How to save 1,488 calories on your Christmas dinner without losing out on taste

Hi! My name is Rhian and as well as being a busy mum of two boys, I am also the founder of The Healthy Mummy.

As a busy mum of two, I know how easy it can be to go overboard with your daily calorie requirements (especially at Christmas)! You think you’re being healthy and making great meals but the weight isn’t shifting.

At The Healthy Mummy we 100% focus on education around health and weight loss and I really wanted to show how by following our healthy recipes and meal plans can significantly reduce your calorie intake – WITHOUT compromising on taste.

So today, I’m going to show you how just a few SMALL changes can save you a lot of calories on your Christmas dinner without losing out on the taste!

When it comes to making meals and you’re trying your best to make everyone in the family happy, sometimes you may not realise the portions are too large or you use ingredients that could be swapped with healthier options.

Small changes like this that mums can do can really change the nutritional details and calories in the meals you’re eating and can give you more of an opportunity to enable you to reach your weight loss goals.

This is where our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge comes in hand. Healthy, nutritionally planned and portioned meals from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge ensure you’re on track with your energy requirements, vitamins and minerals to reach your goals.

Below I have laid out 7 comparisons of Healthy Mummy 28 Day Challenge meals versus the same meal made with different ingredients and quantities – so you can see how SMALL changes can make a HUGE difference in COST too!

1. The Healthy Mummy recipe: Roast Turkey with Citrus and Date Stuffing (615 cals per serve)

Saves 404 calories

How did the calories increase on the 1019 calorie serve?

• Increase turkey to 4kg
• Change feta to full fat and increase to 1 cup
• Add 3 cups fresh white sourdough breadcrumbs (210g)
• Add 120g butter (50g to rub all over turkey before cooking and the rest to rub into breadcrumbs and mix with the rest of stuffing ingredients)
• Increase pistachios to 1/2 cup
• Increase green beans to 4 cups

2. The Healthy Mummy recipe: Sticky Ginger and Pineapple Baked Ham (417 cals per serve)

Saves 180 calories

How did the calories increase on the 597 calorie serve?

• Increase ham to 200g per serve without bone- keep at 3kg* ham
• Swap coconut sugar for 1 cup honey

3. The Healthy Mummy recipe: Cheesy Cauliflower Bake (177 cals per serve)

Saves 157 calories

How did the calories increase on the 334 calorie serve?

• Swap milk to full fat
• Swap cheese to full fat and increase to 2 cups
• Increase butter to 3 tbsp
• Add 500g potatoes as well as keeping the cauliflower at 500g

4. The Healthy Mummy recipe: Apple Coleslaw (108 cals per serve)

Saves 150 calories

How did the calories increase on the 258 calorie serve?

• Increase apple to 200g
• Swap reduced-fat mayo for full fat
• Add 1 tbsp full-fat sour cream
• Add 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Add 1 tsp poppy seeds

5. The Healthy Mummy recipe: Four Ingredient Fruit Cake (273 cals per serve)

Saves 142 calories

How did the calories increase on the 415 calorie serve?

• Serve with 720g custard (60g per serve)
• Change the serves to 12 to increase the portions
• Change cranberry juice to added sugar

6. The Healthy Mummy recipe: No Bake Raspberry Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cheesecake (150 cals per serve)

Saves 154 calories

How did the calories increase on the 304 calorie serve?

• Change portion to 16 serves instead of 20
• Swap ricotta to full fat
• Swap cream cheese to full fat
• Swap natvia for white sugar
• To the base add 4 butter biscuits (72g) and 2 tbsp butter
• Garnish with 160g of canned whipped cream (16 x 10g dollops)
• And 100g dark choc that is shaved into strips or melted and drizzled on top

7. The Healthy Mummy recipe: Cranberry Crush Cocktail (75 cals per serve)

Saves 301 calories

How did the calories increase on the 376 calorie serve?

• Change light cranberry juice to sweetened cranberry juice and increase to 250ml
• Omit water
• Add 1 cup (255g) crushed pineapple in juice
• Add 15ml Cointreau