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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- The holidays are upon us, but don't let that bend you out of shape. The Twelve Days of Fitness have just started at Pivotal Fitness in Columbia, where they're "giving the gift of guilt free endulgence" this holiday season.

During the days leading up to Christmas, the CS Fitness nutrition center at Pivotal Fitness is giving out tips and reminders in their holiday survival guide to help Midlands residents stay fit and stress-free throughout December.

Their Wednesday tip for the Second Day of Fitness is to watch your portions and make sure you take "just two servings" of their featured Holiday Sausage Stuffing. The stuffing uses healthier options for a traditional recipe, including whole grain bread, fresh fruit and vegetables and lean turkey sausage.

Holiday Sausage Stuffing Recipe

10 servings, about 3/4 cup each | Active Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 cups cubed whole-wheat bread, (12 slices)
• 8 ounces bulk turkey sausage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
• 3 stalks stalks celery, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 Golden Delicious or McIntosh apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, or 2 teaspoons dried rubbed
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread bread on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to break it up, until no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander to remove excess fat.
• Add oil to the pan and heat over medium-low heat. Add celery, onions and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add apples and cook, stirring, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the sausage, toasted bread, sage, thyme and basil to the bowl. Toss well. Drizzle broth over the mixture and toss until evenly moistened. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
• Cover the stuffing with foil and bake until heated through, 35 to 45 minutes. If you want a crisp top, uncover it for the last 15 minutes.

Nutrition Per serving : 183 Calories; 4 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 17 mg Cholesterol; 26 g Carbohydrates; 11 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 512 mg Sodium; 317 mg Potassium