Ideas for Healthy Holiday Substitutions:
Among the most cherished of holiday traditions is sharing special foods—especially desserts and sweets. While many of these favorites are heavy on sugar and fat, you don’t have to feel guilty about splurging. You can still enjoy those special dessert recipes by following these tips.
- Use canned applesauce or plums in recipes as a healthier alternative to butter, margarine, or oil.
- Save the fat by using cocoa powder instead of chocolate. Substitute three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate in baked goods such as cakes or cookies.
- Replace heavy cream in pudding and cream pies with evaporated skim milk.
- Use nonfat yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.
- Two egg whites can be substituted for each whole egg in many baked recipes.
- Since much of the fat in cake comes from the frosting, try topping cakes with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, or a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar.
- Decrease the amount of nuts used in a recipe by half, substituting it with Grape-Nuts cereal to keep the crunch and texture.
- Reduce the amount of chocolate chips or nuts in a recipe by one-fourth. No one will even notice
- Substitute skim milk for regular milk.
