Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

During the holiday season, it is easy to put on 5-10 pounds simply from eating poorly. Here are a few tips to keep you healthy during holiday meals.

1. Stay away from bread (including dinner rolls), rice or pasta dishes. Empty calories, high carb, overall bad.
2. Choose side dishes made primarily from vegetables, like squash casserole, sweet potatoes or yams, or peas.
3. Don't blow your calories on everyday foods. Save it for special things, like dressing, that you only eat during the holidays.
   
4. When eating pie for dessert, remove the back part of the crust and eat the filling of the pie. Removing that crust will save you at least 150 calories per slice.
5. When choosing what pie to eat, go with pumpkin over apple or pecan. Pumpkin is low carb and requires less fat and sugar to make it delicious.
6. Don't drink your calories! Stay away from eggnog (1/2 cup contains 12g Fat). Try to drink light beer or wine.
7. When in doubt, make your own dish to bring along! I always try to make a salad, brussel sprouts, cauliflower or some other side dish that I can load up on.
   

Grilled Mushrooms and Onions

8oz Portabello mushrooms
1 large red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Wash mushrooms well and slice into large pieces. Quarter red onion. Heat the grill or a grill pan to medium-high and spray with cooking spray. Brush veggies with olive oil, then place on grill. Cook onions 6-7 minutes per side, mushrooms 4-5 minutes per side. Take off the grill, season with salt and pepper, then serve immediately.

Turkey Burgers with Gouda

This recipe is based on one by Rachael Ray, but revamped. The sauce is delicious and the little bit of sour cream makes up your fat intake. You don't need buns or bread for these burgers; just serve with Brussels sprouts or cabbage. So good!

Burgers
1lb Ground turkey
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp paprika
salt and pepper
2oz gouda cheese

Sauce
1 green onion, chopped fine
2 cups chopped spinach
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Mix all burger ingredients, except the cheese in a large bowl and let sit at least 30 minutes.
Heat grill or skillet to high. Chop gouda into small pieces and mix into turkey meat. Pat out into patties approximate to your protein intake (I like 2 2oz patties). Place over heat and grill about 5-6 minutes per side.

Mix sauce ingredients and sit aside. When burgers are finished, top with a little bit of sauce.

Cauliflower and Celery Root Mash

This is a good way to bring a low carb dish that everyone will like to your family's Thanksgiving. The celery root ads a more potato-like texture and the Jarlsberg cheese makes the top brown and bubbly. You can use any Swiss cheese variation that you like. You can make this in advanced, then brown when you get to your destination.

1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 heads cauliflower
1 celery root
3 tbsp butter or olive oil
2-3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup sour cream
2-3 tbsp shredded Jarlsberg cheese
2 green onions, chopped

Prep: Chop cauliflower in chunks. to dice celery root, remove the outer part with a knife by cutting off the bottom, then skinning it thinly. Chop celery root into 1/2 inch pieces.

Heat 1 tbsp butter a in large heavy skillet, then add onion. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and cook 4-5 minutes. Add celery root and cauliflower and other 2 tbsp butter and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes, then add stock. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

When the cauliflower is very soft, put half of the ingredients in the pot in a food processor. Add sour cream and green onions and process until pretty smooth. In the pot, mash the other half of the cauliflower/celery root mix with a potato masher. There should still be some lumps. Mix the pureed into the mashed, then put in an oven safe baking dish. This can sit for up to 24 hours before you need to cook it. Top with the Jarlsberg cheese and bake for 15 minutes at 375 or, if still hot, brown the top under the broiler for 3 minutes.










Celery Root (above) can be purchased at Fresh Market or New Leaf

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

If you are trying to eat healthy, switching from white potatoes to sweet potatoes is an easy and delicious start. Their complex flavor makes them, in my mind, a richer and deeper tasting alternative than their boring cousin, the white potato.The sweetness of these potatoes is countered with the pungent sea salt and spicy black pepper. Although sweet potatoes are not specifically low-carb, they are low glycemic and extremely healthy.

2-3 medium sweet potatoes
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Heat oven to 400. Rinse sweet potatoes, then dice into 1/2 inch sized pieces. In a glass or ceramic baking dish, toss with olive oil and salt and place in hot oven. Cook 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven. After 20 minutes, remove from oven, add black pepper, stir and return for another 15 minutes or so.

Avocado Cream

Instead of sour cream, try making this delicious substitute. I prefer Hass avocados for their richer flavor and creamy texture but you can use the lower-fat Florida avocado as well. Serve with tacos, chili or even as a substitute for mayonnaise.

1 ripe avocado
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
lime or lemon juice


Lightly chop avocado and put in a small blender (magic bullet!) with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a tsp or so of lime or lemon juice. Puree until smooth

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

2 tbsp butter

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 cups Brussels sprouts

½ onion, chopped

½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

½ tsp sugar

1/3 cup chicken broth

Wash sprouts, then slice into strips. Heat a pan to medium-high, add butter, then onions and cook until just beginning to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add apple cider vinegar and sugar. Cook 3 minutes, then take off heat and set aside. In another pan, heat olive oil, then add sprouts, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook 5-6 minutes, then add chicken broth and cook until liquid has evaporated. Add cooked onions in with the sprouts and serve immediately.

Eggplant Dip

This is a party favorite!

1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
2 tbsp tahini
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 400. Toss eggplant, onion and pepper in 2 tbsp olive oil with salt, pepper and cayenne and put in glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake 25 minutes, tossing often. Let veggies cool a bit, then place in food processor with tahini and lemon juice. Pulse until well mixed, then drizzle in olive oil. Serve with veggies.

Summer Squash Soup

In Florida, we can get yellow squash year round, which makes this low-carb soup a perfect addition to any meal. The buttery squash becomes rich and creamy when pureed; no extra cream needed.

6-7 yellow squash, diced

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic (optional)

1-2 tbsp butter

2 cups vegetable broth

salt and pepper

1 tsp paprika

sour cream

Heat soup pot to medium-high. Add butter and once it melts, sauté onion and garlic for 7-8 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add squash and cook about 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper and paprika. Pour in vegetable broth, cover and bring to a boil. Once the soup begins to just boil, reduce heat to low, cover again and let cook for 15-20 minutes.

Pour soup mixture in blender and process until just smooth (you can also use an immersion blender here). Put back in pot to keep warm until you are ready to serve. Top with a tiny bit of sour cream for rich flavor.