Fit Easter - healthy recipes for Easter dishes
Easter is a time full of challenges, especially for people on a diet who are focused on losing weight and shaping their dream body. A table full of traditional dishes is tempting not only in appearance but also in aroma, yet the foods commonly served during Easter are usually neither light nor diet-friendly. Instead of avoiding family feasts, it’s worth applying a few slimming tricks and including healthy alternatives and lighter Easter recipes in the holiday menu. Which healthy Easter recipes are worth trying? What does a fit Easter salad look like? How to make a low-calorie Easter cake?
Easter vs. a healthy lifestyle - what to eat during the holidays
Easter is a family time spent with loved ones around a generously set table. Traditional Easter dishes such as sour rye soup with white sausage, eggs with mayonnaise, or sweet mazurek cake are not exactly light, being high-calorie and hard to digest. For those who lead a healthy lifestyle year-round, the holiday season can be a serious challenge. Many fitness enthusiasts fear that a few days of family feasting could undo months of hard work.
However, instead of giving up your favorite dishes or refusing a piece of cake your grandma bakes every year, you can approach Easter traditions with balance, using a few dietary tricks and swaps that can significantly lighten the holiday menu.
Caloric value of Easter dishes - how many calories do traditional Easter meals have?
How many calories are hidden in traditional Easter foods? Are the dishes served during the holidays high in calories? The energy content of Easter meals can vary depending on preparation methods.
- A serving of sour rye soup with white sausage and egg - about 410 kcal.
- A slice of sponge bundt cake - 310-390 kcal.
- A piece of traditional mazurek with shortcrust base and dulce de leche filling - about 400 kcal.
- 100 g of vegetable salad with mayonnaise - about 200 kcal.
- A slice of cheesecake - about 300 kcal.
- A boiled egg with mayonnaise - about 150 kcal.
- A slice of roasted pork loin with dried plum - about 200 kcal.
How to make Easter dishes lighter?
Although Easter meals can be quite calorie-dense, you don’t have to give up your favorites to “slim down” your holiday - you just need to modify them a bit. What tricks can you use to reduce the caloric value of Easter dishes?
- Replace fatty sausages and store-bought processed meats with homemade cold cuts and roasts prepared in your own kitchen.
- When baking Easter cakes, swap sugar for low-calorie sweeteners such as erythritol or xylitol, or use naturally sweet ingredients like dried fruit.
- You can make the icing for a bundt cake using dark chocolate or powdered xylitol, and decorate desserts with nuts and dried fruits instead of caramel.
- To increase the nutritional value of baked goods, replace or mix wheat flour with whole grain flour, such as spelt.
- When making cheesecake, use semi-skimmed curd cheese instead of the full-fat version, and replace fried meats with baked or braised dishes.
- Instead of traditional mayonnaise, try a vegan version made from aquafaba or avocado, or swap it for natural yogurt or a yogurt-based sauce.
It’s also important to approach Easter with moderation - you don’t need to deny yourself everything, but overeating without restraint is not a healthy choice either. The key is balance - satisfy your appetite, but keep portion sizes in line with your needs. And don’t forget about physical activity - you don’t have to jump on a treadmill after dessert, but a family walk after a big lunch can work wonders for everyone’s well-being.
Fit recipes for Easter - traditional dishes in a lighter version
Slimmed-down Easter sounds great in theory, but how about in practice? How can you prepare healthy alternatives to classic Easter dishes? Here are a few ideas for traditional Easter meals in a fit version!
Eggs stuffed with avocado
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- half an avocado
- 1 clove of garlic
- lemon juice
- 2 radishes
- a pinch of chives
- your favorite spices
Preparation:
Hard boil the eggs and let them cool. Peel, cut in half, and remove the yolks. Mash the avocado with a fork until smooth, add the yolks, lemon juice, chives, and pressed garlic. Mix the ingredients with your favorite spices. Fill the egg whites with the prepared filling. Top with washed and sliced radishes.
Bean pâté with apple
Ingredients:
- A cup of cooked beans
- Half a cup of cooked millet
- 1 onion
- Half an apple
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- Your favorite spices
- 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
Preparation:
Cut the onion into half-moons. Wash, peel, and finely dice the apple. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, apple, and your favorite spices. Fry until the onion turns golden brown. Transfer the previously cooked millet to a bowl and blend. Add the fried onion and apple to the mixture. Add the cooked beans and soy sauce to the dish. Mix all the ingredients and blend again until smooth. Transfer to a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 60 minutes. Cut the bean pâté only after it has cooled completely.
Light version of sour rye soup
Ingredients:
- 250 ml rye sourdough
- half a liter of water
- 1 celery root
- 2 carrots
- 2 parsley roots
- 1 leek
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- your favorite spices
- a handful of dried mushrooms
- 100 g of chicken sausage with a high meat content
- an egg
- 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
Preparation:
Heat the rapeseed oil in a large pot. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, then fry them in oil. Wash, peel, and chop the remaining vegetables, then add them to the pot. Cover everything with water. Add the rye sourdough, previously soaked dried mushrooms, and your favorite spices. Cook covered for about 1.5 hours. In the meantime, cook the sausage and egg in separate pots. Add the sliced sausage and egg to the cooked soup.
Vegan mayonnaise
Ingredients:
- Half a cup of aquafaba (brine from canned chickpeas or water left over from cooking chickpeas)
- A tablespoon of vinegar
- A cup of rapeseed oil
- A teaspoon of mustard
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- Half a teaspoon of erythritol
Preparation:
Place the aquafaba, vinegar, mustard, salt, and erythritol in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the canola oil and blend again.