We get it. No one wants to watch what they eat over the holidays (plus, it takes superhuman willpower to turn down all those tasty treats). But you don’t really want to kick off the New Year in a food coma either. Use these painless tricks for trimming calories from your favorite holiday recipes, so you can still whip up a feast sans a side of post-holiday flab.
Think before you lick: Before you “just taste” that Christmas cookie batter you’re mixing, put down the spatula and consider this: A single spoonful can contain more than 100 calories, not to mention that the raw eggs in the batter could send you to the hospital for the holidays (not to sound like your mom or anything). Play it safe and save the calories for the cooked cookies.
Trim the fat: Most recipes for your favorite holiday dishes call for several sticks of butter. So cutting just one tablespoon from your mashed potatoes or rum raisin cake won’t change the taste. But it will save you roughly 100 calories.
Lighten up your a la mode: Here’s how to have your pie and eat it too -- minus 100 calories: Swap 1/2 cup ice cream for 1/2 cup chocolate sorbet. Can’t live without your Haagen-Dazs? Just cut the serving in half.
Opt for waist-friendly apps: Whipping up your famous spinach dip? Swap 1/4 cup of sour cream or mayonnaise for non-fat yogurt to trim 100 calories off this appetizer. But don’t stop there. Eat your new and improved dip with veggies instead of chips, or top your crackers with the dip instead of brie, and you can subtract another 100.
Go easy on the vino: Instead of a second (or third) glass of wine, switch to seltzer water or diet soda. You’ll save 100 calories (and avoid a headache in the morning).
Nestpert: Katie Cavuto Boyle MS, RD, is a registered dietitian, chef, president of Healthy Bites and serves as the dietitian for the Philadelphia Phillies. Learn more at HealthyBitesDelivery.com.
-- Samantha Leal
Dec 13, 2010
See More: Holiday , Food & Recipes , Cooking Q&A