Lighten Your Holiday Load

If we take for granted that the holidays bring some sort of weight gain, then that seems to make it okay for us to indulge in every high calorie goodie we ever wanted to eat. While we can indulge, accepting that we will gain weight gives us permission to overeat. That sort of group think will definitely lead to weight gain. After all, if everyone is at fault, then no one is responsible, right?

You can have your cake and eat it too, but in an effort to achieve this, use a few tips and tricks. Start with what you have in your home. Hosting a Christmas dinner is the perfect opportunity to slim down the meal without changing the taste. Guests won’t even know that they are eating foods that have been specifically tailored to be good to them. Here are some suggestions:

1. Guess what? Sweet potatoe (or pumpkin) pie tastes just as good without a crust. Find a recipe that uses egg product and low-fat evaporated milk instead of cream.
2. Rather than using a self-basting bird to retain moistness or basting with butter, cover the bird with a foil tent at the start of roasting. Remove the foil an hour before the turkey is done so the skin can brown.
3. Instead of making gravy from fatty meat drippings, stir together a can of reduced-sodium chicken broth and a spoonful of flour, then thicken on the range top.
4. Since most of the fat in poultry is in the skin, skip it. Leave it on during roasting to keep the bird moist, but don't serve it.
5. Use wild rice or whole grain bread to increase the fiber in your stuffing. Moisten the stuffing with reduced-sodium chicken broth instead of butter.
6. Mash your potatoes with the peel on for a little extra fiber.
7. Substitute plain yogurt for butter or cream potato toppings.
8. Top sweet potatoes with a little thickened apple cider instead of marshmallows.
9. You'll skip the fat that's in the traditional green bean casserole if you steam or stir-fry. Green beans cooked this way also retain more nutrients.
10. If you serve bread, offer whole grain options, such as rye or whole wheat rolls. Instead of butter, set decanters of olive oil and pepper to in lieu of butter.

• 1 1/4 cups vanilla soymilk
• 1/4 cup cooked sweet potato, cold
• 1 container (6 oz) vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• Place ingredients in blender or food processor. Cover; blend on high speed about 1 minute or until smooth.
• Pour into 2 glasses. Serve immediately.