With the holidays already upon us, many of us are already in full-on planning mode. From buying gifts, organizing travel itineraries, and planning our holiday dinner parties, it is quite the chaotic season. 

One of our favorite parts of the holidays is all the delicious, traditional dishes that come along with it. But does wanting to eat healthier mean you have to cut out your favorite foods? Not exactly. 

Here are some incredibly simple ways to make your favorite holiday dish a lot healthier. 

Substitute butter

 A great way to make your dishes a lot healthier is right in the very beginning. Many of the meals we like to cook throughout the holidays require a certain degree of sauteing, and we automatically pull out the stick of butter. Although this is a great product to use during cooking, butter is mainly saturated fat. Swap your butter for healthier oils, such as olive oil, canola oil, or flaxseed oil.

Use healthier dips

While waiting for dinner to be ready, it is common to start munching on appetizers and chips. But instead of dunking your favorite tortilla chips into heavy salsa or sour cream, use dips made with greek yogurt or vegetables, such as hummus or spinach dip. Make sure you keep an eye on the caloric and fat count. 

If you’re feeling adventurous, or can’t seem to find what you’re looking for, try making this easy, homemade salsa as an alternative! 

Heart-Healthy Creamy Avocado Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 AVOCADOS
• 1 CUP GREEK YOGURT
• 1 LIME JUICED
• 1 CLOVE GARLIC
• ⅛ ONION
• 1-2 JALAPEÑOS DEPENDING ON THE DESIRED LEVEL OF HEAT
• ¼ BUNCH CILANTRO
• SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
• 3 TABLESPOONS WATER (YOU CAN ADD MORE IF YOU WANT A THINNER CONSISTENCY)
  

Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Reduce the use of sugar

What good is a holiday dish without some dessert? Eating healthier does not mean you have to cut off your favorite sweets. An excellent way to make your dessert dishes healthier is by using less sugar. Many recipes call for an exorbitant amount of sugar when in reality, a little bit goes a long way.