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Healthier Turkey Day Spread

Source: Heather Greenbaum, RD, www.nu-train.com

For those of you who are hosting Thanksgiving this year, here are some tips on how to modify the staples of your feast so that they’re lower in fat and calories.

Turkey: Serve the turkey without the skin. The skin contains a lot of fat.

Potatoes: Serve individual baked potatoes, sweet or plain and with butter on the side, instead of mashed potatoes or a sweet potato casserole made with cream. For sweet potatoes, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top, and for plain, add a dollop of nonfat sour cream.

Gravy: Reduce the fat in your gravy by defatting the broth you use.

Veggie Dishes: Instead of au gratin vegetable recipes, opt for steamed or roasted veggie dishes. Use spices and onions instead of cream sauces to add flavor (see below for a sample recipe). Or make a low-fat vegetable soup, like squash or zucchini.

Stuffing: Bake your stuffing instead of cooking it inside of the bird. Turkey drippings can add fat. And eliminate fatty ingredients, like sausage, from the recipe.

Pie: Instead of serving pies baked in buttery crusts, opt for crustless fruit crumbles and crisps and cut the amount of sugar the recipe calls for by half. The fruit will be sweet enough on its own. Or serve individual pumpkin custards without the piecrust.

November 16, 2005 in Healthy Recipes | Permalink