Christmas is about embracing time together with family and friends and we tend to do this over food and drink.
I am not the Christmas Grinch, I believe we can enjoy ourselves with food and drink and stay on track by indulging but not overindulging remembering it's one day or one meal.
Taking time to consider the cooking of our Christmas dinner and where to make smart swaps.
Instead of placing butter under the skin of the turkey breast, cook the turkey on the crown to allow the natural juices to filll the breast meat, keeping the breast beautiful and moist.
When it comes to pigs in blankets use reduce fat pork sausages or reduced fat pork sausage meat with bacon medalions instead od streaky bacon or Heck Chicken sausages with turkey rashers or quorn sausages with plant rashers.
If enjoying a vegetarian Wellington use reduce fat puffed pastry.
When roasting the vegetables forget using goose fat use your trusty extra virgin olive oil in a fine spray or fry light.
Enjoy the delicate taste of your vegetables, you do not need to lather with butter.
When it comes to stuffing always check for smart swaps, skimmed milk, instead of full fat milk, Fage/Philadelphia instead of cream, reduced fat sausage meat instead of full fat, bacon medalions instead of streaky bacon...
When making gravy embrace the vegetable jucies rather than the meat juices.
We don't need trencher plates our normal dinner plates are big enough, always remember Argentinian Plains rather than Mount Vesuvius.
Don't double up on your carbohydrates, maybe swap potatoes for stuffing rather than having both.
One plate is enough, say no to seconds.
When cooking and clearing away remember "Little pickers, wear big knickers".
Remember it is OK to say 'NO', treat yourself, don't stuff yourself, feel No guilt and enjoy.
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