What’s on your holiday menu? It seems holiday cooking just keeps getting richer. But there is a way to cook delicious food that will delight your friends and family without the worry of added pounds that make the season even more stressful.
Let’s remind ourselves of what we are dealing with. Calorie counting helps us quantify food. Calories don’t specifically tell us what’s in the food, but they give us an idea of what it might take to burn off that food.
For example, if one cup of turkey stuffing has 360 calories and it’s alongside a six-ounce serving of turkey at 340 calories, we’re already up to 700 calories. Add 300 calories for mashed potatoes and gravy, 150 calories for a half-cup of candied sweet potatoes and 225 for green bean casserole, that brings us up to 1,375. If you are inclined to add a dinner roll at 110 calories and slice of apple pie at 410, we have a new total — drum roll please — 1,895 calories.