Creamy Holiday Potatoes

Around Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two times in a year that I will forgive myself for all the unhealthy foods I've eaten. Throughout the year, I make my mashed potatoes using skim milk and very little butter or other fats. These mashed potatoes are rich, indulgent, and delicious, however fattening it may be, and I will ONLY make it around the holidays! Make sure you have a potato masher because if you use a handheld mixer it will overwork the starch and will make your creamy mashed potatoes turn into gummy mashed potatoes- not palatable.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Yields: 3-4 servings


1½ pounds Idaho potatoes, cubed
5½ tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature
2½ ounces cream cheese, cubed, room temperature
2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
½ tsp. Lawry's seasoning (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Once boiling, place potatoes in the water and cook until fork tender. Depending on the size you cut the potatoes, they may take anywhere from 20-45 minutes; mine took about 25 minutes. Once cooked, drain in a colander and put the potatoes back in the hot pot and over a very low heat. Putting the potatoes back into the same pot over a low heat allows for excess water to evaporate. I found that cubing the butter and cream cheese before bringing them to room temperature will allow quicker meting, but cubing is not necessary. Once melted, add in the heavy whipping cream. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust your seasoning. If you choose to add the Lawry's seasoning, go a little lighter on salt.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 380.7

• Total Fat: 25.6 g
• Cholesterol: 75.0 mg
• Sodium: 92.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 34.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g
• Protein: 5.3 g

Fettuccine Alfredo

Michael's favorite dish at Olive Garden is the chicken fettuccine alfredo. Have you ever taken the time to on Olive Garden's website to look at the nutrition facts for that dish?! If you enjoy it and care about what you eat, don't eat it. After Thanksgiving, I had some heavy whipping cream left over from Michael's pumpkin pie and from my mashed potatoes. While we were at the grocery store, Michael asked if we had enough heavy cream to make an alfredo sauce for dinner one night. When we got home, I checked and we only had about ½ cup remaining. Heavy cream wouldn't be an optimal choice to make a sauce when considering low-fat. The recipe I have today for you is much healthier and tastes JUST as good. I actually think it tastes better because it isn't as rich and doesn't overpower the palate.

Light Alfredo Sauce
Yields: 2 servings

½ medium onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 c. skim milk
½ c. chicken broth
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
½ tbsp. salt
½ tbsp. pepper
¼ c. parmesan cheese, grated


In a small sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for about 4-5 minutes or until slightly golden brown and soft. In a medium saucepan, stir together the milk, chicken broth, flour, salt, and pepper over low heat until smooth and thick. Add the sautéed garlic and onions to the saucepan and stir constantly until the sauce has thickened. Stir in parmesan cheese until well blended.

Serve over fettuccine noodles or any other type of noodle you prefer (or have on hand)!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 3
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 114.5

• Total Fat: 4.3 g
• Cholesterol: 9.1 mg
• Sodium: 350.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 11.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
• Protein: 7.4 g