Create a healthier holiday dinner

Thicken soups with light cream, evaporated skim milk, or puréed pumpkin, not heavy cream.
Serve crudités with bean dip or yogurt to start your holiday dinner. Dip every other vegetable, not every one.
Bake potato latkes instead of frying them in oil.
Make mock-chopped liver by mixing lentils, walnuts, and brown rice.
In dips, substitute low-fat sour cream or high-protein nonfat Greek yogurt for mayonnaise or sour cream.

Think fish. Wild salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury. Marinate fillets overnight in maple syrup and low-sodium soy sauce before grilling or roasting.
Splurge on organic turkey. It tends to be leaner than regular turkey and is raised without antibiotics. Avoid brining, and roast or grill instead of deep-frying.
For beef, try grass-fed. It tends to be leaner, with more heart-healthy fatty acids. Coat a rib roast with olive oil and season with garlic and herbs.

Replace salt with savory seasonings such as basil, garlic, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, or turmeric in casseroles, stuffings, and dressings.
Serve sautéed or steamed vegetables and green salads with dried fruits and nuts. When steaming, add broth to the water for more flavor.
Dress potato or pasta salads in yogurt and add mint leaves or cumin.
Make mashed potatoes with nonfat milk. Flavor with broth, garlic, or Parmesan cheese.

Use fresh cranberries mixed with chopped oranges to make your own lower-sugar, lower-calorie relish for your holiday dinner.
Experiment with sugar-free apple sauce. Peel, cut, and core 5 to 6 apples, boil in ½ cup of water and 1 tablespoon (T) of lemon juice, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Place strawberries or sliced fruit dipped in dark chocolate on the table.
Defat gravy by refrigerating it, then skimming the part that rises to the top (or use a separator).

Replace half the butter or oil in cakes with unsweetened applesauce or mashed bananas.
Cut the amount of sugar in half and add cinnamon, ginger, or lemon zest.
Swap up to half the white flour for whole-wheat or ground flax.
Use 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute for each whole egg.
Swap 3 T unsweetened cocoa and 1 T canola oil or water for every ounce of baking chocolate.

Make festive alcohol-free options like hot mulled cider with orange slices and a cinnamon-stick stirrer.
Serve wine spritzers by mixing a pinot grigio or Riesling with mineral water.
Replace alcoholic drinks with water, iced tea, or other nonalcoholic beverages.
Buy a low-fat eggnog. If making your own from scratch, use pasteurized eggs and replace most of the rum in the recipe with a little rum extract.