Winter Holiday Recipes

The holidays are full of wonderful traditions and delicious kitchen creations, from as early as Halloween and on through the New Year. It can be easy to over-indulge and "fall off the wagon" with so many temptations around us. Here are three simple ways to stay on track AND enjoy all the foods you love around this season.

1. Make half your plate veggies. This doesn't mean skip the mashed potatoes, or the ham, or the [insert Grandma's secret recipe here]. It just means cut back on the portions of the heavier, more indulgent dishes, and lighten up your plate with the veggies (salad, roasted broccoli or Brussels sprouts, asparagus, etc).

2. Bring a lighter side or entree to share. Obviously, you need to know your audience, and not over-step or offend the host or hostess, but most people appreciate an extra appetizer or side dish. You can use some of the recipes featured here to bring something delicious AND nutritious.

3. Portion control. Similar to number one, but keep in mind you don't need full-sized portions of each item, especially when there are usually many to choose from. This doesn't mean agonizing over which piece of pie you're going to have. Try a sampling of each one, just down-size your portions to adjust for the variety. For example, we usually have pumpkin pie, apple pie, and maybe a rum cake or cookies available at Thanksgiving. I want them all. So I have tiny little servings of each (we're talking slivers of the pies and cake, and maybe one (or even half) of a cookie). Then I can have all the amazing things without feeling miserably full at the end of the night.

And remember, there are usually leftovers for the next day! Have a wonderful holiday season, and Merry Christmas! Click HERE for more winter holiday recipes.