The week that goes from Christmas to January 1 is the week of all dangers … for line ! Studies show a weight gain* between 500 and 800 grams for those who pay the most attention and up to 1.4 kilos for the most greedy.
Sometimes weight gain starts even before Christmas because it can be hard to resist the temptation of chocolate. And then, some like test the recipes before Christmas!
4 tips for not gaining weight before Christmas
WW (the new name of Weight Watchers) suggests following the advice below to arrive on Christmas Day without having already gained weight on the scale. So, what do we do ? It’s very simple:
1 – We anticipate our meals : the days leading up to Christmas, we eat light. Thus, on D-day, we will have a larger reserve of SmartPoints to enjoy without feeling guilty.
2 – We avoid the feeling of hunger : the one that makes us rush on everything that comes to hand, and preferably fatty and / or sweet foods. So before going to the table we eat a ZeroPoint food (fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, eggs, pasta and whole grains, brown rice, fresh fish and seafood, plain chicken or turkey fillet, turkey ham, plain yogurt, skyr plain, plain soy yogurt, tofu, temple, quorn …).
3 – We eat in reasonable quantities : in front of a Christmas buffet, you are always tempted to taste everything, or even take it back! To avoid eating more than necessary, you always keep an object in one of your hands, which prevents you from being able to help yourself copiously!
4 – We listen to his desires : at Christmas, everything is enviable. It is true that we often offer dishes that we do not enjoy the rest of the year. It’s a party, so no way to be frustrated. We can taste whatever makes us want, but in small quantities. Thus, we will not be frustrated. And we also choose to eat foods that cost the fewest SmartPoints possible, which limits calories.
Ready for Christmas? All you have to do is offer your guests the following WW recipes.
As an aperitif: Foie gras with chutney in spoons
12 people / Preparation: 15min – Cooking: 35min – Rest: 3H 1 SmartPoints / Pers
Ingredients : 60 g of foie gras, 1 untreated orange juice, 1 ripe and firm pear (340 g), 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 3 shallots, 50 ml of white wine (or cider) vinegar, 4 tsp of brown sugar, 3 pinches of spices (ginger, 4 spices, turmeric), ground pepper and pink berries.
1/Reserve the foie gras in the fridge. Zest the orange (1 tbsp of zest) and squeeze the fruit (50 ml of juice). Peel and seed the pear, cut it into 1 cm cubes. Lemon. Peel and chop the shallots. Put them in a small saucepan with the vinegar and orange juice, reduce for 10 minutes over low heat. Season with pepper and incorporate the orange zest. Add the diced pear, sprinkle with sugar and spices. Make stew for 25 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally: do not crush the pear cubes and allow all the juice to evaporate. Let cool, film and set aside in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
2/Place 1 rounded tsp of chutney in 12 ceramic spoons. Give a turn of the pink berry mill. Take 24 shavings from the foie gras, disperse them in the spoons. Serve at room temperature.
© WW
As a main course: exotic roast turkey
6 people / Preparation: 20min – Cooking: 3 hours
5 SmartPoints / Pers> 1 only if the tenderloin is eaten without the skin.
Ingredients: 1 3 kg turkey, 3 oranges, 1⁄2 pineapple, 1 mango, 1 tbsp of rum, 1⁄2 bunch of coriander, 1 tsp of vanilla powder, 1 tsp of cinnamon powder, 1 tsp of ginger powder, 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt, pepper
1/Preheat the oven to 210 ° C (th. 7.) Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the turkey. Peel and dice 2 oranges. Do the same with the pineapple and the mango. Gather everything in a salad bowl. Drizzle with rum and chop the cilantro on top. Mix.
2/Stuff the poultry with this preparation. Place in a baking dish. Massage it with the spices and coat it with olive oil. Bake for 3 hours, basting the turkey regularly with its cooking juices. Add a little water if necessary, if it runs out.
3/Take the turkey out of the oven. Leave it on for a few minutes before removing the stuffing with a spoon. Then cut the poultry into pieces. Serve them on each plate, accompanied by the stuffing and drizzled with the cooking juices.
© WW
For dessert: chocolate Yule log
12 people / Preparation: 30min – Cooking: 15min – Rest: 2H minimum 7 SmartPoints® / Pers
Ingredients : 6 eggs, 200g of 40% dark chocolate, 2 tbsp of 4-5% light liquid cream, 2 tbsp of skimmed milk, 15g of stevia, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 pinch of salt, 125g of flour.
1/Separate the whites from the yolks of 2 eggs. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler with the cream and milk. Off the heat, add the 2 egg yolks. Whip the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the melted chocolate. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2/Preheat the oven to 180 ° C (th. 6). Separate the whites from the remaining egg yolks. Beat the egg yolks with the stevia and the vanilla extract until the mixture turns white. Whip the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt. Gradually incorporate them into the yolks / sugar mixture. Add the flour in “rain”. Mix gently to obtain a homogeneous paste.
3/Line a 38 x 28 cm baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the paddle and smooth it with a spatula. Bake for 10 minutes, until the sponge cake is lightly colored and soft. Spread a clean, damp cloth on the work surface. Return the sponge cake straight out of the oven. Remove the baking paper. Trim the edges for a neat finish.
* New England Journal of Medicine (Weight Gain over the Holidays in three countries, sept. 2016
4/Take the mousse out of the refrigerator and quickly spread (so that it does not fall) half of it on the sponge cake. Wrap the cookie on itself using the tea towel, taking care to keep it tight. Once rolled, cover the log with the rest of the chocolate mousse. Scratch the surface with a fork to simulate a log. Place in the fridge for another hour.
© WW
