The Lighter Side of Holiday Indulgence

With the holiday season in full swing it’s sometimes hard to stick to a healthy lifestyle. We all want to be able to enjoy the holidays and still fit into our favorite jeans by New Year’s!
10 Ways to Make Your Holidays a Little Healthier
- Try spraying your pans with nonstick cooking sprays instead of using butter or margarine.
- Use spices and fresh herbs to add flavor.
- Use low-fat meats such as skinless turkey and chicken breasts.
- Fill most of your plate with fruits and vegetables and choose smaller portions of your “not so healthy” favorites.
- Use low-fat cheeses.
- Make healthy vegetable dishes so you have something nutritious to fill up on.
- Try using applesauce in baking (substitute ½ cups for ½ of the fat).
- Fresh fruit with a little bit of whip cream makes a great dessert!
- Use chicken broth to flavor your mashed potatoes instead of butter.
- Make whole grain dinner rolls; they have more fiber.
Lasagna for Christmas?
Turkey for Thanksgiving. Ham for Easter. How about lasagna for Christmas? It’s great to have something a little different than the usual. This recipe for spinach lasagna is healthy and delicious. Plus it’s green and red. How festive is that?
Recipe
Spinach Lasagna
Serves 12
- 1 (9oz) package of lasagna noodles
- 2 eggs
- 1 container (15oz) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
- 4 cups (16oz) reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (divided); 1/2 cup (2oz) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 box frozen spinach (thawed and drained well) OR fresh baby spinach
- 2 jars marinara sauce
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Spray baking pan (13x9x3 inches deep) with non-stick cooking spray.
- Remove lasagna sheets from box. DO NOT BOIL.
- In medium bowl, beat eggs. Stir in ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella and the Parmesan.
- Spread 1 cup of sauce on bottom of baking pan.
- Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, ⅓ of ricotta mixture, half the spinach, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1 cup of the sauce.
- Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, ⅓ of ricotta mixture, and 1 ½ cups of sauce.
- Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, the remaining ricotta mixture and spinach, and 1 cup of sauce.
- Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, the remaining sauce, and remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
- Bake, covered with foil until bubbly, 50-60 minutes.
- Uncover and continue to bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
Serve with a fresh green salad.
Hope Danielson
Health & Wellness Advisor
Niemann Foods
Fruit & Vegetable Recipes
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