This holiday season, consider how your holiday plans can be altered to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For ideas and recommendations on modifications you can make to make your holiday gathering safer, visit the CDC website.
Hosting a holiday party looks a little different this year but you can still try some of our favorite seasonal food swaps.
Creamed Spinach
Creamed Spinach can be very high in fat since it has butter and cream. Spinach is nutrient rich; however, all the extra cream and cheese in this dish can make it unhealthy. Check out the revised recipe to serve a delicious and nutritious dish at your table. Here is an original recipe and a revised one with less calories and fat.
Original Recipe
- 3 (10 ounce bags) spinach
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons onion
- 6 slices Provolone cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cal: 244 kcal Fat: 24g
6 – 8 servings per recipe
Makeover
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup onion minced
- 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons of 1% milk
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup light cream cheese
Cal: 150 kcal Fat: 9g
6 – 8 servings per recipe
Honey Baked Ham
Honey baked ham is a fan favorite during Christmas. What makes it so delicious is the honey and sugar when it is baked. Here is a way to still get that sweet honey flavor without all the sugar.
Original Recipe
- 1 5lb ready-to-eat ham
- ¼ cup whole cloves
- ¼ cup dark corn syrup
- 2 cups honey
- 2/3 cup butter
Cal: 391 kcal Fat: 21g Sugar: 29g
4 oz serving of ham
Makeover
- 1 5lb ready-to-eat ham
- ¼ cup whole cloves
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
Cal: 238 kcal Fat: 5g Sugar: 13g
4 oz serving of ham
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Spinach and artichoke dip is so delicious. Unfortunately, it’s loaded with calories and fat. Here are a few modifications to help reduce the calories and fat in this appetizer. Also, you could have wheat or multi-grain crackers and even raw veggies for dipping instead of bread.
Original Recipe
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 14 oz artichoke hearts drained
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ grated Parmesan Cheese
- ½ cup Gruyere cheese
Cal: 292 kcal Fat: 20g Sat Fat: 8g
12 servings per recipe
Makeover
- ½ cup fat free sour cream
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 14 oz artichoke hearts drained
- 10 oz frozen spinach
- 1 8oz block low fat (1/3 less fat) cream cheese
- 1 8oz block of fat free cream cheese
- 6 oz shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
- 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
Cal: 138 kcal Fat: 8g Sat Fat: 4g
12 servings per recipe
Pecan Pie
A popular dessert during the holidays is pecan pie. It is so scrumptiously gooey, crunchy, and sweet! Below is a lower sugar version that will still satisfy your sweet tooth and won’t go way over on sugar intake. The addition of dates in the revised recipe helps keeps the chewy texture, while reducing calories, fat, and sugar.
Original Recipe
Crust
- 1 unbaked 9” pie shell
Filling
- ¼ cup dark corn syrup
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 3 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ chopped pecans
Cal: 512kcal Fat: 27g Sugar: 47g
8 servings per recipe
Makeover
Crust
- 5 oz oat flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Filling
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 cup whole pitted Medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup dark corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
Cal: 298kcal Fat: 17g Sugar: 25g
8 servings per recipe
Have a safe and happy holidays and if you want to give our healthy, chef prepared meals a try, get 10% off your first order of $50 or more when you use promo code BLOGDEC17 at checkout.