What You Need:

2 C cake flour
1 1/2 C sugar+ 1 C sugar
4 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 C margarine, cubed & 1/2 C margarine
3 T Canola Oil and 1/2 C Canola Oil
1 (3 oz) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1/2 C soy milk
2 lg. eggs
1/2 C rum + 1/3 C rum
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 C water

How to Make It:

Combine the flour, 1 1/2 C sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add the cubed margarine and 3 T canola oil.
Beat with an electric mixture until crumbly.
Combine the pudding mix, soy milk and egg into the dry mixture.
Add the rum, 1/2 C canola oil and vanilla extract.
Beat until smooth about 3 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare the muffin cups by spraying them completely with a non stick cooking spray.
Pour batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool before removing.
To make the glaze, place the water, sugar and remaining margarine into a large saucepan over medium heat.
Allow to come just to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and cook stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved, the glaze will be thick.
Remove pan from the heat.
Add the rum and stir well.
Use a fork to poke holes in the top of each muffin cake.
Pour the glaze over each muffin cake.
Allow muffin cakes to set over night to absorb the glaze before serving.

What You Need:

1 pkg. pasta, any kind
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
2 T flour
1/2 C olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (6 oz) can tomato puree
1/2 t salt
1 t basil
1/8 t pepper
1/4 t sugar

How to Make It:

Prepare pasta as directed on package and drain well.
Place the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Place the flour in a large bowl.
Add the eggplant cubes to the flour and toss being sure to cover each cube well.
Place the floured eggplant in the hot oil.
Cook about 6 minutes or until lightly brown.
Drain the cooked eggplant on paper towel.
Add the onion to the oil.
Cook about 5 minutes or just until beginning to brown.
Stir in the tomatoes and the tomato puree.
Add the salt, basil, pepper and sugar.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Continue boiling stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
Add the eggplant and cover the pan.
Continue cooking 18 minutes or until the eggplant is as tender as you like. Serve over cooked pasta.

What You Need:

2 large red tomatoes cut in chunks
1 medium red onion, sliced
1/4 C olive oil
1/8 C red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/8 t oregano
1/2 t sugar

How to Make It:

Place the onions and tomatoes in a large bowl.
Pour the olive oil and wine over the vegetables.
Toss to cover well.
Stir in the salt and pepper.
Add the oregano and sugar and mix well.
Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

1.      Slice any meat off of the bone before storing. It is easier to handle and produces less mess. The turkey carcass and the ham bone can be frozen for later use in soups and stews. Turkey legs and thigh meat can be sliced off the bone and diced up for turkey salad. Add a little chopped celery, seasonings, and mayonnaise for a lunch treat on bread or crackers.

2.      Create a casserole dish with leftover Christmas dinner rice. Whether it is white rice or wild rice, add some chopped chicken or turkey, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and some shredded cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for about twenty minutes or until soup is bubbly and you have dinner for the next night.

3.      Buy sectioned plate containers and fix meals. This avoids people dipping into leftover bowls over and over. Label each container with the type of food inside. If someone wants turkey and potatoes, they can grab that plate and heat it up without bothering any other leftovers.

4.      Avoid wrapping any leftovers in aluminum foil. Foil is good for cooking but for Christmas dinner leftovers, it will begin to break down as it is opened and reopened by hungry people. If you must wrap something in foil, purchase heavy duty foil for that purpose.

Leftovers are great. They can be used for soups, sandwiches, dips, and more throughout the Christmas holiday. Remember that leftovers in the refrigerator should not be eaten after the fourth day. If you want to keep something longer, freeze it. These are only a few of the ideas and tips that can be used when working with Christmas dinner leftovers.

What You Need:

1 C apricot nectar
2 T apricot preserves
1/4 C soft tofu
1 C corn flakes, crushed
6 slices French bread
Margarine

How to Make It:

Place the nectar, preserves and tofu in a blender.
Mix on high until the mixture is smooth and easy to pour.
Place in a bowl big enough to lay a slice of bread into.
Place the corn flakes in a plastic baggie.
Put a slice of bread into the apricot mixture.
Soak the bread well.
Place the soaked bread into the baggie with the corn flakes.
Shake until completely covered.
Heat the margarine in a skillet until completely melted.
Place the bread into the skillet.
Cook 5 minutes or until lightly brown.
Flip and continue cooking about 4 minutes

One of the best parts of Christmas dinner is the leftovers. The food always seen to taste better the second or third time you eat it. Here are uses and guidelines for handling Christmas dinner leftovers.

1.      Clean out the refrigerator prior to dinner. You’ll need room for those platters and bowls of leftovers. Anything that can be removed should be removed to make room for the remnants of the Christmas dinner.  

2.      Buy plastic storage bags and containers. Storing food in the original pot or dish is not a good idea. For one, it takes up extra space. Secondly, it leaves too much dead space for liquid to collect. Food keeps better and longer in containers where the leftovers are packed tightly.

3.      Never pack up warm foods. Wait until the meats and side dishes are completely cool before placing them containers to go in the refrigerator. This is another reason why it is better to serve food in bowls on the Christmas dinner table or have everyone heat their own plates at dinner time.

When making gravy for the turkey, begin with a can or jar of fat free turkey gravy. Add the turkey drippings from the baking pan to the fat free gravy. Season the food to taste. For thicker gravy, add some chicken broth and a few instant potato flakes to the drippings before adding it to the fat free gravy.

Mashed potatoes are a favorite Christmas dinner side dish to complement turkey and gravy. When making the potatoes, substitute half of the potatoes with cauliflower. Mash both together well.

Serve a soup and salad before putting the main courses on the table. A low fat vegetable soup like tomato and a simple green salad fills part of the stomach and everyone will eat less later on. Make available an assortment of low fat salad dressings for the salad.

Even the Christmas dinner turkey can slim down. Instead of preparing an entire twenty pound turkey, opt for a turkey breast instead. To maintain tenderness and moistness, marinade the thawed turkey breast before cooking. Remove any skin before serving.

One place we often fill up on empty calories is beverages. Instead of soda, serve punch sweetened with sugar substitute like Splenda®. Ice tea can also be sweetened with sugar substitute and lemons. Flavored waters are another option.

Christmas dinner doesn’t have to be fattening to be delicious. With a few healthy tweaks, many won’t notice the difference. This year, expand your repertoire of healthy Christmas dinner choices instead of expanding the waistline.

The hardest time to stick to a diet is around the holidays. Everyone wants to sample the desserts and filling foods on the dinner table. This Christmas, choose healthier menu items for your Christmas dinner.

It is not uncommon for people to gain a few pound during Christmas. After a week of eating every scrumptious thing in sight, it’s a wonder anyone can move. This Christmas, you can help yourself and your family by slimming down traditional recipes.

Adapting Christmas recipes to healthier versions doesn’t mean that they have to taste bland. On the contrary, these dinner recipes can be full of flavor. It is fat we are trying to avoid.

Simple changes are the easiest and best to make. Some simple substitutions involve the most fattening ingredients. For example, use liquid oil and applesauce in place of liquid oil alone. Use margarine in place of butter and sugar substitutes instead of pure sugar.  Many recipes have suggestions for healthy substitutions.

We eat too much and our portion sizes are out of control. Making simple substitutions lowers the fat content of our Christmas dinner dishes even if we eat a bit too much. For home made recipes, substitutions will go on feel and experience.

What You Need:

1/2 C canola oil
1/2 C honey
6 C old fashioned oats
1/3 C bran
1/3 C toasted wheat germ
1/2 t salt
1 T cinnamon
1 1/2 C unsweetened coconut
1/4 C sunflower seeds
1/4 C sesame seeds
2 C chopped walnuts
1 1/3 C raisins

How to Make It:

Place the oil and honey together in a large sauce pan or kettle.
Place the mixture on low heat and stir until combined.
Don’t let the mixture come to a boil.
Place the oats, bran, wheat germ, coconut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and walnuts into the mixture.
Stir well in coat.
Add the salt and cinnamon and stir until well blended.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place 1/3 of the granola on a large cookie sheet.
Bake 5 minutes.
Continue baking another 10 minutes but be sure to toss the granola in this last 10 minutes a couple of times to be sure it is cooked all the way through.
When done the granola should be a light brown but be careful not to burn it.
Cook the rest of the granola in a 1/3 batch at a time like above.
Place the cooked granola in a large bowl and fold in the raisins.
Cool completely before storing in glass jars.
The granola must be cooled if not it will become too soft from the moisture.

What You Need:

1/2 banana
1 C carrots, shredded
2 t lemon juice
1/4 t lemon zest, grated
Lettuce leaves
1 slice pumpernickel bread
1 apple, sliced

How to Make It:

Place the peeled banana in a small bowl.
With a fork mash the banana well.
Add the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Mix into the banana well
Add the carrots and stir making sure all is combined together.
Place the lettuce leaves on the bread.
Smooth the banana mixture over the lettuce.
Top with 2 to 3 apple slices.