If you are trying to lose weight or avoid weight gain during the holidays, it can be a little difficult when it is time for Christmas dinner. Luckily, there are some ways to have healthier dishes and still feel like you weren’t missing out. Here are some different healthy Christmas dinner ideas.
1. Mashed Sweet Potato and Cauliflower
This is a great alternative to traditional mashed potatoes, using cauliflower and sweet potato instead, which are healthier and far less calories and carbohydrates. The combination of them makes for a colorful and flavorful side dish for your Christmas dinner. To make the dish, you want to add both sweet potato and cauliflower to a food processor to make a mash, then add in Greek yogurt instead of butter, milk, and seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
2. Cranberry Almond Salad
This salad is a good replacement for just about any side dish, but especially the more fattening ones like green bean casserole. You will use spinach as your greens, then add some toasted and slivered almonds and dried cranberries on top. You can use a standard oil and vinegar dressing, or make a sesame seed dressing for the salad with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, and sesame seeds.
3. Gingerbread Loaf
For a dessert after dinner that is healthy and low in calories, try making a gingerbread loaf. This is a clean eating recipe containing molasses, ginger, vanilla extract, maple syrup, applesauce, and eggs. You will also need cinnamon, nutmeg, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cloves, baking powder, and salt. It is a really simple recipe that just requires these ingredients and a standard loaf pan. You can choose whether or not you want icing on top.
4. Whole Wheat Rolls
Dinner rolls are often a favorite for Christmas dinner, but standard white rolls are filled with carbs and not always good for you. If you still want rolls, a healthier option is to make whole wheat ones. You can use whole wheat flour, coconut butter instead of regular butter and pure honey to make them delicious, yet better for you. Instant yeast, salt, and an egg are also going to be used for the rolls.
5. Cauliflower Rice Stuffing
Instead of making regular bread stuffing, why not use cauliflower rice and turn it into a healthier version of stuffing? Cauliflower can be made into a rice consistency with your food processor. You will then combine the cauliflower rice with onion, olive oil, celery, mushrooms, seasonings, herbs, red wine vinegar, and pecans.
