The holidays are quickly approaching, and you’ve worked hard all summer long to attain those hard-earned results. Holiday parties, dinners and hectic schedules put a toll on gym time, healthy cooking and eating right. With Thanksgiving almost here, creating the right mindset is crucial to staying fit.

Making healthier eating decisions and not overindulging is the key. If you spend more time eating and less time exercising, you will gain weight. I have put together two of my favorite modified healthy recipes for holiday cooking. They don’t beat mom’s home recipes and that pinch of TLC she always added, but if you want to impress your friends with all the flavor and half the calories, put your apron on and get cookin’.

1 pound orange-fleshed

sweet potatoes/yams (about

three)

1 cup apple juice

1/4 cup raisins

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Place all ingredients together in a large casserole dish and mix well. Cover and bake until tender (about 45-60 minutes). Serve hot.

Serves four (1/2 cup per serving)

Total preparation and cooking time: 50 minutes (5 min. prep, 45 min. cook)

Nutrition information:

Calories: 159

Total fat: 0.2 g

Saturated fat: 0 g

Trans fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 13 mg

Carbohydrates: 38.8 g

Dietary Fiber: 3.8 g

Sugars: 22.1 g

Protein: 2.3 g

16 ginger snap cookies

16 oz. can pumpkin

1/2 cup egg whites

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup evaporated skim milk

2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup Splenda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind ginger snaps in food processor. Lightly spray a glass pie pan with cooking spray. Pat cookie crumbs into the pan evenly. Mix the rest of the ingredients in medium-sized bowl and pour into the crust. Bake until knife comes out clean from center (about 45 minutes). Refrigerate and slice into eight wedges. Optional: Serve each wedge with fat-free whipped cream.

Serves eight

Total preparation and cooking time: 60 minutes (15 min. prep, 45 min. cook)

Nutrition information:

Calories: 151

Total fat: 01.6 g

Saturated fat: 0.3 g

Trans fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 1 mg

Sodium: 161 mg

Carbohydrates: 28.6 g

Dietary fiber: 2.6 g

Sugars: 18.9 g

Protein: 6.2 g

I’d love to hear about what’s working (and not working) for you. Feel free to share your stories or questions with me at editor@uptownpub.com