- Eat healthy at holiday parties!
- Tricks to stick to your nutrition plan over the holiday.
- Enjoy the holiday parties without derailing your diet.
This is a tough time of year to stick to a nutrition plan! There are cookies, candy, pie and numerous other treats everywhere! There are several tricks that will allow you to attend holiday parties and enjoy yourself, without completely blowing all of your progress.
- Eat before you go. If you are not starving you will make better choices.
- Start with the healthy stuff first. Your first round at the buffet should be lean protein, fruits and vegetables. Let the second round (if you are still hungry), be something sweet.
- Drink a lot of water. Have a 16oz bottle in the car, on the way to the party. Then drink water as soon as you get there. That will help you feel full and let you make better choices.
- Limit alcohol intake to one drink. Drinking alcohol lowers your ability to stick to your guns. It becomes much easier to tell yourself ‘one more cookie will not hurt’.
- Bring a healthier version of a holiday favorite (see below). This way, if you do indulge, at least you are saving yourself a few calories.
Remember, even if you do fall off the wagon and over-indulge on food or alcohol, it is just one day. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back in the game. Start fresh the next day. Don’t use one bad day as an excuse to over indulge for the rest of the year!
Low Fat Holiday Cookies
With almost half the butter of most sugar cookies, you can treat yourself to one of these low fat Christmas cookies without feeling too guilty. Top with sprinkles before baking or add a glaze afterwards using confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice and some food coloring.
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 5 tbsp butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Preparation:
Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter and sugar until dough forms. Don’t worry if the dough seems a little crumbly at first; it will come together. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for two hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch or 1/8-inch thickness. Use holiday cookie cutters dipped in flour to make cutouts. Gather scraps and re-roll until all the dough is used.
Place cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack after 1 minute to cool.
Makes 30 cookies, depending on size of cookie cutters used.
Per serving: Calories 65, Calories from Fat 20, Total Fat 2.2g (sat 1.3g), Cholesterol 12mg, Sodium 38mg, Carbohydrate 10.3g, Fiber 0.2g, Protein 1g