This beautiful crab salad placed on endive leaves makes for a healthy alternative.
Is it weird that the holiday season makes me look forward to spending some quality time in the kitchen? If that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. I tend to prefer fresh flavors, bright colors, and foods that won’t make me feel heavy or comatose after eating. Enjoy the holiday season without suffering food hangovers. It’s easier than you think to make crowd-pleasing dishes that you won’t regret in the morning.
If you can make something taste delicious and shave off a hundred calories here and there, isn’t that better than letting those extra calories add up, leading to weight gain and health concerns? Save yourself from the all-or-nothing mentality and make some smarter choices this holiday season!
| Instead of… | Try… | You Save… | |
| Roquefort, walnuts, Belgian endive salad
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Citrus crab canapés in Belgian endive
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| Main ingredients: | Endive, walnuts, Roquefort cheese, hazelnut oil, lemon juice
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Endive, lump crabmeat, navel oranges, cucumber, red onion, lime juice, olive oil | |
| Visual appeal: | Mostly pale light green and white
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fresh orange, green, and purple against an elegant light green base | |
| Nutrition | 250 Cal, 20g Fat (5g Saturated), 15g Carbs, 10g Protein, 475mg Sodium (5 endive leaves with dressing) | 175 Calories, 5g Fat (0g Saturated), 20g Carbs, 20g Protein, 375mg Sodium
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Save 75 calories, a whopping 15g of fat, 5g of saturated fat, and 100mg sodium |
| Sour Cream |
Low-Fat Sour Cream | ||
| Nutrition for 2 T | 60 Calories, 5g Fat (3.5g Saturated), 1g Carbs, less than 1g Protein; 10mg Sodium | 40 Calories, 3g Fat (2g Saturated), 2g Carbs, 1g Protein; 20mg Sodium | Save 20 calories, 2g fat, and 1.5g saturated fat |
| Sour cream | Plain non-fat Greek yogurt | ||
| Nutrition for 2 T | 60 Calories, 5g Fat (3.5g Saturated), 1g Carbs, less than 1g Protein; 10mg Sodium | 20 Calories, 0g Fat (0g Saturated), 1g Carbs, 3g Protein; 10mg Sodium | Save 40 calories,5g fat, and 3.5g saturated fat.
Gain 2g of protein! |
| Regular whipped cream |
Whipped cream from Low-Fat evaporated milk |
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| Nutrition for 1 oz | 100 Calories, 10g Fat (7g Saturated), 1g Carbs, 1g Protein, 10mg Sodium | 20 Calories, 0g Fat (0g Saturated), 3g Carbs, 2g Protein, 30mg Sodium | Save 80 calories and 10g of fat – 7 of which are the harmful saturated type |
| Butter | Olive Oil |
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| Nutrition for 1 T | 100 Calories, 12g Fat (7g Saturated), 0g Carbs, 0g Protein, 100mg Sodium | 120 Calories, 14g Fat (2g Saturated), 0g Carbs, 0g Protein, 0mg Sodium | Save 5g saturated fat and 100mg of sodium. Since butter has milk solids and oils are pure fats, ounce-for-ounce calories will be higher in oils, but the quality of the oils is better for your heart. Vegetable oils are also cholesterol free! |
Click here for the Citrus Crab Canapes in Endive Leaves recipe!
Insider scoop for EatRightHere readers: Some of my favorite foods for entertaining are on-sale through December 27th at my Healthy Living for Less section of the store. Check out my page for savings on elegant endive, organic white beans, delightful microgreens, and more.
What are your favorite holiday entertaining foods? Let us know on the FreshDirect Facebook page or via Twitter (@FreshDirect)
