Are you taking the light approach while cooking traditional dishes this holiday season? This is the season where we cook our favorite holiday dishes and desserts and can potentially pack on a few pounds if we’re not careful. I’m no calorie counter but, I do like to look at my portion sizes and after my second or third plate… I may have to force myself to STOP! Especially when I know I have no intention of working it off at that moment. I’ve decided to counteract some of the potential issues that come with holiday cooking by planning my holiday menu and taking the light approach with certain ingredients. For instance one of our absolute favorites is macaroni and cheese. I stopped using whole milk about one year ago and started using 2% milk as advised by my family’s nutritionist. Now I’m going to try it with cheese. I usually make our special homemade baked macaroni and cheese with regular Sharp Cheddar and Monterrey Jack. I’m going to switch out the cheese to Cabot’s Sharp Light and see if any of my live in taste testers notice the difference in this popular holiday favorite of ours.

Cabot has recently re-launched their “Light Cheddar” that include Cabot’s Sharp Light, Sharp Extra Light, Jalapeno Light, and Pepper Jack Light just to name a few. Each variety offers between 50 percent and 75 percent less fat than traditional cheddars, and all have the great full flavor and cooking properties of Cabot’s regular cheddar. We still get the key benefits we care about like the calories (only 70), calcium and protein when using Cabot Light Cheddar. In addition to trying Cabot Light Cheddar in my macaroni and cheese, I frequently host parties in my home and plan on using Cabot Light Cheddar in my cheese and cracker tray in addition to regular sharp cheddar allowing me to give my guests a choice. I am getting so many ideas with all the meals I prepare using cheddar cheese. I also do the switch on taco night, and use Cabot Light Cheddar as one of our topping choices. There is a new look accompanied by a new name and Cabot Light Cheddars are available at Triangle-area grocery stores including Kroger’s, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, among others.

Check out the Cabot Cheese website for more information, and also to try some great recipes using Cabot Light Cheddar choices. There are many great recipes to choose from. So, how are you going to keep things light this holiday season? I think using reduced fat dairy products is a great start!