Cooking Xmas dinner - how do I disguise healthy food ?

A main part of losing all my weight was learning to cook. In the last year I have completely taken over cooking and it seems the extended family thinks i'm some super cook.
So everyone wants me to cook Christmas dinner.

Trouble is I don't do unhealthy food.

Any suggestions to what to serve on Xmas day or how to cook normally unhealthy things in a healthy way that no one will realize is healthy?

Veggies is easy (steamed) but starters, stuffing and other garnish is a problem. I also plan on using olive oil on the turkey not goose fat.

Any other tricks people have planned?

Replies

matchpoint312

We eat shrimp cocktail as an appetizer, which is a healthy option. I always put out nuts and dried fruit, a little cheese/crackers and then veggies with a greek yogurt based dip.

I've had brined turkeys (you can buy them brined or brine it yourself) and they are super juicy and flavorful without needing to add a lot of butter.

Stuffing is great with butter so I think just cut back a bit and I love lots of sage to give it a wonderful flavor. Just don't eat as much of it! :-) Sourdough bread is nice too.

My brother roasts his turkeys on top of a few vegetables (carrots, turnips, etc.) and blends them into his gravy to thicken it and add flavor and it is freaking delicious!

Lastly, I make a cobbler dessert that uses very little sugar (just use a nice sweet fruit like apples, blueberries, etc.) and simply put lots of fruit and with an oatmeal crumble on top. Adding lots of vanilla, a little margarine and a little brown sugar really makes it yummy.

myohana4

I think it is wonderful that you are cooking healthy for everyone! But dont stress out if you have a few "unhealthy" things like the pudding. Moderation is key. If your family would like some traditional food items like pudding and you aren't sure how to make it. Why not ask them to bring it.

My sister and I ALWAYS cook on the healthier side for holidays. I don't even mention that I omitted the butter or used fat free cream cheese. I just serve it and people eat it!

The most important thing is that you will all be together.

micheleld73

TELL me about it! Its gonna be her loss completely again...

This year we are firing up the smoker!!!!!!!!!! I bought a fresh ham to work with. Sunday night, I will be preparing it up with one of my spice-rub concoctions, reserving some of the rub for making a homemade basting/BBQ sauce.

I am doing roasted red potato w/a variety of onions, gahhhhlic, a rosemary-infused olive oil and fleur de del (for hubby)

My homemade apple-carrot stuffing which uses pumperknickel, sourdough cubed bread, fresh herbs, fresh made vegetable stock, a compound butter that has real maple syrup, diced heirloom carrots, granny and golden apple, celery, vidalia, raisins baby bella mushrooms.

Fresh roasted/homemade garden-style tomato soup (yup, totally from scratch!) using vine-ripen tomatoes for my soup base, and diced zucchini, summer squash, onion, rainbow peppers, carrots, spinach with fresh shaved parmesan to go on top, lightly seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and fresh-roasted onions and olive oil.

Steamed broccoli using white zinfandel, lemon and gahhhlic

Spiced carrots that are oven-roasted.. they are almost like CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Im also making a homemade baked Mac & Cheese for my husband... usually its a variety of six cheeses. Im planning on making extra of the cheese sauce, and will grab my Shirataki "macaroni" tofu noodles, and make my own that I know I can have! 8-)

Dessert - I make two.. one that my husband and after-dinner guests have, and then one that I know I can have without getting sick or flaring up.

Hubby gets my homemade "Grasshopper" Dessert Cake. Devils Food cake, poked with Kahlua, middle layers are made with Godiva White Chocolate liqueur, the outer frosting layer is made with Dark Creme-de-minthe, frozen/broken Andes Candies as a garnish and real fresh whipped cream to go on top!

My dessert, I make a mock Wildberry Cheesecake! I take almonds, and make an almond-meal crust with a little butter. My cheesecake filling is creamcheese, SF Wildberry Jello, real whipped cream and then I have a wild-berry mix of fresh blueberries, strawberries, black/red raspberries right on top! Its SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! My husband LOVES this dessert!!!! Ive even done it as individual trifles too!

I never feel like I go without!!!!

Can you send me a care package!! PLEASE!! This sounds awesome!

Firefox7275

Not following why you need to add any fat to a deliberately fattened up turkey, there are cooking methods whereby it bastes in it's natural fats and juices. You could marinade the breast area for 24 hours and/ or cook covered long and slow until the meat is falling apart. Steamed vegetables are not nearly as tasty as caramelised roasted ones regardless of whether you use the juices/ fats from the bird or olive oil. Personally I like roasted vegetables to be as many colours as possible - bell peppers and aubergines for example. Just get a better ratio of tasty and imaginative vegetable dishes to potatoes and meat than average: whilst I think sprouts are the work of the devil my father does them with garlic and parmesan cheese, broccoli is good with flaked almonds and cranberries. There are many stuffing recipes using nuts, apples, mushrooms and dried fruit (cranberries or apricots).