Holiday meal makeover
You don't have to give up mashed potatoes, stuffing or gravy to enjoy a heart
healthy holiday feast! By making a few easy changes, you can give these and
other festive favourites a nutritional makeover that will still deliver on great
taste.
Mashed potatoes
Give creamy mashed potatoes an instant makeover simply by switching out butter
or cream with ingredients like lower-fat milk, Becel margarine, fat-free sour
cream and lower-fat cream cheese. Or serve up a more savoury combination with
our recipe for Sweet
Potato & Parsnip Mash, flavoured with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and low-sodium
chicken broth.
For an alternative dish that's brimming with beta carotene, try baked butternut
squash, mashed with a touch of brown sugar and Becel margarine.
Roasted turkey
Roasting is already a smart way to cook meat without having to add any extra
fat. While the roasted turkey itself may not be in need of a recipe makeover,
think about how you'll use the leftovers.
Rather than making traditional turkey salad sandwiches, use skinless slices
of roasted turkey for these easy Roast
Turkey and Cranberry on Whole Grain sandwiches.
Stir-fry the rest of your holiday turkey leftovers with broccoli, carrots, red
peppers and snow peas, and serve over steamed brown rice or whole wheat couscous.
Stuffing
Skip the sausage and meat, and you'll cut most of the fat content of this side
dish. Instead, include as many veggies as you can, such as finely diced celery,
mushrooms, carrots and onions. Or you can opt to make a rice stuffing, using
brown or wild rice. Toss in chopped nuts, dried cranberries and diced, unpeeled
apple for extra colour, crunch and fibre.
Gravy
If gravy is a must on your holiday menu, then make it with a gravy fat separator.
This handy kitchen gadget resembles a measuring cup with a spout. It traps fats
from your roast drippings, so you can pour out just the flavourful juices to
make gravy.
Use salt-free and sodium-reduced flavourings to finish off your gravy.
You might even wean your family off gravy altogether by serving cranberry sauce
or apple sauce as a lower-fat, fruity accompaniment to your roasted turkey.
Cookies
Most cookie recipes call for some kind of fat or oil, so opt for something that
is low in saturated fat, such as Becel margarine or Becel oil. Add meringue
cookies to your holiday baking repertoire. They're made with egg whites, so
they'll contain much less fat than buttery shortbread and many other types of
cookies.
Use whole wheat flour to make batches of Gingerbread
People or Cherry
Ginger Biscotti.
Finally, if Santa is expecting a plate of your ultra decadent cookies, help
him watch his portions by simply making each cookie smaller!