Ideas for making the holidays healthier

Make this holiday a healthy one for the whole family … and it's easier than you may think!

By all means ensure you and your family will truly enjoy your celebration and holiday meal, but don't allow the occasion to be an excuse for everyone to overeat.

By enlisting even a handful of meal makeover strategies, you'll serve a healthy Holiday feast that'll get gobbled up in no time.

Here are some Healthy Holiday How To's "served up" by Merilee Kern, author of the award-winning fictional children's book Making Healthy Choices - A Story to Inspire Fit, Weight- Wise Kids.

Smart Starts: Low calorie broth-based soups and smartly dressed salads take the edge off your appetite, as long as they're not drenched in creamy, high-fat dressings and greasy croutons.

Dress with some extra virgin olive oil and good balsamic vinegar; add fresh or dried herbs and a sprinkle of chopped almonds or walnuts.

Talking Turkey: Skinless turkey breast is about the leanest meat you can eat, only about 90 calories in a 3-ounce portion. Dark meat is has more saturated fat, and about 130 calories per portion. Moisten the breast meat by serving with low calorie tomato salsa and cranberry sauce (homemade, not the sugary canned version).

Gravy with Goodness: Lighten up gravy by skimming off the fat from the turkey drippings. Pour drippings into a bowl, place bowl into freezer while turkey is resting, about 15 minutes, then skim off the fat.

In a saucepan, combine 4 cups of defatted drippings, ground pepper to taste, 1/3 teaspoon of poultry seasoning and a cube of chicken bouillon: stir and simmer for five minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of nonfat milk and 1/4 cup cornstarch, then add to hot broth, stirring with whisk until smooth.

Stuffing to be Thankful For: These simple modifications apply to both your traditional and everyday recipes to make them lower in fat and calories.

Substitute nonfat evaporated milk for milk and cream; two egg whites or 1/2 cup of egg substitute for one whole egg; 100 percent fruit juice for chicken broth (or use de-fatted broth) and eliminate saturated fat and lower the amount of fat by substituting olive oil for butter.

Portion Control: Studies consistently show that the more you put on the plate, the more you'll eat. Plate the main course and starch sides in the kitchen, and offer unlimited bowls of salad and vegetables family-style.

Fat Reduction: Reduce fat in recipes by half, or replace fat with lower calorie ingredients.

For example, replace half the fat in your quick bread, cookie, or cake recipes with fruit puree or unsweetened applesauce.

Make healthier mashed potatoes by substituting low fat buttermilk for whole milk or half-and-half, and reducedcalorie (trans fat-free) margarine like spread for butter. I add garlic to my potatoes … just soften a couple of cloves of garlic in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray while the potatoes are boiling, then mash into the cooked potatoes before adding buttermilk and spread. A serving (about 3/4 cup) has about 150 calories and 4 grams of fat.

Additional Cooking Tips and Techniques:

Bake, broil, grill … poach and even sauté foods, but not in butter or oil. I usually cook and bake in nonstick pans, sprayed with cooking spray.

If you're braising, use nonfat broth or bouillon, or wine (the alcohol burns off for the most part), or 100 percent fruit juice, even water.

543-543-Basting: Reduce the fat calories by basting the bird with vegetable broth, white wine or orange juice

Dairy: Reduce total fat, cholesterol and saturated fat by substituting nonfat evaporated milk or low fat or nonfat dairy including milk, sour cream, yogurt and cheese.

Substitute low fat buttermilk for whole milk in any recipe.

Substitutions:

Eggs: The yolk contains all the fat, cholesterol and most of the calories and the white has only about 25 calories per egg. Substitute two egg whites for one whole egg.

Bread crumbs: Add fiber and lower fat calories by substituting crunchy cereal for bread crumbs or to top casseroles. Try crushed corn flakes or nuggettype cereal like Grape Nuts.