Turkey Dinner

• Much like a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in the United States, turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, stuffing and vegetables can make a great Christmas Eve dinner. Choose the size of your turkey based on the amount of guests you will be serving. While the size of the turkey you purchase can be deceiving, there are many free online turkey calculators to estimate the correct size turkey you should purchase based on the amount of dinner guests.

Lasagna

• If you will be eating ham dinner on Christmas day and want to have something different for Christmas Eve, lasagna is a simple alternative to more traditional holiday dinners. You will want to determine the size of your lasagna by how many people you be serving and how large of servings you will be offering. In addition to the main lasagna dish, you can serve tossed salad and garlic bread or rolls. Hearty soups, such as minestrone, make a great appetizer.

Shrimp Marinara

• Seafood is a healthy, light dinner idea for the holidays. Serve shrimp marinara with most types of pasta or rice. Food Network’s Robin Miller notes that to make shrimp marinara, you will need olive oil, basic spices, garlic, tomato sauce and large de-veined, peeled shrimp. Offer a light salad or dip and crackers as an appetizer.