By: Julia Lott, MS, RD, LD, Fresh ‘N Fit Cuisine
If you are hosting Christmas dinner, you are most likely already making your grocery list. Many of your guests having been attending holiday parties all month long; most of these dishes are high in fat, sodium, and calories. Listed below are a few common Christmas table favorites and some changes to the recipes to cut back on calories.
Creamed Spinach
Creamed Spinach can be very high in fat since it has butter and cream. Spinach is nutrient rich; however, all the extra cream and cheese in this dish can make it unhealthy. Check out the revised recipe to serve a delicious and nutritious dish at your table. Here is an original recipe and a revised one with less calories and fat.
| Original Recipe3 (10 ounce bags) spinach 1 ¼ cup heavy cream ¼ cup butter 2 tablespoons minced garlic 3 tablespoons onion 6 slices Provolone cheese ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese Cal: 244 kcal Fat: 24g 6 – 8 servings per recipe | Makeover3 (10 ounce bags of spinach) 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil ½ cup onion minced 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour 1 ½ tablespoons of 1% milk 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese ¼ cup light cream cheese Cal: 150 kcal Fat: 9g 6 – 8 servings per recipe |
Honey Baked Ham
Honey baked ham is a fan favorite during Christmas. What makes it so delicious is the honey and sugar when it is baked. Here is a way to still get that sweet honey flavor without all the sugar.
| Original Recipe1 5lb ready to eat ham ¼ cup whole cloves ¼ cup dark corn syrup 2 cups honey 2/3 cup butter Cal: 391kcal Fat: 21 g Sugar: 29g 4 oz serving of ham | Makeover1 5lb ready to eat ham ¼ cup whole cloves ¼ cup pineapple juice ¼ cup orange juice 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon orange juice Cal: 238 kcal Fat: 5 g Sugar: 13 g 4 oz serving of ham |
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Spinach and artichoke dip is so delicious. Unfortunately, it’s loaded with calories and fat. Here are a few modifications to help reduce the calories and fat in this appetizer. Also, you could have wheat or multi-grain crackers and even raw veggies for dipping instead of bread.
| Original Recipe8 oz cream cheese 2/3 cup sour cream 1/3 cup mayonnaise 2 cloves garlic minced 14 oz artichoke hearts drained 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese ½ grated Parmesan Cheese ½ cup Gruyere cheese Cal: 292 kcal Fat: 20 g Sat Fat: 8g 12 servings per recipe | Makeover½ cup fat free sour cream 3 cloves garlic minced 14 oz artichoke hearts drained 10 oz frozen spinach 1 8oz block low fat (1/3 less fat) cream cheese 1 8oz block of fat free cream cheese 6 oz shredded part skim mozzarella cheese 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese Cal: 138kcal Fat: 8 g Sat Fat: 4 g 12 servings per recipe |
Pecan Pie
A popular dessert during the holidays is pecan pie. It is so scrumptiously gooey, crunchy, and sweet!
Below is a lower sugar version that will still satisfy your sweet tooth and won’t go way over on sugar intake. The addition of dates in the revised recipe helps keeps the chewy texture, while reducing calories, fat, and sugar.
| Original RecipeCrust 1 unbaked 9” pie shellFilling 1 ¾ cup white sugar ¼ cup dark corn syrup ¼ cup butter 2 teaspoons corn starch 3 eggs ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ¼ chopped pecans Cal: 512 kcal Fat: 27g Sugar 47g 8 servings per recipe
| MakeoverCrust 5 oz oat flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder ¼ teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup vegetable shortening 2 tablespoons unsalted butterFilling 1 cup pecan halves 1 cup whole pitted Medjool dates 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ¾ cup dark corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 large eggs Cal: 298 kcal Fat: 17g Sugar: 25g 8 servings per recipe |