5 Healthy Versions of Christmas Classics

19 December 2016

While we would certainly urge you to be careful about what you eat on your mission to shift weight and shape up, that doesn’t mean you have to be dull about what you eat!

The festive season provides a good case in point. There are particular foods that are especially commonly consumed at that time of year – and, with the help of this article, you could prepare healthy versions of them capable of satisfying your tastebuds without inadvertently adding to your waistline.

Light and fruity mince pies

You are perhaps in the habit of putting aside some mince pies for Santa every Christmas Eve night – and, thankfully, the BBC’s Food website includes a recipe for lighter-than-usual mince pieces. So, if you often find yourself peckish for mince pies, you can help both your weight loss efforts and Santa’s! For this recipe, you will need to put aside an ounce of melted unsalted butter, 5-and-a-half ounces of mincemeat, 4-and-a-half ounces of chopped ripe or tinned pear, 1-and-3-quarter ounces of chopped satsumas, 2 tablespoons of cornflour, and 5 sheets of filo pastry.

Low-fat roast potatoes

How do you make roast potatoes that are less hefty with the calories? Make them with cooking oil spray and ensure that the oven is very hot. These steps will help you make potatoes that are crunchy and much less fatty. Spend time on one of our fitness boot camps, and you can learn more about good nutrition. Before that, though, you can learn more just by reading the rest of this article…

Lighter raspberry chocolate log

The idea of a healthy chocolate treat might seem incredibly oxymoronic – but, yes, you really can make it a reality. Get some butter, medium free-range eggs, caster sugar, and cocoa powder for the sponge, and some double cream, crème fraîche, raspberries, and dark chocolate for the filling, before following the recipe on the BBC’s Food website. You can serve as many as 10 people with the finished log – so, you can spread the calories for further kindness to your waistline.

Make-ahead Christmas gravy

You are bound to be busy on Christmas Day, whether it’s with opening presents or helping your family to open theirs, going out to visit extended family, or something else. Therefore, you can save time on the big day by getting the gravy ready well ahead of it. The ingredients you will need for this gravy include light olive oil or vegetable oil, carrots, a red onion, chicken wings, cornflour, and chicken or turkey stock.

Parmesan roast parsnips and carrots

To make these, you will need 7-8 peeled and trimmed carrots, 7-8 peeled and trimmed parsnips, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, an ounce of grated Parmesan, some salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Again, the exact recipe you need is on the BBC’s Food website, where you will also find instructions for preparing this food in advance of Christmas Day. This would free up more space in your oven when that day comes around. Here’s to a great Christmas…