Healthy Holiday Food Swaps: 5 Delicious Recipes to Try

Looking for healthy holiday foods? We certainly are, and this article provides some delicious holiday food swaps worth trying (plus: they are RD-approved).

There’s so much to love about the holiday season: cozying up indoors, spending quality time with loved ones, and enjoying hearty holiday fare chief among them. Less joyful, however, is feeling bogged down and bloated from packed plates, endless treats, and a few too many sips of alcohol. While you certainly don’t need to deprive yourself over the holidays, you can take small yet significant steps to enjoy holiday meals, snacks, and sips without feeling worse for wear. A prime example: making a few healthy swaps for your go-to traditional holiday foods, which can save you from digestive distress without skimping on festive flavors.

Below, we’re sharing 5 healthy holiday recipe swaps vetted by registered dietitians.

1. Grain-Free Pumpkin Muffins

It’s not too late to get your fix of flavorful pumpkin, and this grain-free pumpkin muffin recipe by Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, can satisfy your taste buds from morning through night. “They’re great for breakfast and also a healthy swap for a dinner roll, cornbread, or even to serve as individual desserts instead of pie,” she explains.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic almond butter
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, chocolate chips or cranberries (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add to muffin tin sprayed with coconut oil.
3. Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F.
4. Let cool completely and enjoy.

2. Healthy Green Bean Casserole

This healthy recipe swap for traditional green bean casserole, courtesy of cookbook author Brittany Mullins, gets Shaprio’s stamp of approval. “Green bean casserole is often made with high-fat and salty ingredients, but this version is lighter and full of heart-protective items that taste great,” she shares.

Ingredients:

Crispy baked onions

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 2 tbsp gluten-free panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Nonstick cooking spray

Green beans and sauce

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 24 oz fresh green beans (rinsed, trimmed, and halved)
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 12 oz baby portobello mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp oat flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce

Instructions:

1. Add cashews to a bowl with water for soaking. Let soak for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
3. Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and
   
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