Eating healthy on the holidays may be the last thing that you want to do. After all, the holidays usually revolve around delicious food and over-indulgence; however, if you are really trying to stay healthy and want a few alternatives to classic holiday recipes, we got you covered.
Mashed Potatoes
Photo by Helena Lin
Mashed potatoes are arguably the best part of any holiday meal. I mean who can resist their creamy, buttery goodness? If you want to cut down on calories though, this recipe for mashed cauliflower is a great way to do it, and it still tastes awesome.
Photo by Paulina Lam
Green Beans
Photo courtesy of Jessica Rossi from flickr.com
You’d think that having green beans as a side makes your holiday meal healthy, but when you grab a spoonful of that green bean casserole, what you’re really getting is a lot of fat and added calories from the cream of mushroom soup and fried onions. In order to get the full benefits from green beans and still make them flavorful, check out this recipe.
Photo by Gabby Phi
Gravy
Photo courtesy of bettycrocker.com
Gravy is the delicious sauce that runs over your meat and mashed potatoes and usually everything else on your plate (but we’re not complaining). It may seem harmless but gravy actually has a good amount of fat and sodium. To stay a bit more heart healthy, try making this awesome vegan mushroom gravy. It’ll also satisfies any vegetarian or vegan guests you have which is a plus.
Photo courtesy of chowhound.com
Yams
Photo by Lauren D’Amore
While candied yams and sweet potato casserole have stolen many hearts, there are other ways to make them a treat. Instead of dousing yams in brown sugar, try roasting them to enhance their natural sweetness, or turn them into fries like this.
Photo by Rachel Conners
Lasagna
Photo by Keni Lin
If your family likes to eat Italian food on the holidays, you’re sure to be eating way more carbs than you could ever dream of. Try a healthier version of this classic dish using spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Spaghetti squash has much less carbs and calories than regular pasta (only 42 calories and 10 grams of carbs per cup), and with the same amount of fiber as regular pasta, you’ll feel just as full without eating a ton. But if you still feel like making pasta, try this vegan cashew cheese lasagna.
Photo by Julia Maguire
Dessert
Photo by Kristine Mahan
When you thought you couldn’t eat another bite after dinner, there’s always a huge table of desserts calling your name. If you really want to stay tame, try limiting yourself to just one dessert or only take small portions of a few instead of trying to fit a whole piece of cherry berry pie, three cut out sugar cookies and pudding into your stomach. Here are some guilt free recipes that you can try to lighten things up.