Substitute healthy ingredients into your traditional holiday recipes. There are countless ways to cut the calories but keep the flavor. Below are a few suggestions, don’t be afraid to try some out and modify your recipes. We always say to keep modifying until it “doesn’t make, doesn’t bake, or the family says yuck”. What are other modifications you have tried? Share in the comments section.
Replace the fats.
- Toss the sour cream and use non-fat plain Greek yogurt as the base for your dips. Add fresh herbs and a squeeze of citrus juice to provide powerful flavor. Greek yogurt is also great as a replacement to sour cream on tacos and in chili. Make sure it is plain and not a flavored Greek yogurt!
- Choose white meat instead of dark meat on the turkey, and avoid the skin.
- Make gravy with low-sodium turkey broth instead of turkey fat, and bulk it up with mushrooms and other savory vegetables.
- Replace half the oil in your cake recipes with applesauce, or substituent the butter in your cookie recipes with avocado. These substitutions cut the calories, pack in the nutrients, and preserve the original texture of your baked treats.
- Roast your vegetables in olive oil and a dash of salt instead of baking them with sodium-laden cream of mushroom soup and fried onion rings (looking at you, green bean casserole).
- Replace half the mayonnaise in salads with plain Greek yogurt or opt for olive oil instead (still makes great cole slaw). Replace the mayonnaise on sandwiches with mashed avocado, hummus, mustard, or pesto.
- Top your salads with oil and vinegar-based dressings instead of creamy dressings. Make your own dressing with olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar. Try balsamic, apple cider, red wine, or sherry vinegar for variety. Leave in a jar in the fridge to use all week.
Reduce the sugar.
- Mash cauliflower in place of or in combination with potatoes. Cauliflower has far fewer calories and tastes almost exactly the same.
- Canned pie fillings and cranberry sauces are full of added sugars and preservatives. Use fresh or frozen fruit for your pies, desserts, and sauces instead.
- Replace half the white flour in your biscuit, bread, and pie crust recipes with whole-wheat flour. Better yet, follow a recipe that uses 100% whole wheat flour.
- Roast pecans and walnuts with cinnamon, nutmeg, and just a dash of sugar. A small handful has fewer calories than a slice of pecan pie, but satisfies the same sweet craving.
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it would be nice if you replaced some of your dairy products with non dairy products for the recipes. I use Tofutti “better than cream cheese” in recipe that call for cream cheese same with the sour cream. Some people don’t know that they cook the same. In baking a cake I never use half oil and half applesauce I use just applesauce it also makes the cakes taste much better.
tofutti contains soy and it is processed soy, which studies have now shown is not that healthy, especially if you have thyroid issues, plus to make it taste better it adds sugar. The fat difference is only 1 gram and there are more additives in the Tofutti than neufchatel cream cheese.
Thank you for your comments, Cheryl and Debra! I would talk to your doctor or Registered Dietitian regarding non-dairy alternatives. Thanks for sharing!
Ty for these tips I welcome more