Wanna cut the needless calories this Thanksgiving?
It’s definitely a serious rut we have ALL gotten stuck in…Eating from ThanksGiving til Christmas! You can really pack on the pounds in that span of time. BUT!, if you can cut calories along the way…while still keeping up the fitness. You can BREEZE right on through the holidays and feel PROUD about it!
I’ve compiled a few swaps of old classics that could cut a HUGE amount of pesky pointless cals and empty carbs. Hey, seriously, if your gonna eat a lot (like me) it may as well be whole, healthy and lower impact on your system!
Keep an open mind this year and change the habit! You can do it! Happy Eats!
1. I do LOVE my canned cranberries..I think it reminds me of my child hood with those rings! LOL But here’s a MUCH healthier version!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
3 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup water
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 to 2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon course sea salt
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until cranberries start to pop open and become saucy.
2. Swap Candied Yams for Glazed Sweet Potatoes! YUM!
Ingredients:
5 sweet potatoes or yams (about 3 pounds)
Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon Smart Balance or other light tubbed butter spread
2/3 cup apricot nectar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and mist a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Put potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover them by 1 to 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/2-inch slices and add to the baking dish.
2. Combine remaining ingredients except nuts in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring. (Mixture will thicken.) Pour over sweet potatoes and top with nuts, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes.
3. & 4. Instead of heavy starchy mashed potatoes,
Try Butternut Squash Mash or Cauliflower Mash!
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
3 slices center-cut bacon or turkey bacon (this is certainly optional, I don’t use bacon but most people love it!)
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon light whipped butter or light buttery spread (such as Brummel & Brown)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 cups cubed butternut squash
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss (Optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and mist an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook bacon according to package directions until crispy, chop or crumble, and set aside. Mist a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add onion, butter, cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue stirring for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned and caramelized. Remove from heat.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add squash and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until very tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl. Add garlic, pepper, remaining salt, and cheese, breaking it into pieces and mixing well. Spread mixture evenly in the baking pan and top with caramelized onion and bacon. Bake until dish is hot throughout, about 15 minutes.
Cauliflower Mash
1-2 head of fresh cauliflower or 1-2 bags of frozen
4 TBSP butter
2 T cream cheese or sour cream (optional) <—-I sub Fage Greek Yo 😀
2 T or more Parmesan (optional)
Salt, pepper, garlic and other spices to taste
1.Bring a couple quarts of water to a boil in a large pan and add cauliflower.
2.Cook until tender (You can also blend the cauliflower in your blender, and the microwave for 4 mins per my Cauliflower Crust Recipe! )
3.When tender, put into large bowl and add other ingredients.
4.Use immersion blender or hand mixer to blend until smooth and creamy. This is the most important step… chunks of cauliflower are a giveaway! Although I actually prefer the lumpier version so you can also mash by hand instead of the blender depending on your preferences!
5.Sprinkle with extra cheese if desired and serve warm.
5. White Dinner Rolls offer ZERO nutrition, but you can make your rolls worth the carbs with this Whole Grain Flax Recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed, plus 2 tablespoons
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons salt
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg white
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine water and milk and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, until slightly warm. Add sugar and yeast to dissolve and let stand 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, whole-wheat flour, 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, and salt together. Slowly stir dry ingredients into milk mixture to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding enough remaining all-purpose flour to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, then turn so all sides are coated with spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place that’s free of drafts for an hour or until dough is doubled in size. (To check, press two fingers into dough. If the indentation remains, dough has risen enough). Punch dough down, cover, and let rest 5 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 20 equal portions. Keeping them covered to prevent dough from drying, shape each into a ball. Place balls 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let dough rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Uncover rolls and cut a 1/4-inch deep “X” on the top of each roll using kitchen scissors. Combine water and egg white and brush over rolls. Sprinkle remaining flaxseed over top of rolls, if desired. Bake for 15 minutes or until rolls are browned on bottom and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
6. Veggie Cornbread Stuffing in lieu of Boxed Stuffing
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups whole wheat bread, cubed
2 cups corn bread, cubed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sautee the onion and celery in the sesame oil.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spices with the bread and vegan cornbread, mixing well. Add the onion and celery and stir to combine.
4. Add vegetable broth just until moistened, adding more or less as needed.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Try Mushroom Gravy instead of Turkey Gravy!
Ingredients
1 portobello mushroom
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms
4 cups organic mushroom or vegetable stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Marsala wine, (optional)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Directions
-
Remove stems from portobello, shiitake, and cremini mushrooms. Place stems and mushroom stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes. Strain; set aside.
-
Finely chop portobello cap, and set aside. Thinly slice shiitake and cremini. Place 3 tablespoons butter in a large saute pan over medium heat; add shallots, and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chopped and sliced mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms are soft and browned, and all liquid has evaporated. Add Marsala, if using, and cook, stirring to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, and set aside.
-
Place the remaining tablespoon butter and flour in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cook until browned and fully combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the enriched stock; bring to a boil, whisking until thickened. Add the reserved mushroom mixture and thyme, and stir to combine. Serve hot.
8. Freezer FauxCheesecake to die for…and eat a lot of! Dessert is my thing! haha
Remember you can get creative with this! Add some cocoa powder for a chocolatey taste or blueberries, whatever you want!
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup dried coconut
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Filling:
2 cups cashews, soaked for 4 hours
1 can pureed pumpkin or 1 1/2 cups raw pureed pumpkin OR any other fruit you want. I don’t LOVE pumpkin so I use applesauce or plain with a fruit topping 😀
6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup agave nectar
3 tablespoons coconut water or coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions:
1. In food processor, pulse all crust ingredients together until sticky. Press mixture into a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Blend filling ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. If mixture is too thick, add a bit more coconut water. Pour into crust and freeze for 1 to 2 hours, until firm. Slice while frozen and defrost for 1 hour before serving.
