A Cup of Calories

Eggnog, peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes! They are everywhere! These tasteful beverages are filled with flavor, holiday fun and…. calories. The word that haunts us all. So how do you get around the excess calories in these festive drinks? Can we afford to spend 300-400 calories on a tasteful holiday beverage? It was not until three years ago that I ventured out to try these beverages that I might go as far to say taste like “Christmas in a cup!” So that leaves me and many others with the question of how to go about enjoying these drinks in moderation as well as dodging the excess calories…

Let’s take a look at the calories in your cup…

(Drinks are calculated in 16 oz portions with skim milk.)

• Eggnog: 343 calories
• Peppermint Mocha: 330 calories, 8 g fat, 60 g CHO
• Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha: 440 calories, 10 g fat, 75 g CHO
• Hot Chocolate: 290 calories, 9 gram of fat, 47 g CHO
• White Hot Chocolate: 420 calories, 12 grams of fat, 62 g CHO
• Eggnog Latte: 460 kcals, 21 g fat, 53 g CHO

Now let’s look at some alternative ways to fill that cup with fewer calories…

•  Club soda: 0 calories
• Mixed drinks with diet soda: ~130 calories
•  Glass of red wine: 150 calories
• “Diet” Hot Chocolate (Swiss): 25 calories
• Apple Cider: 120 calories
• Skinny flavored Latte: 130 calories, 0 g fat, 19 g CHO
• Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte: 210 calories, 0 g fat, 40 g CHO
• Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino Light: 150 calories, 1 g fat, 30 g CHO

Now it’s your turn to shock your friends and party guests with fun-filled, healthier beverage options. Meanwhile I will enjoy the skinny peppermint mocha that awaits me…for only 130 calories! Happy Holidays!

Low-fat Eggnog

Ingredients:

-          6 cups 1% milk

-          1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

-          2 large eggs

-          2/3 cup sugar

-          2 T all-purpose flour

-          ¼ teaspoon salt

-          ¼ cup brandy, bourbon or rum (optional)

-          2 teaspoons vanilla extract

-          ¼ cup light whipping cream

Directions:

-          Brink milk and nutmeg to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.

-          Whisk eggs, sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Whisking constantly, gradually add hot milk; return mixture to saucepan.

-          Cook the eggnog over very low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. (Temperature must reach 160°F; do not let eggnog come to a simmer.) Remove from the heat and pour through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl.

-          Whisk in brandy (or bourbon or rum) and vanilla. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the eggnog and refrigerate until chilled, for at least 8 hours or overnight.

-          Just before serving, add cream to eggnog. Ladle into cups and serve garnished with more grated nutmeg.

Nutrition: 142 calories, 4 g fat

Recipe adapted from eatingwell.com.