Naught or Nice

 

 

Are You Being Naughty or Nice? 

 Alex Hobbs, RD, LD, CLT

The season of giving, love and baking is upon us! If you are anything like me, you get a high while discovering a new, mouthwatering dessert recipe. Yes, I know I am a Registered Dietitian, but that does not mean that the sweetest thing in my diet is a sweet potato, lets get real here! Despite my sweet tooth, while baking I try my best to cut back on extra calories and fat where I can so I can enjoy my handcrafted dessert without the guilt. Baking seems to be a major component of the holiday season – I mean we are taught as kids to leave cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve, so you know baking is a big deal! Not only that, but baking cookies for friends and family is much easier than running all over town in a panic to select the perfect gift. With that said, I am in no place to prevent you from baking breads, cookies, cakes, muffins, pies, you name it, in this jolly month of December. However, I will urge you to consider the idea that like you, your friends and family most likely do not want to develop holiday love handles or thunder thighs. By using healthy baking substitutions, you can lighten your delicacies without compromising the deliciousness. While your buddies are swooning over your creations be sure to let them know that your baked goods are lower in fat and calories; doing so may encourage them to jump on the healthy baking bandwagon.

Check out the naughty or nice list to see how you can start saving calories this season!

Naughty	Nice
Fats    -Butter    -Oil    -Shortening	Substitute half of butter for a fruit puree such as applesauce, pureed bananas, prunes, pumpkin, or even avocado Substitute half of butter for Greek yogurt Example: 1 cup butter = ¼ cup yogurt + ½ cup butter
Heavy Whipping Cream	Fat Free Half & Half Evaporated Skim Milk Substitute half for Greek yogurt
Cream Cheese	Fat Free or 1/3 Fat Cream Cheese Neufchatel cheese Substitute 1:1 for Greek yogurt
Milk	Use Skim or Low-Fat Milk Substitute a portion for Greek Yogurt Example: 1 cup milk = ¼ cup Greek yogurt + ¾ cup milk
Syrup	Pureed fruit such as applesauce Lower calorie, sugar-free syrup
All Purpose Flour	Substitute half for Whole Wheat flour
Eggs	Two egg whites or ¼ cup egg substitute for each whole egg

Now that you have no excuse to prevent you from baking, go strap on your apron and get your mixers geared up for a fresh batch of goodness! Happy holiday baking to all!

Merry Christmas!