3 Easy-To-Prepare Low-Calorie Recipes For The Holiday Season

The holidays are a fun and exciting time of the year for a lot of people because they get to spend quality time with family and friends that they probably have not seen in a while. However, it can also be a very trying, stressful, and frustrating period because it can be hard to say no to all the mouthwatering food that is being prepared. This is especially true if you are trying to lose weight.

What should you do to not ruin your diet? How do you stop yourself from eating whatever food you lay your eyes on? Is it even possible to stay within your daily caloric limit with an abundance of tasty and inviting dishes right in front of you?

Overeating during the holidays is very common. Many claim that they were able to gain as many as 10 pounds in just a span of seven days. And, once the break was over, they regretted not caring about how much they ate in such a short period of time, and had to work harder than before. Do you want to find yourself in the same type of situation?

If you do not want to derail your weight loss journey, you must apply some self-control to not indulge yourself so much during the end-of-the-year festivities. Why not prepare low-calorie foods that you can enjoy without having to feel guilty or ashamed of yourself afterwards? There are so many to choose from, and the ones below are just a few examples of them:

Recipe #1: Low-Carbohydrate And Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Fritters

To make butternut squash fritters that are low in carbohydrates and free of gluten, you need the following ingredients:

• 2/3 cups of almond flour
• 5 cups of shredded butternut squash
• 2 pieces of large-size eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon of fine grain salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons of minced sage

The steps on how to prepare them are as follows:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the shredded butternut squash, eggs, almond flour, salt, pepper, and sage in a big bowl.
3. Heat a large frying pan and pour in 2 tablespoons of oil.
4. Scoop a spoonful of the mixture from the big bowl into the large frying pan.
5. Using a spatula, press the mixture flat, and let it cook until it turns golden-brown.
6. After 3 minutes, turn the mixture over, and let that side cook until golden-brown.
7. Remove first fritter from the large frying pan, and place it on some paper towels to get rid of the extra oil and grease.
8. Put it on an oven tray, and place inside the oven.
9. Repeat steps 1 to 8 until all mixture is used.

This low-carbohydrate, gluten-free butternut squash fritters recipe makes 20 fritters, with each fritter containing about 58 calories.

Recipe #2: Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges

To make grilled sweet potato wedges, you need the following ingredients:

• 3 large-size sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
• ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

The steps on how to prepare this recipe are as follows:

1. Using a large pot, boil the sweet potatoes in cold, salted water for about 10 minutes, depending on their sizes.
2. To check if the potatoes are ready, pierce the skin using a fork or a knife. If the skin is just a little bit resistant, they are good to go.
3. Drain the water from the pot, and allow the potatoes to cool.
4. Once the potatoes are ready, slice them into wedges.
5. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, fresh thyme, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
6. Use a pastry or basting brush to cover the potatoes with the mixture.
7. Set your grill to medium-high heat.
8. Apply oil onto the grill rack.
9. Place your potatoes on the grill. Once you see grill marks on the sides that are facing the grill, that means they are ready to be turned over so that the other sides can be cooked too.
10. After about 7 to 10 minutes, your grilled sweet potato wedges are ready to be served.

One potato in this grilled sweet potato wedges recipe contains 204 calories, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, 6 grams of fiber, 5 grams of fat, and 4 grams of protein.

Recipe #3: Cream-Style Corn

To make low-calorie cream-style corn, you need the following ingredients:

• 1 15-ounce can of cream-style corn
• 1/3 cup of skim milk
• 1 12-ounce bag of frozen yellow corn
• 1 tablespoon of whole wheat white flour
• 1 tablespoon of your preferred sugar substitute
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 pinch of black pepper

The steps on how to prepare the recipe are as follows:

1. Place a large skillet on your stove, and set the heat to medium.
2. Pour in the cream-style corn and the frozen yellow corn.
3. Stir the mixture for a couple of minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the corn remains stuck.
4. In a large bowl, pour the skim milk, and mix in the whole wheat white flour. Stir well.
5. Add the skim milk and flour mixture into the skillet.
6. Add the sugar substitute, salt, and black pepper too to taste.
7. Allow the mixture to cook for about 5 minutes. Make sure to stir as often as possible until you see bubbles forming.
8. Switch off your stove, and remove the skillet.
9. Place the skillet on the kitchen counter or someplace else where it can thicken for a few minutes before being served.

Half a cup of this cream-style corn recipe contains 109 calories, 61 grams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fiber.