Spirit of Women magazine is a national publication presented to women by hospitals and their physicians. The magazine provides up-to-date, evidence-based healthcare information and promotes our hospitals as leaders in women's health excellence.
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7 w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m FA L L 2 014 S P I R I T O F W O M E N PHOTOGRAPHE Y CHRISTINE PETKOV Recipes your food preparation. Write your holiday menus in advance. Look for ways to cook once and serve twice, such as doubling a recipe for dinner rolls and freezing half. 3. Don't be rigid. You can always adapt recipes to make them easier, just as you change them to make them more nutritious. "Never take a recipe, especially an old favorite recipe, at face value. There are always things you can substitute or change …" says Giambruno. For instance, make pumpkin custard instead of the usual pie, as Giambruno suggests. You can also do a crustless pie, says Mary Williams, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator for Christiana Care Health System, New Castle, Del. Or, decorate a ham with sliced pineapple instead of basting with a brown-sugar sauce. It's easier and healthier and looks prettier, explains Brittain. 4. Don't mask vegetable flavors. Ditch the marshmallows, brown sugar, canned soup and similar caloric ingredients, say the nutrition experts, and take that as a cue for simple, flavorful preparations. Sweet potato fries, for example, can be just as tempting as a marshmallow-topped casserole with less work. Cut sweet potatoes into strips or rounds, place on a baking sheet, lightly coat with butter-flavored fat-free spray, sprinkle with cinnamon and roast, suggests Giambruno. Let the oven do double-duty for roasting vegetables along with the meat course. "I love roasted vegetables, which have a different taste from steaming them," Williams says. "Roasted cauliflower is a good side dish," she adds. 5. Look for low-calorie foods with high flavor. Brittain's suggestion for a quick preparation with great taste is bruschetta—a savory Italian garlic bread—reinvented as breadcrumbs with Italian seasonings and diced tomatoes stuffed into mushrooms. And remember that when all the festivities are over, the holidays are about more than the food: "Spend time with people; have experiences with people. Be social," says Dr. Cain. • Holiday menu plans Use these uncomplicated yet festive menus to inspire your holiday meals. Shrimp with Two Dips ½ cup reduced-fat sour cream ½ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise 3 tablespoons minced scallions, green parts only 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 /8 teaspoon pepper 1½ teaspoons prepared white horseradish 1½ teaspoons sriracha (hot sauce) 1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro 20 large shrimp (about 1 pound), cooked, peeled, chilled Lemon wedges, optional Cilantro sprigs for garnish, optional In a small bowl, COMBINE sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions, lemon juice and pepper. MIX well. DIVIDE mixture evenly into two small serving bowls. STIR horseradish into one bowl. STIR sriracha sauce and cilantro into second bowl. ARRANGE on a tray with shrimp, lemon wedges and cilantro. Makes 10 (2 shrimp plus about 2 tablespoons dip) servings. Note: If desired, make the sauces several hours in advance and chill. Per serving: 60 calories / 5 grams total fat / 3 grams protein / 2.25 grams carbohydrates / 29 milligrams cholesterol / 188 milligrams sodium How do you pull off two different shrimp dips without doing double the work? Start with one base, divide and season. Thanksgiving • Roast turkey with au jus • Rosemary-roasted potato fngers • Roasted broccoli and caulifower tossed with Parmesan cheese • Gingered cranberry sauce • Pumpkin custard Christmas • Bruschetta-stuffed mushrooms • Spiral ham with sliced pineapple and pineapple juice glaze • Sweet potato and pear puree • Spinach and tangerine salad • Oat- and walnut-topped apple crumble Hanukkah • Yukon gold baked potato latkes with low-fat honey yogurt • Roasted carrot "gold coins" with pomegranate glaze • Green beans with sliced almonds • Sugar cookie sandwiches with salted caramel gelato flling New Year's Eve • Shrimp with two dips (recipe above) • Pork tenderloin sliders with curried mayonnaise • Red and white cabbage slaw with teriyaki vinaigrette • Poached pears with port