Dorm-friendly Recipes for a Healthier Holiday

By Ocean Gildee, University of North Carolina Wilmington

It’s the jolliest time of the year: The time when we get to stuff our faces with all kinds of sweets and other treats. But there’s plenty you can do to make traditional holiday recipes a little more healthful without sacrificing flavor!

Substitute Teaching
Before we went to work in our test kitchen, we turned to Alice Merritt, campus dietician at University of North Carolina Wilmington. She recommends making substitutions while cooking, especially during the holiday season when it’s easy to pack on pounds:

Instead of all-purpose flour, use whole-wheat flour. This is one of the easiest ways to get in your servings of whole grains.

Instead of oil, use unsweetened applesauce. Just cut the amount in half. So if your recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, use 1/2 cup of applesauce instead!

Instead of one whole egg, use two egg whites. This will cut back on fat and cholesterol.

Instead of whole or 2 percent milk, use skim. The final product will taste just the same with about half the calories!

No-bake Goodies
Get in the holiday mood (and keep your waistline in check) with these delicious snacks that are simple to make, store … and eat. Stash them in your room, take them to parties or give them as gifts. All you need is a microwave!

Microwave Oatmeal Crisps

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or margarine)

6 egg whites

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoon baking powder

3 1/2 cups plain oatmeal

1/3 cup whole-wheat flour

Cooking spray

1. Heat butter in a glass measuring cup for 1 minute.

2. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cinnamon, vanilla, salt and sugar. Whisk until well-mixed, about 5 minutes.

3. Add melted butter and remaining ingredients. Blend well.

4. Lightly coat a flat, round plate (not glass or plastic) with cooking spray. Drop batter by 1/2 teaspoonfuls onto plate in a ring around the inside rim, six at a time.

5. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 3 minutes or until cookies are golden at center. Note: Cooking time will shorten with successive batches to 2 1/2 minutes as microwave oven heats.

6. Let cookies cool on a wire rack. Store them in an airtight container for up to a week.

White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch

Recipe courtesy of Popcorn.org

IMAGE: The Popcorn Board has free images on its site of this recipe.

5 cups popped popcorn

1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds

12 ounces white chocolate baking chips

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1. Cover a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. Place popcorn, cranberries and almonds in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Melt chocolate in the microwave on 50-percent power for 1 minute. Stir chocolate. Microwave at 15-second intervals until chocolate is melted to perfection, stirring between each heating. (Chocolate will not melt without stirring.)

3. Pour chocolate over popcorn mixture, and stir to coat.

4. Spread mixture onto waxed paper pan and let cool completely. When chocolate is cooled and set, break into chunks for serving. Store in an airtight container and enjoy it on your way to class!

Sugar ’n’ Spice Almonds

1-pound bag roasted almonds

1/4 cup granulated sugar

5 tablespoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon nutmeg

1. Pour sugar and spices into the bag of almonds.

2. Shake the bag to coat almonds. That’s it! Store in an airtight container -- they’ll never go bad.

Apple and Carrot Salad

1 large green apple, cored and sliced into matchsticks

1 large red apple, cored and sliced into matchsticks

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 cups precut matchstick carrots

1/2 tablespoon applesauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1. Mix apples and lemon juice in a large bowl.

2. Add carrots, applesauce, sugar, salt, pepper and feta.

3. Toss and mix thoroughly. Keep leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container.

Talk it Up! Got other ideas for guilt-free festive food? Share it below!