Appetizers Main Course Side Dishes Desserts

Appetizers

Nutrition Notes: Potato chips are high in fat, and it's the bad fats -- the saturated and trans fats, which increase risk for heart disease. Almonds contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which help to lower cholesterol levels; they are also a good source of vitamin E, protein, and calcium. Raisins provide fiber and help to lower calories. If you like chips, do baked tortilla chips with salsa. One serving is only 130 calories and 1 gram of fat -- a savings of about 200 calories and 15 grams of fat compared to regular tortilla chips with cheese sauce.

Nutrition Notes: The pears with blue cheese spread is a lower-fat, and more elegant alternative to cheese and crackers; since blue cheese is a strong cheese, a very thin spread has a lot of flavor. There's also 8 ounces of nonfat cream cheese in the recipe, which helps to lower fat content.

As far as cheese and crackers go, select a low fat or fat- free cracker-after all, the cheese is what provides the flavor. But watch how much you spread -- cheese packs a big calorie punch! Just one ounce of Swiss cheese (that's about the size of a pair of dice!) contains over 100 calories and 8 grams of fat. Other high fat cheeses include: cheddar (110 calories; 9 g fat/oz and Brie: 95 calories; 8 g fat/oz). Lighter cheeses include: Feta: (75 calories; 6g fat/oz); goat cheese: 76 calories; 6g fat/oz, and mozzarella: 80 calories; 6 g fat). You can also find low-fat versions of your favorites at the supermarket.

Nutrition Notes: Have as many vegetables as you like- they are an excellent source of fiber and very low in calories. But using low fat yogurt in dips instead of mayonnaise and sour cream helps to reduce the fat content and saturated fat. It also boosts calcium; 1/4 cup of yogurt provides 142 mg of calcium! Note: Sour cream provides only 3% calcium per ounce; mayonnaise doesn't provide any

Nutrition Notes: Hors d'ouerves are small, yet they pack a lot of calories and fat! Try shrimp cocktail instead: It's very tasty; and calorie-wise, it's a nutritional bargain. Five shrimp provides only 60 calories, with 15 g of protein! Although shrimp are high in cholesterol, they have almost no saturated fat, which is the main culprit when it comes to increasing cholesterol levels, and they contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Thus, shrimp can be eaten as part of a heart-healthy diet. Cocktail sauce contains very few calories, and is very tasty. The tomato paste contains lycopene, a pigment that can help protect against prostate cancer.

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Main Course

Nutrition Notes: Dark meat has a higher fat content than white meat; also skin can add lots of extra fat! Just 1 oz. of turkey skin has 110 calories and 10 grams of fat! Choose white meat or mix the two- and use a small amount of gravy for extra flavor. (Note: Portion wise, 6 ounces of any meat looks like 2 decks of cards).

When cooking, use fat-free tasty marinades such as orange juice and herb bastes. For low calorie-cooking options, try our Herb Roasted Turkey Breast or Oven Roasted Turkey Breast. We even have a Barbecued Turkey Breast recipe. Avoid fatty bastes and self-basting turkeys -- these baste in their own juice and are higher in fat.

Nutrition Notes: A gravy using turkey drippings and chopped giblets (this is the heart, liver and stomach of the bird) is high in fat and cholesterol. Use chicken broth with a little bit of white wine to make a low-fat gravy. If you do use a high fat gravy or turkey drippings, use a gravy separator in order to skim off the extra fat that rises to the top of the gravy boat.

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Side Dishes

Nutrition Notes: To re-create stuffing into a lower fat version: Use whole wheat bread instead white bread; omit the butter; use a little bit of olive oil instead; use chicken or vegetable broth for moistness and flavor. Omit the sausage to cut saturated fat and add apple or chopped cranberries to boost fiber.

Nutrition Notes: Use fresh onions instead of French fried onions to cut back on fat content. (A can of these onions contains 500 calories and about 40 grams of fat!) Instead, fresh onions can be toasted and breaded to create the casserole topping. Use reduced fat condensed cream of mushroom soup (140 calories; 6 g fat/cup) instead of the full fat version (259 calories; 19 g fat/cup). Also, use 1% milk instead of whole milk to save 50 calories and 6 grams of fat.

Nutrition Notes: Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta carotene, which gets converted in the body to vitamin A. Beta carotene may also help protect against heart disease and possibly cancer. Baked sweet potatoes contain 3 grams of fiber due to the skin; candied sweet potatoes don't have any. Baked sweet potatoes are much lower in calories because they don't have the added sugar and fat, due to butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows (save the sweet stuff for dessert!) If you like, add a teaspoon of butter for just 36 calories and 4 grams of fat, and sprinkle some cinnamon.

Nutrition Notes: Cranberries are low in calories and provide a vitamin C boost. But cranberry sauce can add a lot of calories due to all of the sugar added (by themselves, cranberries are very tart). The easiest way to save calories on cranberry sauce is to take a smaller serving. If you'd like to prepare a homemade, low-sugar cranberry sauce, try our Cranberries in Wine with Splenda. Splenda is a calorie-free artificial sweetener.

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Desserts

Nutrition Notes: No need to skip dessert...but save close to 300 calories and almost 20 grams of fat just by choosing pumpkin pie over pecan. Pumpkin is an excellent source of beta carotene, and lutein, a carotenoid linked to reduced risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Once slice also provides 3 grams of fiber. Pecan pie contains heart healthy fats but you may just overdo it on calories if you indulge in a whole slice. If you can't resist the pecan pie, take half a slice -- it will satisfy your desire to taste it without causing you to go overboard.