‘Tis the season for gift-giving and overeating but it's also crunch time for calories and dollars. Let's explore some tips for saving on both without sounding like Scrooge.

• Bring a lower-calorie option to the holiday party or gathering.
• Salsa mixed with a few spoonfuls of non-fat plain yogurt makes a creamy looking dip without the fat.
• Cut your own celery sticks to add to the carrots — always a bargain. Buy a full head of broccoli and make your own florets. (Remember to use a peeler or knife to remove the tough outer covering of the stems and cutting the stem into sticks for dipping.) Add color with a red or yellow bell pepper.
• Keep the sweets and desserts to fashionable bite sizes!
• Keep portions to recommended serving sizes for more expensive items on your menu. Let your guest help themselves to the salad, grains and vegetables and you serve the meat, fish or chicken.
• Go meatless for at least one meal a day and stretch meat by using it in soups, casseroles or other mixed dishes. It's the right time of year to make bean or vegetable soup, seafood chowder and bean salads and count them as a protein choice.
• Check out the salad makings and go for the best price. Adding grated carrots, zucchini or turnips increases volume and nutrition.
• Along with in-store specials, plan to use “in-season” bargains. Think pumpkin soup, oven-roasted parsnips, Brussels sprouts or acorn squash. Finish a meal with sliced oranges sprinkled with coconut for a quick ambrosia or combined with pomegranate seeds.

As for gift-giving ...

• Make a donation to a food pantry rather than exchanging gifts or bringing a host/hostess gift.
• Turn to gift baskets for a personalized gift. Someone who loves to cook will love a favorite recipe with the pantry ingredients and a Giant Eagle^® gift card for the extras. College kids and singles love snack baskets. Your neighborhood Giant Eagle^® has a large selection of holiday gift baskets to choose from.
• Assemble an assortment of spices and herbs or scented candles, health and beauty items — and some TopCare^® hand sanitizer.
• Build an assortment of pantry basics for the shut-in or the person with special needs.
• Live close? Deliver a meal or pot of soup (with some freezer containers) to a shut-in or noncook.

Have a question for Judy about this article or need some other meal and snack solutions to meet your budget? Send her an e-mail at nutritionist@GiantEagle.com.

December 2009