Cooking Hints and Tips   
Calorie Counting

Most people will eat between 2,000 and 3,000 calories, a full day's worth, in just one Thanksgiving meal. Dieticians say to start with a healthy breakfast and try to get some light exercise during the day. Have a small piece of fruit about half-an-hour before Thanksgiving dinner so you don't eat as much. There are a few tricks to keep some of the calories in check. Bake dressing in a covered casserole. A turkey absorbs much of the fat when stuffed. On cooked vegetables, try dill for flavor instead of butter. Sauté onions and celery in a small amount of butter/margarine, i.e., 1 tablespoon. Use chicken or turkey broth for additional moisture. Roast the turkey on a rack so the fat drips away from the bird. Use a fat separator for the roasting pan juices and skim off all fat before making the gravy. Use a dry package of turkey gravy mix for added flavor and thickening. Make pumpkin pies with canned, evaporated, skimmed milk. Use half the amount of sugar in the recipe and substitute brown sugar for white, as it's more flavorful. Use more spices than the recipe suggests and use light or fat free whipped topping. If more than one choice of pie is offered after the meal, choose one, not a bit of each. Always choose the one that "rings your bell" (a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10). Eat the filling of the pie and just a bit or none of the high fat crust. Cover the crust with a napkin so you won't nibble on the crust. Mash the potatoes with chicken broth and canned, evaporated, skimmed milk. Hold the butter. No one will notice. Use pineapple and/or orange juice thickened with cornstarch as a glaze for carrots or sweet potatoes. Use low fat canned cream soup in the traditional green bean casserole. Use all fruit spreads on rolls instead of butter or margarine or skip the rolls due to so many other "bread" items such as stuffing, sweet potatoes, whipped potatoes, etc. Use the 1-10 rating system during Thanksgiving dinner. Rate each food that is passed on a 1-10 scale - 1, not appealing - 10, WOW, my favorite! Eat only 9's and 10's. Pass up the rest. Don't skip meals before the big meal that day. You'll be too hungry and may overeat. Treat it as a regular day or three meals and fruit snacks. Begin the meal with a salad. You'll eat less during dinner. After dinner, go for a long walk.

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