Here’s your holiday-party survival guide.
Who doesn’t love the holiday season? The decorations, the shopping deals, the presents, good will toward everyone, and, of course, the food! That gorgeous holiday fare is everywhere.
You can’t walk into the break room without being tempted by cakes and high-end, imported treats. Every person with a desk has chocolate kisses or peppermint candy canes for the taking. At home, friends stop by for eggnog and other holiday libations; you certainly can’t be rude and refuse them, can you?
And we can’t forget the obligatory family gatherings. Mom and grandmas (OK, and a few dads and granddads) have secret-ingredient dishes passed down for generations. It took me 30 years to get my mom to tell me what’s so special about her potato pancakes and homemade applesauce. (You’ll have to beat it out of me!) So, how do you navigate through the culinary jungle that is the holiday season without packing on the fat and unwanted pounds?
It is possible and you can do it without overly sacrificing your taste buds or your six-pack. It’s all a matter of balance and mental preparation. That’s half the battle. If you know what you’re up against, you’ll be ready to splurge without regret.
Here are some tips I give my clients to help them make it from Thanksgiving to New Years without the typical holiday weight gain.
Tips For Holiday Eating At Parties
Don’t allow your head to talk you into anything. We’ve all been in this position: You’re at a great holiday party. All your friends are chowing down on bacon-wrapped meatballs and cheese puffs. You think, Oh, just this once! It’s a special occasion.
Really? Who are you kidding? It’s never “just this once.” That phrase should be taken out of your vocabulary. Instead, practice the following preventative skills to keep your weight down and body lean during the holidays.
• Keep a calendar. Make yourself a special-events calendar specifically for the holidays, and hang it up right by the phone. Put a colored highlighter and a pen next to it. Now, whenever you get invited to a party, write it on the calendar and highlight it. Pretty soon, it will look very colorful and you’ll be able to see why “just this once” can’t possibly work. This will help you prepare for the coming weeks so that you don’t overindulge.
• Look before you lunch. When you’re at a party where there are heavy hors d’oeuvres or a large buffet, first look at the whole buffet. Pick the healthiest choices and one or two that look yummy and can be considered your splurge.
• Put your food on a plate. Studies have shown that people will eat more if they don’t have a measured portion on their plate. If you just graze from the server’s tray or a table of food, you’ll end up consuming a full dinner’s worth of high-calorie treats before you even sit down for the meal. Take the food off the tray or the table and put it on a plate you have in your hand.
• Chew slowly and stop at one plate. After you put food on your plate, eat slowly throughout the whole evening without taking seconds.
Tips for Holiday Eating at Home
It’s a little more work to oversee what your guests eat when you host your own parties. I love when people enjoy my food, but as a fitness expert, how can I let them overeat? It’s against my nature and what I stand for.
You may have heard that you should never eat more than the size of your stomach, which is about as big as your fist. Or you’re told to use smaller plates, which doesn’t always work in the real world. Here’s what I suggest.
• Don’t serve family style. I cook all the time. As a healthy chef, everyone wants me to cook for them—clients, friends, family, you name it. But I don’t serve anything family style. No giant platters of steaming hot chicken breasts with red wine and mushrooms or piles of rice pilaf for my diners.
• Plate the food and serve it to each person. I start with lots of healthy veggies, then the protein choice and perhaps a starch—all artfully arranged on the plate, just like in a
restaurant. It looks pretty and your guests won’t realize you’ve saved them from consuming unwanted calories. They’ll feel spoiled, and you’ll have the satisfaction of making sure they don’t overeat. A win-win!
• Don’t serve seconds. When I plate everything, no one gets seconds—not without asking, anyway.
• Keep an eye on the kids. A lot of people let their kids loose during holiday events. Plate for them as well. You serve them at home, don’t you? It’s the same principle when visiting others.
• Use the “20-minute rule.” Before asking your guests if they want anything else, wait 20 minutes. That’s how long it takes for the body to realize that food has been ingested. Usually after that time, the body isn’t hungry anymore. You’ve slowed down their eating without them realizing it. Aren’t you smart?
If you are hosting a party, here are two of my favorite healthy holiday recipes from my cookbooks that no one will guess are good for them.
Spring Chicken With Pumpkin
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Serves 6
I love pumpkin anything! It not only tastes great, but it’s also loaded with vitamin A and fiber, is low in calories and can flavor anything from ice cream to, well, chicken. Here, the sweetness of the pumpkin is offset with garlic and shallots. And that little shot of brandy adds a flavor kick that makes this a company-worthy dish.
Ingredients:
1 young chicken, about 2–3 lb, cut into 6–8 pieces
9 ounce pearl onions, peeled
14-ounce can pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon nutmeg, grated
¾ cup brandy
½ teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped well
½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh leaves
½ teaspoon dried sage, ground or 1 tablespoon fresh leaves, chopped well
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
Olive oil spray
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F. Season chicken with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat skillet sprayed with oil on medium heat and cook chicken until brown. Add brandy over the chicken. Stir and transfer to a 3-quart baking dish.
Spray skillet and sauté onions over medium heat for 4 minutes. Add to baking dish. Add the pumpkin, rosemary, sage, garlic and broth to chicken. Season with black pepper to taste.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more, or until done. Place the pieces on a serving plate. Mix sauce well and pour over the chicken. Serve.
Nutritional Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 364; Sodium: 170 mg; Total Fat: 5 g; Total Carbohydrates: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Protein: 53 g; Sugars: 2 g; Cholesterol: 128 mg
Need a classic dessert? Try this one.
Apple Brown Betty
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves 6
If you want something a little different than apple pie, try this Brown Betty. It’s crustless, so you won’t have as many starchy carbs on your plate. Plus, the sugars are all from the fruits and juices—no refined stuff here. As desserts go, anything apple is always popular. This just makes it a little healthier, too!
Of course, it’s the holidays, so it’s OK to splurge a little now and then. Try doubling the crumble topping for a real taste treat! I love this with ice cream. Yes, vanilla is the obvious choice, but try it with coffee or even mint chocolate chip.
Ingredients:
6 Golden Delicious apples, sliced about ½-inch thick (you can also use Red Delicious or try a combo)
¾ cup frozen apple juice concentrate
½ cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup quick oats
2 packets stevia
3 tablespoons butter or butter substitute (c’mon, it’s the holidays, go for the butter)
Nonstick butter spray
Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat an 11-by-7-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the apples, apple juice concentrate, raisins, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of the flour. Spoon into the prepared dish.
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, stevia, butter and the remaining 1/3 cup of flour. Stir to mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over the apple mixture. Bake for 1 hour, or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm with a choice of ice cream or gelato.
Nutritional Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 379; Sodium: 141 mg; Total Fat: 8 g; Total Carbohydrates: 81 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 7 g; Protein: 6 g; Sugars: 48 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg