The end-of-the-year parties have a tradition of being full of gatherings with excess snacks, sweets and high-calorie foods, harming the diet and favoring weight gain.
To keep control of the balance, it is necessary to use healthy ingredients and seek to prepare healthy dishes, but full of flavor. Some examples are to change the fried Christmas French toast for oven toast and change the salpicão mayonnaise to natural yoghurt. So, with little tips, it is possible to make better choices that won’t take away the yummy flavor of the Christmas parties.
See below 5 recipes to enjoy the end of the year in health and without fighting the scales:
1. Oven French Toast
French toast is traditionally fried in oil, which adds a lot of bad calories to this dish. So, roasting it in the oven is a great option to reduce calories and make the dish healthier. See 10 other healthy exchanges to keep the diet.
Ingredients:
- 200 g of sour cream
- 1 tablespoon of brown or demerara sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
- 1 whole egg
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 6 day-old wholegrain breads
- 1 pan or pan with low edges
- Butter or coconut oil to grease the pan
- Cinnamon to taste for sprinkling
Method of preparation:
In a bowl, place the cream, sugar, egg, vanilla essence and nutmeg, mixing well with a spoon. Slice the bread and dip the slices into the mixture in the bowl, then place them in the greased pan. Place in a preheated oven at 180ºC for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cinnamon.
2. Salpicão light
To make a light sausage, good tips are to add fresh fruit to the recipe, grated or chopped vegetables and change the mayonnaise to natural yogurt, using spices such as herbs, garlic and pepper to add more flavor to the dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 cooked and shredded chicken breast;
- 1 carrot grated in the fine grater;
- 1 green apple, thinly sliced;
- 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley;
- 1 cup of celery tea, thinly sliced or chopped;
- 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts;
- 1 lemon juice;
- 1 jar of low-fat natural yogurt (about 160 ml);
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 2 tablespoons of oil;
- 2 tablespoons of raisins (optional);
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Method of preparation:
In a blender or food processor, Beat yogurt, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and oil in a blender. Then, add the ingredients beaten with the walnuts, raisins, apples, celery and shredded chicken breast in a container. Mix well and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
3. Healthy turkey
Turkey is the most traditional dish at Christmas, and it can get more nutritious when we include healthy ingredients like olive oil, vegetables and herbs.
Ingredients:
- 1 turkey
- Salt to taste for seasoning
- ½ cup of olive oil
- 2 large chopped onions
- 4 chopped carrots
- 4 chopped celery stalks
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
Method of preparation:
Season the whole turkey, inside and out, with salt. Place the turkey in a pan and cover with cold water, letting it rest in the fridge for 12 hours. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator, discard the salt water, rinse the turkey well under running water and brush it with olive oil.
Fill the turkey cavity with an onion, half the carrots, half the celery, a sprig of thyme and bay leaf. Spread the remaining vegetables and thyme on the baking sheet around the turkey and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Bake uncovered, for about 4 hours in a preheated oven at 180ºC.
4. Low carb crumbs
Ingredients:
- 1 grated onion
- 2 grated carrots
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 6 tablespoons of almond or flaxseed flour
- 25 cashew nuts
- 10 chopped green olives
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley (optional)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper powder
- 1 pinch of curry (optional)
- 1 pinch of powdered ginger (optional)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 3 scrambled eggs
Method of preparation:
Mash the garlic with the salt and brown the garlic and the grated onion in butter. Add the carrots, chopped parsley, pepper, curry and powdered ginger, letting it cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the scrambled eggs and chopped olives and mix. Coarsely chop or beat the cashew nuts in a blender and add to the mixture, along with the almond or linseed flour.
5. Pineapple mousse light
The light pineapple mousse is full of flavor and practical to make. Pineapple aids digestion and natural yogurt is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that helps you relax and rest at the end of your supper.
Ingredients:
- 1 sweet pineapple
- 3 cups of natural yogurt
- 2 boxes of light pineapple flavored gelatin
Method of preparation:
Chop the pineapple into small pieces, place in a pan, cover with water and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the gelatins and mix well, turning off the heat afterwards. After the mixture has cooled a little, place to blend in a blender together with the yogurts. Pour into cups and refrigerate for 4 hours to harden.
