Healthier Thanksgiving recipes
By Jami Kunzer
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jkunzer@shawsuburban.com
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| McEachran Homestead's seasonal items for sale at the Woodstock Farmers Market in mid-October. These fall harvest staples inspire a healthier Thanksgiving feast. (Photo by Jennifer Zegler) |
You can take some of the fat out of holiday eating without taking the fun out of it.
Area dietitians offered tips on how to avoid packing on the calories this holiday season as well as a few of their recipe recommendations.
Some studies show that the average person gains five pounds or more between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, says Jennifer Paul, dietitian at Mercy Harvard Hospital. And it’s not weight that easily comes off throughout the year.
“Definitely, it’s a time where there’s a lot more tempting foods and potentially more stress and a more hectic schedule,” Paul says. “The mentality should be more weight maintenance during that time versus a strict weight loss regime.”
Your first tip: eat.
Don’t go to parties ravishingly hungry. Don’t skip meals or go all day without eating to save your calories for the holiday meal.
Eat healthy snacks, even a healthy meal beforehand, Paul says.
And when you’re at the party, don’t hang out at the food table.
“They say conversation is calorie free,” Paul says. “Do more socializing versus eating.”
If you’re going to snack at the party, opt for the fruit and vegetable trays, suggests Toby Smithson, a dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Bring your own health dish to the party, she says.
“Focus on family, friends and activities during the holiday,” she says.
Go sledding or skating or serve a holiday meal at a shelter. And you might need to bump up your exercise routine a notch to balance out the increased calorie consumption, Smithson says.
As for what you eat, even slight changes in recipes can make a difference.
Cut the “bad” stuff — the butter, the sugar, the whole milk or cream — as well as the portion sizes in half, dietitians say.
Try to use herbs rather than fat to flavor food, Paul says. For turkey, try using lemons or apples, even putting the fruit inside the body cavity, she says. And obviously, a baked turkey is healthier than a deep-fried one, she says.
For gravy, opt for low sodium chicken broth, fresh vegetables and parsley instead of the fat often used to thicken it, she says.
As for the stuffing, use whole wheat bread crumbs and cook it outside the turkey, she says.
Try whipped cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, or perhaps do half and half, she says, “It pretty much tastes similar... and you save calories.”
It’s difficult to pass on dessert, especially during the holiday season. And you can still splurge, just in a healthier way.
Avoid or don’t even make the crust of apple pie, Paul suggests. Just bake the apples with a little cinnamon and sugar, add some nuts or some low-fat vanilla ice cream or yogurt.
Use a sugar substitute or reduce the amount of sugar, Smithson says. While some sugar substitutes can’t be used for baking, saccharin and Splenda can, she says.
Or use spices, such as ginger, mace, cardamon, allspice and nutmeg as well as fructose, the sugar in fruit, by relying on ripe bananas, prune puree or applesauce to flavor food.
The amount of sugar in a recipe that makes 12 muffins can be reduced to three or four tablespoons, Smithson says. Aim for less than one tablespoon of sugar per serving by dividing the total amount of sugar in a recipe by the number of servings.
For recipes, Paul recommends the Web sites www.foodfit.com and www.cookinglight.com. Search for the “13 Great Thanksgiving Meals” entry at cookinglight.com.
Lighter recipes
Whipped cauliflower
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Place cauliflower in a steamer basket; place in a saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.
Place the milk and oil in a blender or food processor. Add the cauliflower, salt and pepper; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a bowl. Serve immediately.
Source: allrecipes.com
Cider Gravy
4 cups Turkey Giblet Stock, (recipe follows) or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
When you remove the turkey from the roasting pan, leave the roasted shallots behind. Skim off any visible fat from the pan juices
Whisk 1/2 cup Turkey Giblet Stock (or chicken broth) and flour in a small bowl until smooth; set aside.
Set the roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. Add cider and vinegar; bring to a boil and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the pan, until the liquid is reduced by about half, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the remaining 3 1/2 cups stock (or broth). Increase heat to high; return to a boil, whisking often. Boil until the liquid is reduced by about half, 8 to 12 minutes.
Whisk the reserved flour mixture into the pan. Boil, whisking constantly, until the gravy is thickened, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the gravy through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup. (Discard the solids.) Season with salt and pepper.
Source: www.eatingwell.com
Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1 egg
2 egg whites
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
Preheat oven to 325-degrees F. In a bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, and egg whites.In a separate large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, oats, and raisins). Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and mix. Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet, two inches apart, and flatten gently. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Source: www.recipezaar.com
