Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!

Dear Readers,

It is the holiday season again and many people find it hard to stick to a healthy eating plan. Office parties, family gatherings, neighborhood events, cookie exchanges—the list goes on and on! While these events are a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and celebrate with those we are closest to, they can wreak havoc with an eating plan. Tables abound with rich goodies and high calorie appetizers. It is estimated that many of us gain up to 5 pounds due to holiday indulgences! This could mean 50 pounds per decade from holiday eating alone. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. There are lots of ways to enjoy the holidays and enjoy holiday gatherings without the dreaded weight gain. Follow these holiday tips and make your holidays both happy and healthful!

• Eat Before the Party! Take the edge off your hunger by having a salad or a low calorie soup before arriving at the party. This will
• Be Aware of the Lower Calorie Options! Avoid creamy dips, fried foods, items with crusts and creamy casseroles. Look for sliced meats, fruit plates and vegetable plates.
• Make activity part of your holiday tradition! Take a family walk on the holiday. Add an extra day of exercise to your schedule. Taking time for yourself will help reduce your stress as well as burn extra calories.

• Be Choosy! Scan the buffet table. Choose the majority of your items from low calorie choices and indulge in one or two of your very favorite things.

• Watch out for High Calorie Drinks! Holiday drinks like eggnog and cocktails can have up to 500 calories each. Drink water, club soda with lemon or other low calorie options.

• Bring Healthy Appetizers! Are you worried that everything at the gathering will be rich and high calorie? Take control and bring a healthy appetizer. Pork makes a great party dish. Take a look at some of these healthy recipes below from the National Pork Council:

Apricot Basted Pork Satay with Grilled Fruit

1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut in 3-inch strips, 1/4-inch thick
1 small fresh pineapple, cut in spears OR 1 can (17-oz.)
pineapple chunks
4 fresh peaches, pitted and quartered
6 fresh apricots, halved
6 plums, halved
Apricot Barbecue Sauce (see below)
Wine and Honey Baste (see below)

Marinate pork strips in Apricot Barbecue Sauce overnight or at least 2 hours. Drain strips and reserve sauce for basting. Thread strips on skewers. Brush skewered pork with reserved sauce and place on lightly greased grill over direct heat. Grill for about 7 minutes, turning skewers occasionally. Brush meat with sauce; continue to turn skewered strips about 4 minutes or until done. About 10 minutes before serving, thread pineapple spears, apricots, peaches and plum halves on skewers. Brush fruit with Wine and Honey Baste before and during grilling. Serve when heated through.

Apricot Barbecue Sauce: Combine thoroughly 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup wine vinegar, 1/2 cup apricot nectar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder.

Wine and Honey Baste: Combine thoroughly 2 tablespoons Port, 3 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Cocktail Sandwiches

32 slices party rye bread
Dijon-style mustard
Horseradish sauce
3 ounces thinly sliced ham
2 1-ounce slice Swiss cheese
2 1-ounce slices American cheese
8 pimiento-stuffed olives
8 cherry tomatoes

Spread mustard on one side of half the bread. Spread horseradish on one side of the remaining slices. Cut ham into 8 pieces and each slice of cheese into fourths. Place one slice Swiss cheese on 8 slices of bread with mustard. Top with bread spread with horseradish, then ham slice. Top with bread spread with mustard, then American cheese. Place remaining bread atop cheese. Divide olives and tomatoes among cocktail picks and skewer sandwiches.
Serves 8

Fancy Ham Wrapped Fruit

1 3-oz. Package light cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp orange marmalade
1/3 pound thinly sliced fully cooked ham
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced

In a small bowl stir together cream cheese and orange marmalade. Spread cream cheese mixture on one side of each ham strip. Place a piece of fruit on each ham strip and wrap around fruit. Makes 32.

Nutty Pork Broil

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into one-inch cubes
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
2 Tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
¼ c. peanut butter
2 Tbsp ground coriander
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Spicy dipping sauce, see below

Blend together peanut butter, soy sauce, coriander, cumin, garlic, chili powder, lemon juice and oil. Rub paste into pork cubes. Cover, let marinate at least 30 minutes (if marinating longer than 30 minutes, refrigerate). Thread cubes onto 4-8 skewers (if using bamboo skewers, soak for 20-30 minutes in water first). Grill over hot coals, or broil, about six inches from heat, for 10-12 minutes, turning once. Serve with Spicy Dipping Sauce (see below). Serves 4

SPICY DIPPING SAUCE:
Blend together well 1/4 cup soy sauce,
1/4 cup rice vinegar,
2 tablespoons water,
1 tablespoon molasses,
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper and 1 minced garlic clove.
Allow to stand one hour for flavors to blend.

Enjoy the Holiday Season!

Cathie Ostrowski, MS, RD, LDN
North Carolina Pork Council Nutritionist