How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner

  • November 5, 2008
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You can save calories without sacrificing flavor just by tweaking your Thanksgiving dishes.

You Will Need

  • Low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
  • Fresh cranberries
  • Sugar or sugar substitute
  • A little restraint
  • A fat separator
  • Flour
How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner: Have the white meat

Step 1: Have the white meat

Favor the white meat over dark to cut four calories and one fat gram per ounce.

Don’t ban dark meat altogether – it’s actually more nutritious, containing more iron, zinc, riboflavin, thiamine, and vitamins B6 and B12.

How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner: Don't stuff it

Step 2: Don't stuff it

Cook your stuffing outside the bird; it’s lower in fat that way.

How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner: Make groovy gravy

Step 3: Make groovy gravy

Remove the fat from the pan drippings before you make the gravy, either by using a fat separator or chilling them in the fridge and then skimming off the fat. You’ll save a whopping 56 grams of fat per cup of gravy!

For a really low-cal gravy, skip the drippings and make it out of low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth mixed with a little flour dissolved in water.

How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner: Whip potatoes with broth

Step 4: Whip potatoes with broth

Use chicken broth instead of cream and butter to make mashed potatoes.

Consider making smashed potatoes by leaving on the nutrient-rich skin.

How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner: Bake a guilt-free green bean casserole

Step 5: Bake a guilt-free green bean casserole

Make the traditional green bean casserole with 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup and cut the calories by more than half, plus eliminate 14 grams of fat. Shave off another 250 calories by using only half the can of French-fried onions.

How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner: Stir up some cranberry sauce

Step 6: Stir up some cranberry sauce

Make your own cranberry sauce. Wash a bag of fresh cranberries, put them in a pot with a cup of water, let them cook until the desired texture, and then stir in sugar or sugar substitute sparingly, to taste.

How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner: Slim down the yams

Step 7: Slim down the yams

Slim down the candied yams by cutting back on the added sugar or maple syrup — you probably won’t even miss it — and nixing the mini marshmallows.

How To Have a Skinnier Thanksgiving Dinner: Pick the pumpkin pie

Step 8: Pick the pumpkin pie

Stick to pumpkin pie. At around 240 calories a slice, it beats apple, mince, and pecan. Don’t eat the crust and you’ll save another 100 calories.

On average, Americans take in 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day.

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Comments (3)

FCH755

Very funny-but should have had the little dog turn into a Saint Bernard at the end.

over 3 years ago by FCH755

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Christy2000

How about skip the turkey! A vegetarian Thanksgiving with more fruit and vegetables will be healthier. It is also a much more compassionate choice and better for the environment.

over 2 years ago by Christy2000

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joomlakitty

How about skip the turkey! A vegetarian Thanksgiving with more fruit and vegetables will be healthier. It is also a much more compassionate choice and better for the environment. Crystal awards, Crystal award, crystal recognition awards, optic crystal awards, crystal star award, crystal awards plaques, custom acrylic awards more online shop Diyawards: http://www.diyawards.com/

2 months ago by joomlakitty

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