Christmas cheer without the beer…Food, drink and Christmas go hand in hand but there are ways to curb the excess without spoiling your fun.Taking into account the roast dinner, mulled wine, mince pies, Christmas pudding, chocolates, nuts and nibbles and it’s not surprising that average people consumes a whopping 6000 calories on Christmas Day. But how is it possible to indulge without piling on the pounds?
Local UK celebrity chef Mark Earnden is no stranger to this task. Via his Expo Chef road show he is on a one-man mission to convert the people into a trim, wholesome and culinary confident bunch.
Mark, who has been head chef in restaurants around the world, says:
“We’ve come a long way since tofu and rice cakes. Nowadays eating healthily is actually really cheap, tasty and easy to master and Christmas time is no exception. You certainly won’t feel like you’re missing out.The trick is to choose the healthy option at least 70 per cent of the time. What matters is what you do the other 364 days of the year!”
Mark’s top tips for fat-free festivities:
• Breakfast – start as you mean to go on
Ditch the full English and go for luxury muesli served with ‘mulled’ juice. Add sliced fruit, figs, dates and nuts to your usual cereal then whiz up a cocktail of cranberry, orange or any other fruit juice. Warm up the juice then finish with a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Accompany with a selection of warmed fruit breads such as Italian panettone, malt loaf and currant buns.
• Lunch – turkey and all the trimmings
Turkey is one of the leanest forms of protein and contains much less fat than duck or goose.
Try a new take on traditional vegetables. Add pieces of crispy bacon and onion to sprouts with a dash of crème fraiche or mustard. Or even jazz up with cheese crumbs or chestnut crumble. Roast carrots with lemon juice and olive oil and top steamed broccoli with melted cheese. Leave out added salt and flavor with herbs instead and don’t forget to use the vegetable water to make gravy, a great alternative to stock cubes which are usually high in salt.
For a lighter alternative to Christmas Pudding, make a compote. Stew your favorite fruit with a dash of cinnamon and balsamic vinegar and serve up with plain yogurt, low-fat custard or ice cream. Or top with traditional crumble to make a cobbler.
• Drink and be merry
Cut down on high calorie beer and high sugar drinks. Instead go for spirits with low-calorie mixers or make a spritzer with half alcohol and half soda.
So, enjoy in moderation, don’t drink and drive and here’s to cooking up a great Christmas!
Source:www.n-e-life.com
November 16th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
[…] Tips for a Fat-Free Festive Season! […]
December 4th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Oh I wish I could persuade my family to try put something like this!
I hate the average christmas meal
December 7th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Yumm. I hope my food this X-mas looks and tastes this good!
December 11th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
lucky you hehehe
December 14th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
My mom and I want to go out on christmas this year and eat in a restaurant, I am excited to do that because every year we have been at home!