How do I calculate the amount of calories in a home cooked meal?

Question

My goal is to make healthier side dishes for our Thanksgiving dinner this year but I'm wondering how to determine the amount of calories and the nutrition facts for the dishes I’m preparing. Is it as simple as combining the information found on each nutrition label? Or is there some other type of formula I need to use? This question might be geared towards health professionals or food science gurus. Any help you can provide is very appreciated.

God bless,
Erika

Answer 1

http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/recipe_analysis.php?process=resubmit&count=4

Answer 2

If you add the calories for each ingredient according to the amount you use in preparation then it will give you an approximate number of calories for the entire dish. Divide the total by the number of portions and that should tell you how many caloires each person will be taking in when they eat one serving.
It is easier to go to a website that posts the calorie content of recipes and then just use the recipes you find there.

I made an entirely low calorie Thanksgiving dinner last year, right down to the pumpkin cheesecake, and it was declicious...no one knew they were dieting.