By Karin Calloway

Karin Calloway is a working mom living in Augusta, Ga., with multiple freelance jobs and a ton of dirty dishes.

A Lighter Holiday Dinner Party

The holidays and weight gain often go hand-in-hand. A little cookie here, a cocktail there, heavy cream in everything...it's no wonder the numbers on the scale are up when the holidays come to an end.

This menu offers a lighter holiday meal that packs lots of flavors and textures while whittling down the fat and calories. Start your meal with Crunchy Cran-Apple Salad with a dressing based on fat free vanilla yogurt. For the entrée, Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin is perfectly cooked, tender and lean, and a drizzle of Red Wine Jus takes the dish to a higher level.

If you love roasted potatoes, you'll enjoy our Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes in which the roasted potatoes and garlic are mashed along with some chicken broth, Parmesan cheese and reduced-fat sour cream.

Holiday eggnog appears at the end of this meal instead of at the beginning with simple-to-prepare Eggnog Panna Cotta that's drizzled with purchased caramel sauce. Using reduced-fat prepared eggnog from the supermarket saves you time, calories and fat.

Recipes:

Orange-Ricotta Pancakes
Admit it. Those of you with a Viking range, rangetop or cooktop with a griddle, or even those with one of these appliances and a portable griddle accessory, like to show it off when the opportunity arises. We get it.
Crunchy Cran-Apple Salad
Cranberries are a holiday tradition, whether they decorate the Christmas tree or adorn the holiday turkey in the form of cranberry sauce. This salad features dried cranberries in a delicious, light addition to your next holiday meal.
Eggnog Panna Cotta
Enjoy your eggnog at the end of your holiday meal instead of the beginning with these simple-to-prepare Eggnog Panna Cottas. A quart of eggnog and some plain gelatin are all you need to make these delicious, light little individual desserts that are perfect for the holidays.
Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes
This recipe’s beginnings are two-fold. What resulted is this big bowl of Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes that are full of flavor yet contain little fat.

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