Today on the radio I spoke about “Thanksgiving Tweaks” that can help make your meals a little lighter. I have made sure to share with you some of my best tips for the holiday weekend!
#1 Tip: Eat your normal breakfast.
Don’t starve all day to save up for the Thanksgiving meal, it will not only slow down the digestion of your food but will give you the sense of urgency to eat more and leaving you with an unsettling stomach ache.
#2 Tip: Tips to help with the cooking for the big day.
Replace the fat in stuffing with low-sodium chicken broth and add a bunch of chopped vegetables to “dilute” the bread.
Many recipes have 2 to 3 sticks of butter or margarine as the “liquid” to moisten the bread stuffing. Replace all that fat with equal amounts of low-sodium chicken broth. A cup of chicken broth is around 10 calories — compared with an ounce of butter at 100 calories. (A stick of butter/margarine is 800 calories.) OR you can use rough-chop celery, mushrooms and onions to “bulk up” the volume of your stuffing, without the calories of bread, so the calories per serving are reduced. If you want to try a new recipe I have 2 for turkey stuffing that I usually make on Thanksgiving.
http://daynadetersfitness.com/recipe/grain-free-turkey-stuffing/
http://daynadetersfitness.com/recipe/stuffing-muffins/
#3 Tip: Baking Tips:
1. When baking, you can try to eliminate as much oil and butter in the recipes with apple sauce, pumpkin puree, prune puree, avocado or mashed bananas.
2. If the recipe calls for Chocolate chips or melted chocolate you can use fewer chocolate chips than a recipe calls for or substitute with cocoa powder.
3. If recipe calls for whole milk, whipping cream. Use unsweetened almond milk (plain) or you can also use unsweetened almond milk (plain) and 1 serving of unflavored protein powder.
4. Replace Shortening with real butter, just check the label so nothing else is added, or you can also replace the shortening with coconut oil.
5. If a recipe calls for sour cream, mayonnaise you can use instead plain fat free Greek yogurt–it has the same texture and similar flavor to both sour cream and mayonnaise.
#4 Tips for gravy.
When the gravy is made put the gravy into the refrigerator before serving. Once it gets cold the fat will collect at the top, skim it off, defrost, and serve warm.
#5 Tips for portion control.
Use a tablespoon to serve yourself instead of a ladle.
#6 Skip the skin.
Cut the calories in half per serving. Eat the meat you like — very little difference in calories of dark and white meat. For a 6-ounce serving of turkey, taking off the skin saves about 300 calories. It doesn’t make much caloric difference whether you eat white or dark meat — what does save the calories is skipping the skin.
#7 Lose the crust.
Make your favorite pumpkin pie filling, and put in small ramekins. Bake until firm. Top with some chopped walnuts or plain greek yogurt. The crust is fat laden, and most people don’t even miss it. This works for apple pie as well — put the apples in a small ramekin, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and bake. Another way to save 200 calories is swap out a slice of pecan pie and have a single-crust apple pie with some walnuts mixed in instead. OR you can make some protein rich desserts from the website and no one will tell the difference!
http://daynadetersfitness.com/recipe/pumpkin-oat-muffins/ (You can make these into a cake instead by placing the batter in a 8X8 baking dish).
http://daynadetersfitness.com/recipe/pumpkin-protein-bars/
http://daynadetersfitness.com/recipe/pumpkin-coffee-cake/
Other helpful tips:
There is more sugar and fat in most recipes than is needed, and no one will notice the difference if you skim calories/fat/sugar by using alternatives.
1. Use fat-free chicken broth to baste the turkey and make gravy.
2. Use sugar substitutes (stevia) in place of sugar and/or fruit purees instead of oil in baked goods.
3. Reduce oil and butter wherever you can.
4. Try plain greek yogurt in creamy dips, mashed potatoes, and casseroles.
Helpful tips to stick by when serving your meal:
1. Start with your protein-make your your meats lean by removing the skin and fat before eating.
2. Fill up half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables like salad, green beans, spinach, or broccoli.
3. Portion Control–If you have trouble with portion control, drink large glasses of water right before you start your meal and continue to take sips between bites.
What is in YOUR drink?
Make sure to drink your water. You can even make spritzers with sparkling water or club soda and add some fruit for flavor.
If you are going to drink choose light beer, wine, or drinks made with club soda or sparkling water.
If you choose to drink make sure to alternate between alcoholic drink and water to stay hydrated and keep calories lower and your hydration up.
Let’s Get Physical..Physical…I think Olivia Newton John made this song just for the holidays. Right?
Start your morning of Thanksgiving off right by getting your workout in right away! No excuses because most of us have the day off. After your Thanksgiving meal be sure to get active–I know most are like “WHAT? I have to workout, again?” But I promise, it will make you feel better and not so lethargic. Make activity a habit after every meal–whether it be a walk or an interactive game, get the whole family involved so that you can all burn a few extra calories and lead a longer, healthier life together.
Lastly, the holiday season is a time for celebration. With busy schedules and so many temptations, we need to change the mindset and not let one day sabotage the goals you have in mind, if you get off track the one day remember you can get right back up, brush yourself off and get back in the game the next day!
Happy safe and healthy Thanksgiving!