Healthier Holiday Cooking

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WUSA) --- Eating healthy this time of year can be a major challenge for many of us.

Chef William Artley from Evening Star Cafe's personal journey with food inspired him to change his style of cooking, just a little.

During the holidays, Chef says Thanksgiving doesn't have to be an excuse to start packing on pounds.

"You have to have control of yourself, and don't get a heaping pile," says Chef Artley.

Chef "Will" used to weigh 420 pounds, now he's 265 pounds. His weight loss journey, he says, came with a lot of sacrifices, hard work and without taking any shortcuts.

His low fat cooking methods includes using simple, local and fresh ingredients. He also has a few healthy cuisine tricks, like sneaking  vitamins in to everyday foods.

Check out a few of Chef Artley's tips:

-Mashed Potatoes. Use celery root cream or cauliflower cream instead.

To do this, combine celery or cauliflower and skim milk and place in a blender.

-Green bean casserole with chantrelle mushrooms.

Place a teaspoon of olive oil in pan, blanche beans and lightly season with salt. In the second pan, use a teaspoon of olive oil and sear mushrooms. Chef says mushrooms should be crispy to maintain that fresh nutty taste.

-Tired of having a traditional turkey? Artley says de-bone the turkey and only use the breast, use the legs for something else. He also takes the skin off.

(SEE VIDEO FOR INSTRUCTIONS)