Holiday Healthy Eating Guide

Turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes…YUM! Being a diet and nutrition specialist, I know the holidays can be the most difficult stretch of time to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

As Americans, eating delicious holiday meals is a social experience that brings family and friends together. But don’t stress! There are a lot of meal and recipe ideas to help you take steps forward in losing weight, even during the holidays.

Looking at all the traditional holidays meals, it’s carbs, carbs and more carbs. But believe it or not, we can dodge these empty calories without missing out on the social aspect of our beloved holiday meals. Take mashed potatoes for instance. Have you ever heard of cauliflower mashed potatoes? They’re actually delicious and extremely easy to make! Make yourself a batch and set it aside for your family dinner. Heck, if you’re in charge of the cooking, you could make them for everyone!

Also, it’s good to focus on vegetables! Many people like to skip the vegetables and go straight to the dinner rolls and stuffing. Make your vegetables interesting by baking them or putting them in a stir fry! Again, this is really easy and they taste yummy too!

There are many recipe ideas to make your Thanksgiving still a “real” Thanksgiving dinner without missing out on the family fun! Below are some fun and interesting holiday recipe ideas that I’ve found. You can also check out my website weekly for new and updated healthy recipe ideas: www.chwmn.com.

HAVE A FUN AND HEALTHY HOLIDAY!

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HEALTHY HOLIDAY RECIPE IDEAS

Main dish:

1) Lean Roasted Turkey

Use your favorite recipe. Stick to the white meat and avoid the skin.

Side dishes:

1) Mock Mashed "Potatoes"

Ingredients:
1 head of fresh cauliflower
Onion powder, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Mix with chicken soup broth

Preparation:
Boil or steam the cauliflower until it is very, very soft. Drain the water. Add the seasonings and chicken broth to the consistency of your liking. Mash well and serve steaming hot.

2) Oven roasted vegetables

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into pieces
1 red onion, sliced
Fresh mushrooms
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, Mrs. Dash, or other seasonings

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Place all ingredients in a bowl with a lid; toss to coat.  Place vegetables in a large roasting pan in a single layer.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until veggies are lightly browned and tender.

3) Coleslaw

4 cups coleslaw mix, or plain cabbage mix
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
5 Tablespoons Splenda
5 Tablespoons cider vinegar
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine the coleslaw mix and pepper. In a smaller bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the cabbage mixture. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Yield: 6 servings

4) Mixed Green Salad from the Greek Islands

Preparation: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Dressing:
3 to 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1 small head romaine lettuce, cored and leaves separated
1 bunch arugula, trimmed and finely chopped
3 to 4 sprigs watercress, finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh dill, finely chopped
3 to 4 sprigs fresh mint, thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely grated cucumber
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and very finely chopped or grated
salt

Dessert:

5) Pumpkin Pie Pudding

1 cup of low fat vanilla pudding
Add pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to taste