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The average American may consume more than 4,500 calories and a whopping 229 grams of fat from snacking and eating a traditional Holiday dinner.
With the Holidays only a few weeks away many of us are starting our grocery shopping, finalizing our menu, and creating seasonal table decor. Traditional Holiday dishes are generally known as being unhealthy and can leave you feeling stuffed and guilty about over indulging. While we respect that some recipes are passed on from generation to generation and certain staples just HAVE to find a spot on your table, there are ways to lighten many recipes up to make your turkey day healthier and just as delicious and indulgent!
Holiday Meal Tips
- Fill your plate using the following ratio: half vegetables, one-quarter skinless turkey breast, and one-quarter starchy sides (stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, casseroles, yams, etc).
- Pies should be cut into 8 pieces – select your favorite and have ONE slice. Have 2 favorites? Serve yourself a 1/2 slice of each. If you can’t bypass topping with whipped cream or ice cream keep to around the size of a golf ball.
- Get Moving! Exercising prior to your big meal will help jump-start metabolism and maintain your personal commitment to your own health and wellness which will carry through the holiday and into the next day!
- Weather too cold or rainy to get outdoors? Get in a workout at your gym and if you’re out of town research options ahead of time for drop in rates
For help preparing Holiday recipes on the “lighter” side see some of our favorite RDN approved foods below:
Appetizers
- Shrimp cocktail: We opt for buying the pricier jumbo shrimp instead of the pre-packaged shrimp rings you’ll see in most supermarkets. In our opinion the jumbo shrimp look more elegant and are tastier so are worth the financial splurge! This is a great way for you and guests to fill up on a low calorie and high protein appetizer (we love to include cocktail sauce, fresh horseradish, and of course Old Bay!)
- Soups: If you live in a colder climate what better way to kick off the holiday than with a belly warming soup! Prepared soups can be kept in a crockpot for people to self serve as an appetizer. Try butternut squash or pumpkin soup recipes and check out one of our favorites: Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup
Main Dishes
- Mashed Potatoes: We love these 2 takes on making a “healthier” mashed potato both from one of our favorite food blogs
- SkinnyTaste
- Skinny Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Potato Parsnip Mash
- Cauliflower Rice Stuffing: This cauliflower stuffing may not food lovers of the “real stuff” but it does a pretty close job! We served it last year and it was a big winner!
Vegetables: oven roasted vegetables with a little olive oil, salt and pepper can make a delicious and healthy side dish! Our favorites include: brussel sprouts, green beans, butternut squash, and root vegetable medley (carrots, parsnips, turnips, yams, beets)
Desserts
- Pumpkin Pie: Trust this dairy-free grain-free crustless version made with cashew cream.
- Pecan Pie Tarts: Traditional pecan pie is one of our favorite pies and also one of the LEAST healthy. These phyllo tarts have just 70 calories each and still have the flavors from a traditional pie!
Want more healthy recipe inspiration? Check out this article from Eating Well.
Do you have a favorite healthy lightened-up holiday recipe you’d like to share we’d love to hear in the comments below!
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