of calories! I guess you could say it’s “health by stealth.”
Those delicious traditional holiday meals you are looking forward to will be just as delicious—and with a little careful planning–a whole lot lower in calorie. And maybe when you make it to the couch–post-meal, you’ll be smiling instead of groaning.
