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

1. Try spraying your pans with nonstick cooking sprays instead of using butter or margarine.
2. Use spices and fresh herbs to add flavor.
3. Use low-fat meats such as skinless turkey and chicken breasts.
4. Fill most of your plate with fruits and vegetables and choose smaller portions of your “not so healthy” favorites.
5. Use low-fat cheeses.
6. Make healthy vegetable dishes so you have something nutritious to fill up on.
7. Try using applesauce in baking (substitute ½ cups for ½ of the fat).
8. Fresh fruit with a little bit of whip cream makes a great dessert!
9. Use chicken broth to flavor your mashed potatoes instead of butter.
10. 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

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Spray baking pan (13x9x3 inches deep) with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Remove lasagna sheets from box. DO NOT BOIL.
4. In medium bowl, beat eggs. Stir in ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella and the Parmesan.
5. Spread 1 cup of sauce on bottom of baking pan.
6. Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, ⅓ of ricotta mixture, half the spinach, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1 cup of the sauce.
7. Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, ⅓ of ricotta mixture, and 1 ½ cups of sauce.
8. Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, the remaining ricotta mixture and spinach, and 1 cup of sauce.
9. Layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, the remaining sauce, and remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
10. Bake, covered with foil until bubbly, 50-60 minutes.
11. Uncover and continue to bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
12. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Serve with a fresh green salad.

Hope Danielson
Health & Wellness Advisor
Niemann Foods