Overdo it at holiday meals?

The average weight gain from Halloween to New Year’s Day is 10 to 12 pounds. Unfortunately, most folks would be happier if those pounds were a deficit, not a gain.

Now, we all know what to do: exercise more to get your metabolism moving…and eat less. The latter is easier when it looks good, tastes good and is satisfying. Most of us don’t like to be hungry. Ever.

Here’s a selection of getting-back-into-shape recipes that might have fresh appeal and start the scale moving in a healthy direction.

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Slick Chick Salad

3 oz. cooked chicken, cut into strips

¼ tsp. celery seed

1 tbsp. low calorie oil and vinegar dressing

1 cucumber, seeded and cut into small strips

1 orange, seeded and sectioned

Fresh spinach leaves

Coarsely chopped radishes, optional garnish

Toss all ingredients except spinach. Line serving bowl with spinach. Mound salad in center. Garnish with chopped radish, if used. Serves 1.

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Eating fish is a healthy choice. Team fish with mushrooms and celery and a splash of lemon…tasty and low calorie selection for any person. A tiny bit of butter goes along way for flavor and savor.

Piquant Broiled Fish

Spray canola oil

¼ cup chopped green onion

½ cup sliced mushrooms

¼ cup diced celery

3 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. grated lemon rind

1 tbsp. melted butter

1 lb. firm-fleshed fish (haddock, sole, halibut)

Lemon, parsley, paprika (optional garnish)

Spray a sauté pan with canola oil. Sauté green onion, mushrooms and celery lightly. Add 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Heat and keep warm.

Combine grated lemon rind, melted butter and 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Broil fish just until fish flakes with tines of a fork. Drizzle with sauce. Top with sautéed vegetables and serve garnished with cut lemon, parsley or dusting of paprika.

3-4 servings.

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Fondue is fun! This Asian-style fondue is especially favored by those who are watching their waist line diminish.

Asian-Style Fondue

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ lb. lean ground beef

½ lb. ground turkey

2 tbsp. fine dry breadcrumbs

15 small boiling onions

½ lb. mushrooms

1-2 bunches radishes

3 medium zucchini

1 stalk broccoli

¼ head cauliflower

5 cups chicken broth

For mustard sauce:

3 tbsp. dry mustard

3 tbsp. water

For horseradish sauce:

¼ cup low-calorie sour cream

2 tbsp. whipped horseradish sauce

For apricot sauce:

¼ cup low-calorie apricot preserves

1 tbsp. vinegar

Divide egg between ground turkey and ground beef. Add crumbs to ground turkey mixture. Shape meats into about 30 small balls. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Peel and trim root ends from onions. Rinse and trim mushrooms. Trim leaf and root ends from radishes. Trim ends from zucchini; cut into chunks. Cut broccoli and cauliflower into flowerets.

Heat chicken broth in metal fondue pot and bring to a boil. Each person spears meat or vegetables with fondue forks and cooks it in the broth. Sauces are passed as desired. Serve broth as a soup when cooking is finished.

Serves 4-5.

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Monotony is death to dieters. Here is a well seasoned stuffed pepper that is satisfying and quite nutritious and the calorie count is less than you’d think…under 250 calories per serving.

Stuffed Peppers (or Cabbage Rolls)

Filling:

½ lb. lean ground beef

1 cup (4 oz.) natural sharp cheddar cheese

½ lb. mushrooms, chopped

1 cup diced celery (with leaves)

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 ½ cups grated carrot

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. oregano

For stuffed peppers:

6 green peppers

2 tbsp. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

For cabbage rolls:

12 cabbage leaves

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

1 cup fat-free milk

¼ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Sauté beef in large skillet. Add onion and celery and cook, covered, 2-3 minutes; add mushrooms, carrot, salt, pepper and oregano. Add cheese, tossing to mix well.

For Stuffed Peppers:

Cut tops from peppers and reserve. Remove stem ends and seeds. Parboil pepper and tops for 3 minutes. Remove and cool.

Stuff peppers with meat mixture. Place in shallow casserole. Pour about ½ inch boiling water around peppers. Bake in a 350-degree oven about 20 minutes. Add pepper tops and sprinkle with cheese. Bake additional 10 minutes.

For Cabbage Rolls:

Remove large leaves from heat of cabbage. Blanch a few at a time in boiling water just until slightly limp. Place about ½-cup meat mixture on each leaf, near stem end. Turn outside edges toward middle. Roll toward leaf end, securing with a wooden pick. Place each roll, pick side down, in casserole.

Melt butter in saucepan. Blend in flour, then add milk. Cook until smooth and thickened. Add cheese and whisk until melted. Cover cabbage rolls with sauce. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a 350-degree oven about 25 minutes or until rolls are heated through and cheese sauce is bubbly.

Serves 6; 2 rolls per serving.

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Mock Beef Stroganoff

2 lb. round steak, cut ¼- to ½-inch thick

Salt

1 ½ cups beef bouillon

½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour blended with 2 tbsp. cold water

2 tbsp. sherry

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Remove fat and bone from steak. Cut into strips 2 ½ inches long and ¾-inch wide. Sprinkle with salt. Brown steak in a large skillet in its own juices. When brown, add bouillon and simmer until meat is fork tender (about an hour).

Near end of cooking period, sauté mushrooms and onion in butter.

Combine flour with cold water. Use this to thicken meat juices. Season with sherry and Worcestershire sauce. Add sautéed onions, mushrooms and yogurt. Heat briefly.

Serves 8.