How To Have a Healthy Thanksgiving (And Still Enjoy it)!

Click on picture to see a great recipe for Herbed Turkey

Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving?  Food, family, friends… all the ingredients for a wonderful time.  Some people believe it is a day when we get a pass on gluttony, but it doesn’t have to be this way.  Thanksgiving can be healthy and delicious! There are plenty of great tasting, healthy recipes for the big Turkey Day.  I have created a list of healthy alternatives (borrowed from various sources) to create an awesome menu for a healthy Thanksgiving….  Please share your healthy Thanksgiving recipes, too (there are so many)!

Winter Curried Vegetables I don’t know about you, but I love anything curried.  This recipe from Elisa Bosley (Delicious Living) looks like it tastes great…I love that it is make-ahead too!

Healthy Green Beans and Red Peppers  This recipe from MayoClinic is a great replacement for the traditional green bean casserole.  Without the sodium and fat of the traditional casserole, this recipe is simple, but incredibly tasteful… you won’t miss the canned soup!

Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole This delicious recipe from Ellie Krieger of the Food Network, combines cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and honey (yum).  The spices and sweet potato combo make this dish perfectly spiced and naturally sweet!  I personally love pecans, but you can leave these out if you desire.

Cauliflower mashed potatoes Okay, these aren’t potatoes at all, but they are sooo delicious-I promise you won’t miss the potatoes!  Of course, I will still offer the real mashed favorites on Thanksgiving, but I think I won’t be the only one choosing the healthy alternative…

Chesnut, cranberry, and leek stuffing I admit, it is a little gourmet sounding, but when it comes to stuffing, I am willing to be braver than usual.  I am not usually a homeade stuffing person, preferring the bagged stuffing mix over crumbling my own bread. This recipe sounds like a great way to venture out.  Do you have a healthy stuffing recipe?

Kitchen Stewardship

Homeade Healthy Pumpkin pie From Kitchenstewardship.com, this recipe will get me outside my box for sure.  I have never attempted pumpkin pie from scratch.  The recipe uses whole wheat for the crust, and real pumpkin (although she says you can use canned).  My good friend, Janet, makes her pumpkin pie like this, from scratch, and it is so good. As I mentioned, I am trying to be braver in the kitchen…this recipe fits that goal!

Please send me your favorite healthy recipes for Thanksgiving!