Healthy holiday cooking tips, plus a roasted root vegetable recipe

Nov 25, 2024

Holidays are for enjoying the company of family and friends stress free. Nutritious foods and mindfulness are a couple healthy holiday cooking tips to consider.

Roasted Root Vegetables — Add friends, family and these tips to your holiday cooking traditions.

Here, Marshfield Clinic Health System Registered Dietitian Jennifer Baldini offers more healthy holiday cooking tips to make all your upcoming celebrations more enjoyable.

Healthy holiday cooking tips

Set expectations. You don’t need to do it all, though it can feel that way around the holidays. Ask for help. Recruit your friends or family to assist with planning, baking or cooking.
Prepare your kitchen. It may be helpful to organize and straighten up your kitchen for efficient baking and cooking. Get staple ingredients and proper tools.
Make a plan. Start with a menu and a grocery list. It’s okay to keep it simple. Then look at sales and shop ahead for what you can. ChooseMyPlate.gov has helpful recipes and tips.
Practice mindful eating. Fill your plate with veggies, fruits and lean protein like white meat turkey. If something else catches your eye, take a small portion and savor each bite.
Go media-free. Once it’s time to sit down and eat, go no phones, no TV. Enjoy each other’s company with conversation, reminiscing and laughter.
Consistency over perfection. If you want to treat yourself, do so on the day you celebrate with family and friends (rather than all holiday season long). Then get back on track with a balanced diet.
Plan for leftovers. Leftovers save you time and money. If there is a lot left, cut down on food waste by sending food home with your guests.
Start new (active) traditions. After large holiday meals, encourage friends and family to be active with you – have a dance party, take a walk, or try a new sledding hill. Regular activity can help you make healthier food choices.

Test your holiday food smarts

If you truly want to keep off the winter pounds, you can be more selective in which foods make the cut. Take our quiz to test your choices for healthy holiday meals, apps, desserts and drinks.

HOLIDAY FOOD SMARTS

Think you know how to pick a guilt-free feast?

See if you can recognize the more healthful choice at your holiday party. Calories add up quickly so it’s important to know where the heavy hitters are in order to make balanced choices.

For each question, pick which option has fewer calories.

START QUIZ

HOLIDAY FOOD SMARTS

Think you know how to pick a guilt-free feast?

0 POINTS

Choice 1 of 10

Turkey or ham?

Turkey

Ham

Roasted Root Vegetables

In the spirit of the season, Baldini offers this recipe for holiday cooking that’s simple, colorful and good for you.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Suggested vegetables: onions, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, winter squash-butternut and acorn, cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips, Brussel sprouts, mushrooms, garlic

Instructions

Prep cooking pan

Use a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet large enough to spread a single layer of vegetables
Layer bottom of pan in vegetable oil or cooking spray

Prep veggies

See ingredients for vegetable suggestions
Cut suggested veggies into equal-size pieces and toss them with vegetable oil to reduce pan sticking

Add flavor

Add salt, pepper and garlic powder
Optional post-cooking flavor: balsamic vinegar

Roast vegetables

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F
Place uncovered pan on the lower third of the oven
Cook time: 20-30 minutes, check every 10 minutes
Roast until golden brown and easily pierced with fork

Serve and enjoy!

Print Roasted Root Vegetables Recipe

For questions about eating healthy, talk to a Marshfield Clinic Health System provider.

Schedule appointment Message your provider

Healthy holiday cooking tips, plus a roasted root vegetable recipe

Healthy holiday cooking tips

Test your holiday food smarts

HOLIDAY FOOD SMARTS

Think you know how to pick a guilt-free feast?

START QUIZ

HOLIDAY FOOD SMARTS

Think you know how to pick a guilt-free feast?

SHARE SCORE

RETAKE QUIZ

HOLIDAY FOOD SMARTS

Think you know how to pick a guilt-free feast?

Turkey or ham?

Best pick: Turkey

Dinner rolls or crescent rolls?

Best pick: Dinner rolls

Hot buttered rum or eggnog?

Best pick: Hot buttered rum

Bread stuffing or green bean casserole?

Best pick: Green bean casserole

Candy cane or peanut brittle?

Best pick: Candy cane

Gingerbread cookies or sugar cookies?

Best pick: Sugar cookies

Mashed potatoes or sweet potato casserole?

Best pick: Mashed potatoes

Beef snack and cheese or deviled eggs?

Best pick: Deviled eggs

Pumpkin pie or pecan pie?

Best pick: Pumpkin pie

Hot chocolate or hot apple cider?

Best pick: Hot apple cider

Turkey

Ham

You’re so smart!

Skinless white meat turkey is the better choice at 178 calories per 4 ounces, compared to 188 calories for ham. Go easy on the gravy, which adds about 8 calories per tablespoon.

Nice try, but not quite.

Skinless white meat turkey is the better choice at 178 calories per 4 ounces, compared to 188 calories for ham. If you plan on drowning your turkey in gravy, you may want to stick with ham.

Next Question

Dinner rolls

Crescent rolls

Right on!

You’ll save 20 calories per serving by choosing dinner rolls over crescent rolls. Go easy on the butter – a tablespoon has about 100 calories.

Sorry.

Crescent rolls have more fat and 20 more calories per serving than dinner rolls. No matter which roll you choose, go easy on the butter – one tablespoon has about 100 calories.

Next Question

Hot buttered rum

Eggnog

You’re hot on the spot!

Be careful here. Hot buttered rum packs a calorie punch at 316 calories per cup, making it only slightly better than the shocking 394 calories in a cup of eggnog.

Yikes!

Eggnog has a whopping 394 calories per cup. Hot buttered rum is only slightly better at 316 calories for the same amount. If you really love eggnog, use low-fat milk instead of cream and egg whites in place of some of the whole eggs to reduce calories.

Next Question

Bread stuffing

Green bean casserole

Good choice!

Besides having only 161 calories per half cup (compared to 385 calories for stuffing), the green beans make this casserole a good source of vitamins and minerals.

Stuff it.

Stuffing is a calorie bomb at 385 calories per half cup serving. Try green bean casserole, which is (almost) guilt-free at 161 calories per half cup. Stuffing lovers, use whole grain bread or wild rice and plenty of veggies for a more healthful side.

Next Question

Candy cane

Peanut brittle

Sweet!

Though both are packed with sugar, one candy cane has under 1/3 the calories of an ounce of peanut brittle.

Oh nuts.

An ounce of peanut brittle has 147 calories. Both treats are packed with sugar, but candy canes are lower in calories (40 per cane) as long as you stick with one.

Next Question

Gingerbread cookies

Sugar cookies

Good job.

Sugar cookies aren’t a health food, but each one has 20 fewer calories than one gingerbread cookie.

Bah, humbug!

One gingerbread cookie will add 90 calories to your tally, compared to 70 calories for one sugar cookie.

Next Question

Mashed potatoes

Sweet potato casserole

Smashing choice!

Even with whole milk and butter, a cup of mashed potatoes has less than half the calories of a cup of sweet potato casserole.

Yowza!

Next Question