HOLIDAY SIDES AND DESSERTS

The winter season is full of holiday cheer, parties, and food. Skinny Gene wants to help you keep your celebration with family and friends healthy and happy. Here are a few ideas for side items and desserts for you to bring to your gatherings to help offset all the rich lavish foods and sweets.

SIDES

When choosing a side item, it’s best to start with the basics, fruits and vegetables. These dishes can add a lot of color and crunch to your holiday meal. There are a few things to be aware of when you are choosing your recipe. Be careful with vegetable casseroles, they usually involve butter, mayonnaise, and cheeses which can add extra fat and calories quickly. Try salads with dressing on the sides, vegetable and/or fruit platters with light dip, or roasted vegetables for a natural rich flavor.

Here are two of our favorite Healthy Holiday Sides!

Marinated Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup Rice wine vinegar
1 cup Splenda
2 cucumbers sliced/quartered as desired
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes

Mix vinegar and Splenda together. Add all remaining ingredients, mix lightly and store in refrigerator. The salad’s flavor increases as it marinates, recommend 4 hours or overnight.

*Holiday Flair: Try adding sliced cherry tomatoes

Skinny Gene Level 1, low GI and low fat
Serves 8


Cinnamon Brown Sugar Dip
Modified from Kraft Foods recipe

Ingredients:
¼ cup fat free cream cheese
¼ cup fat free sour cream
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon skim milk
2 apples, cut into wedges

Mix first 5 ingredients until blended. Serve with apples or other fruit.

Holiday Flair: Arrange fruit in the shape of a wreath around the dip

Skinny Gene Level 1, low GI and low fat
Serves 4

DESSERTS

Desserts are more challenging during this time of year, most consist of rich chocolate, peanut butter, sugar and frosting which all are guilty of making the blood sugar spike! When choosing a dessert recipe, look for those that you can substitute ingredients, such as low/nonfat milk, free cool whip, nonfat yogurt, and Splenda. For more ideas check out the November newsletter!

Here is one of our favorite desserts! Enjoy!

Grasshopper Pudding Pie
Kraft Foods

Ingredients:
4 famous chocolate wafers, divided
1 ½ cups skim milk
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
1 package JELL-O Pistachio Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant pudding
2 cups thawed Cool Whip sugar free whip topping
1 square Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

Crush 2 wafers; sprinkle onto the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray
Beat milk, extract, and pudding mix with a whip for 2 minutes. Stir in cool whip and chopped chocolate; spread into pie pate. Top with remaining wafers, cute into quarters.
Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Remove pie from freezer 10 minute before serving; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before cutting to serve.

Skinny Gene Level 2, medium GI and medium fat
Serves 8

By Emily Barr, MS, RD, CNSC