How to Make Your Favorite Holiday Dishes Healthier

By Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD 

Everyone has a favorite holiday recipe, whether it’s your grandmother’s homemade pumpkin pie, mother-in-law’s green beans, or dad’s turkey stuffing.  

And while enjoying these special recipes with family and friends is one of the best parts of the season, some holiday dishes can stand to be lightened up.  

Fortunately, there are so many easy ways to add a healthy twist to holiday classics, so you can have all your favorites…and eat them too!  

Here are our best tips to help you in the kitchen this season. 

 1 – Replace butter in baked goods with olive oil, or supplement with applesauce. 

If you do a lot of holiday baking, swapping out butter for heart-healthy olive oil or high-fiber applesauce can help you boost the nutrition of your recipe without sacrificing flavor. 

The general guideline is to substitute olive oil for ¾ the amount of butter (i.e. 8 tablespoons of butter = 6 tablespoons of olive oil). For applesauce, use only half of the butter required by the recipe and substitute applesauce for the rest of it (i.e. 1 cup butter = ½ cup butter, ½ cup applesauce). 

 2 – Make your own cranberry sauce and stuffing. 

These two classic dishes are typically store-bought, but did you know that you can easily make your own? 

Homemade cranberry sauce can be made by combining 3 cups of fresh cranberries with ½ cup water and 1/3 cup maple syrup. Bring these ingredients to a boil in a saucepan, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the cranberries “pop” and the sauce starts to thicken. This delicious version tastes incredible but has much less sugar that canned cranberry sauce. 

To make your own stuffing, sauté celery, onion, mushrooms, and fresh herbs in some olive oil. Combine the veggies with day-old bread cubes in a baking dish. Pour in some low-sodium broth,and bake in the oven!  

3 – Choose your drink mixers wisely. 

If you enjoy festive cocktails or drinks, use plain or naturally flavored soda water as a mixer instead of soda and sweetened juices. You can also cut back on how much sugar you add to hot cocoa and cider by using spices, such as peppermint, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. 

 4 – Opt for roasted or steamed veggies instead of casseroles. 

Love green bean casserole? Steamed green beans with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and slivered almonds are a great alternative. Without all of the ingredients in typical green bean casserole, this dish is higher in fiber and lower in calories, which will help you feel satisfied and less sluggish after eating.  

Instead of candied yams, try roasting sweet potatoes or butternut squash in olive oil, cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. You’ll get so much delicious flavor but with fewer ingredients! 

 5 – Make healthy swaps whenever you can! 

Finally, there are a few basic swaps you can make to improve the nutrition of all holiday dishes regardless of the recipe. 

Try plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, use a mix of whole-wheat and all-purpose flour instead of all white flour, and substitute low-fat milk for heavy cream. (Note: be careful with substituting low-fat milk in pie recipes, as this may make the filling too watery.) 

These simple swaps will help you lighten up your meals without impacting taste. You may even find that you enjoy the healthier version of your favorite recipe more than the original! 

Note From Healthy For Life Meals:  While you work to make your favorite holiday dishes healthier, we’re working to do the same for your everyday meals! Our menus include all the comfort foods you love, like pizza, tacos, and pasta, but we prepare them in ways and with ingredients that allow you reap great health benefits! Check out our traditional and vegetarian menus today.