Now that you have your sugar intake under control,
(Again, well done!)
I thought it might be helpful to give you just a couple of tips for holidays and special occasions. Ways to make at least a few of your recipes a little healthier from drinks to casseroles.
I'll take from my family's personal experience instead of just googling recipes, because you can do that on your own.
A healthy lifestyle one of our family values. Learning how to eat healthy, when there's so many outside factors trying to influence them to eat junk, is a gift we're giving our kids. Our bodies want to be healthy. And every day (and even on holidays) we can make choices which support health---instead of contribute to disease.
I'm not saying that we're perfect, so please don't get that impression. We are not vegan or vegetarian (although we do find ourselves eating less meat than ever these days and we do not eat dairy). And we do have birthday cakes. It's a celebration of family, after all. But since it's not our daily lifestyle, there is no chronic, long-term damage and we happily get right back to our daily health habits.
So here are some practical suggestion to help make at least a few of your dishes a little healthier---and not just to reduce the amount of sugar you'll consume, but also bad fats/dairy. :-)
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE:
This year skip the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes and kick the canned.
I don't ever write down my recipes while I'm creating, so it tends to taste a little different each time. But try baking the sweet potatoes then mash. Or eat as is...sweet potatoes are sweet enough when you've kicked the sugar habit. Add olive oil instead of butter. If you need little sweetness, use honey instead of sugar---or add pineapple.
Top with Pecans. My family goes nuts over it.
MASHED POTATOES:
We don't use butter or milk in our mashed potatoes anymore. We use olive oil and homemade soy milk. We add a little roasted garlic to it while we're mashing. It's delicious & dairy free.
GRAVY: Try using gluten free flour to make the gravy. It's less inflammatory.
FRUIT SALAD:
This is a staple for every
one of our family gatherings.
 |
| My holiday fruit salad |
I like to splurge on it for the holidays.
I start with the watermelon, cantaloupe & grapes,
(Which are not easy to find some holidays, but Trader Joe's usually has nice variety.) Then I add strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, blackberries & raspberries.
(Organic, if possible)
It's simply beautiful and everyone dives into it.
GREEN BEANS:
Instead of mushroom soup, which has lots of unhealthy ingredients, try cleaning it up this year. Use fresh green beans, roast them in the oven, drizzled with a little olive oil and top with slivered almonds.
Season with garlic & pepper. Yum!
A CRANBERRY COCKTAIL:Many people enjoy a tasty cranberry drink as their choice for the festivities.
Instead of a 'cocktail' version, which is packed with sugar...or artificial sweeteners, flavors, etc., purchase an unsweetened cranberry concentrate version. My favorite brand is Just Cranberry.
A full serving (8 oz.) contains just 9 grams of sugar. I just use a splash and then add water for a tasty and lower-sugar beverage. (Spiked or unspiked)
We always have a veggie tray on the table for snacking before and after dinner while we're enjoying each other's company and playing games. We usually end up crying we get to laughing so hard. :-) The veggie tray must have refills at the ready, as they go fast. So we make quart-sized bags of each so we can quickly fill in the blanks. Pick your favorites. Ours includes cherry tomatoes, colored peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower & broccoli.
I hope that gives you a few practical ideas on how to make just one or two little tweaks to your menu this year.
Be well, my friends!
~Anne
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