9 Thanksgiving Recipes That Give Classic Side Dishes a Healthy Makeover
Prepping your Thanksgiving side dishes to complement that big, juicy turkey? Before you add that heaping cup of sugar to the cranberries the way you do every November, consider this: We believe in enjoying the happy indulgences holidays present (like eating every bite of that slice of creamy, delicious pumpkin pie), but that doesn’t mean your meal always has to result in a paralyzing food coma. Tweaking classic sides is one easy way to make the feast healthier without sacrificing traditional flavors or dishes altogether. It’ll also add creativity and excitement to your table, which your little brother’s foodie fiancé will totally appreciate. Try one of these tasty recipes for a fresh, healthy menu this year. Thanksgiving side dishes, reimagined: Mashed Butternut Squash Butternut squash offers all the fall flavor of sweet potatoes, but with none of the peeling and chopping. Just cut in half, throw in the oven, and—voila!—a healthy Thanksgiving side dish. Spiced Cranberry Relish Instead of a sugar bomb, this twist on cranberry sauce is light and tart, providing a counterbalance to the many heavy, warming foods on the table. It’s packed with antioxidants from the cranberries, and vitamin C is a natural stress-fighter, which will help when Uncle Joe starts talking politics. You’re welcome. Sweet Potato Latkes Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, beta-carotene, and vitamin C no matter how you make them, but these (baked!) latkes are especially unexpected and delicious, with cinnamon and nutmeg for a flavor- and antioxidant-boost. Ginger Carrot Squash Soup Butternut squash soup is generally as nutritious as it is delicious, but add in ginger and you’re serving guests an immune-system strengthener that will help them get through cold and flu season without sniffling. Protein-Packed Corn Muffins Garbanzo bean flour, coconut oil, and unsweetened almond milk make these corn muffins the healthiest you’ve ever had. And they take less than half an hour to make. Wild Rice and Bulgur Stuffing This recipe trades the refined carbs that usually dominate stuffing for healthier grains like wild rice and bulgur, and the pecans provide some healthy fat and protein to prevent overeating other dishes. Cranberry Roasted Root Vegetables Spices (cardamom and nutmeg) plus a dash of honey pretty much guarantee that these vegetables won’t get lost in the crowd. Carrots and parsnips never shined so brightly. Garlic and Lemon Haricot Verts Green bean casserole is one of the highest-calorie side dishes at any holiday feast. Instead of smothering the crispy, vitamin-rich veggies with cream of mushroom soup, add immune-boosting garlic, lemon, and sea salt. Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites Okay, this one isn’t exactly a side dish, but these treats are the perfect bite-sized addition to your dessert table. Flax seeds and chia seeds help stabilize your blood sugar, and Greek yogurt offers a hit of protein you won’t find in other sweets.
5 Tips For a Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving With Family This Year
The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, right? (Cue the Andy Williams song). Yet, for many, this busy time of year brings more stress than joy. Along with those bundles of gifts wrapped in sparkly bows, the holidays can be a big bundle of messy and complicated family dynamics, extra busy schedules and added expenses. That stress can really derail our best-laid health goals—especially when faced with seemingly endless cookies, charcuterie boards, and decadent desserts that are inevitably part of Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. While these are all really valid reasons to stress out, there are also powerful and helpful tools that can help you to minimize stress and avoid eating all the things, so you can genuinely enjoy time spent with family and friends this season. Whether you have multiple Thanksgivings and Friendsgivings (an actual word since 2020, according to Merriam-Webster!) to attend, and whatever your holiday stress triggers may be, we’re sharing some essential tips to help you navigate your way to a more harmonious, relaxed and mindful Turkey Day this year. 1. Breathe … It’s Just One Day (Out of 365) As the holiday approaches, don’t forget that Thanksgiving is just one day out of the entire year. This is important to remember not only when it comes to the food choices you make throughout the day, but also with any conversations happening at the dinner table. If you’ve been creating healthy habits, one day of what we like to call “conscious indulgences” won’t change that. So consider loosening the reins a bit and know that your healthy lifestyle will be waiting for you tomorrow. Oh, and indulging a bit on the holidays is actually a part of a healthy lifestyle. Also, those relatives who insist on trotting out their politics or sharing their pandemic prophecies over turkey won’t be at your dinner table tomorrow, either. (Whew!) That being said, if you’re so inclined to stay the course, go into the day prepared. Dinner conversation takes a stressful turn? It’s OK to excuse yourself and head outside for some fresh air. Maybe offer to take the dog for a walk. If you’re a guest this year, bring healthy, veggie-dense sides (like these) and reach for those instead. Also, remember to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated in between those Thanksgiving tipples you’re sure to imbibe. (You’ll thank us for this the next day.) And if you’re hosting, try preparing healthy twists on classic dishes–your house, your rules, right? The point is to have a plan but also give yourself grace if it doesn’t go perfectly. 2. Shift Your Mindset We don’t recommend heading into the day planning to restrict your calorie intake, because that doesn’t typically end well for anyone. Restricting yourself from eating things is negative energy, and why should we focus energy on pushing ourselves to not do things? Focus on the positive instead. If your goal right now is to eat more nutritionally dense foods, think about it in terms of abundance and all that you can eat—like those delicious, nutritious sides you brought to Aunt Mary’s house! Also, some foods can be bad for you, but eating them doesn’t make you a bad person. What’s most important is to eat from a place of empowerment. The healthiest diet is an approach to eating that fuels your mind and body, and fits into your lifestyle. It’s all about the mindset behind the actual eating of the desert. 3. Practice Self Care Before the chaos of the day sets in, be sure to carve out some time for yourself (what we at Nutritious Life call “nurturing yourself,” one of our eight pillars) in the morning. Go for a jog, meditate, or practice some yoga in your living room to get the day off to a positive start. And whatever you do, don’t skip breakfast on Thanksgiving morning! Eating breakfast will help balance your blood sugar levels, and help keep you from overeating throughout the rest of the day. And remember to savor the delicious food that’s been prepared for you, enjoying every bite. Throughout the day, take mindful breaks if needed; step outside, sit in your car, or even hide in the bathroom for a couple of minutes. If necessary, say you need to make a phone call or respond to an email and excuse yourself for as long as you need to regroup. Give dinner time to digest, and end the day with a walk outside—with or without family members. This is a great way to get in a little movement and also decompress and shake off some of the anxious, built up energy from the day. Do whatever you need to do to protect your mental health—and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. 4. Cultivate Gratitude One of the best ways to ensure a smooth Thanksgiving is to remember what this day is really about—spending time with family and friends, and being grateful for all that we have. The events of 2020 left many of us separated from our family and friends during the holidays, so if you’re able to gather with loved ones this year, remember to embrace their company and all of the awkward, tense, stressful (and, of course, joyous!) moments that come with it. As parents and grandparents get older, we may find ourselves longing for the times we were able to get together with the entire family, even if everything wasn’t perfect. If you don’t have a gratitude practice yet, consider starting one now so it will be in full force by Thanksgiving. Here’s a simple one to get you started: Every night, an hour before bed, write down three things you’re grateful for that happened that day. This will train your brain to look for good things throughout the day and has been proven to strengthen the immune system, improve sleep patterns, feelings of optimism, and the ability to experience more joy. By Thanksgiving, you’ll notice the ease
Your Thanksgiving Guide to Not Gaining Weight
Thanksgiving is probably the biggest day of eating in the USA. No shocker there, right? With all that ridiculously yummy food on the table, it’s hard to figure out what to do with your hands besides, well, eat. Good thing you’re here now, because I’m sharing 5 tried and true weight loss tips that are sure to get you through Thanksgiving without stuffing yourself like that bird. Tip #1: Feast on good company I always encourage my clients to make the company the focus of the day, rather than the food. For real this time. Be in the moment. Laugh. Really listen to your cousin’s story about his recent trip. Ask your grandma about what Thanksgiving was like 50 years ago. Challenge your nephew to spell cornucopia. Challenge your niece to say it three times fast. Make eye contact, connect and engage with every person who is special to you in the room and make sure that you leave the day full of love, rather than mashed potatoes. You don’t have to treat the meal like your last supper to be satisfied, nourished and giving thanks. Tip #2: Have a plan (and share it with Aunt Millie) I can’t tell you what to eat, how much to eat or what it will take for you to feel successful on Thanksgiving. I customize that work for each and every one of my clients individually (though I do have some go-to Thanksgiving recipes that I recycle each year). I will tell you that going into Thanksgiving with a plan of attack for what goes into your mouth will give you the opportunity to be successful. Without a plan, you cannot set yourself up for success or stay on track with your healthy diet. You can be the Thanksgivophile (just made that word up, permish to use granted) who plans to eat a small serving of all of the offerings. You can be the parade watcher who plans to eat only the healthy snacks, crudites and desserts. You can even be the marathon football watching fan who snacks from morning to night in planned combinations of portion-controlled holiday favorites. Make a plan so you can stick to it. Tell this plan to someone who will be celebrating the holiday with you. It will keep you accountable and on your healthy eating task. Tip #3: Use your hands for something besides eating Eeeeek. Turkey’s resting for 30 minutes. It smells soooooo good. You’re surrounded by snacks: nuts, cheese, something puffy that’s oozing parm and pancetta. Code red. Remember your plan! Rather than eating whatever’s nearby, keep a glass in your dominant hand (preferably seltzer with a few pomegranate seeds tossed in, a little wine spritzer or an herbal tea). It will keep you from munching mindlessly. Other ideas to keep your fingers from putting unwanted items between your lips: take holiday wish lists from your friends and relatives to make your shopping easier; help the host; bring your knitting, a puzzle, craft or an origami activity to do with the kids; pull out old board games; or look at old photographs. Thanksgiving is a good day to go old school here. Tip #4: Fab your gorgeous self out Take a few minutes before the company arrives, or you head out into the world to your turkey soiree and make sure you feel good about how you look. Celebrating your Thanksgiving in sweats and bed head isn’t going to inspire you to feel your best, make good food choices and propel you into anything other than a food coma. Think about someone you admire who exudes health, confidence and positivity (with a little sex appeal thrown in) and take a little inspiration. Why not feel amazing on the outside?! You’re amazing on the inside! Keeping your appearance on the forefront of your brain may help you make good food choices. Tip #5: Take a nap There are many reasons I recommend a little mid-day shut eye on Thanksgiving. Yes, obvi you cannot eat and sleep at the same time. A little siesta also honors that you’re taking a day off for enjoyment, and quiets the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to holding on to extra belly fat in your bod. Rested bodies are also better able to fight off germs and keep you well as cold and flu season starts knockin’ on the door. You don’t have to be anti-social — a 30 minute break from the festivities should be enough to refresh you (and maybe help get you out of doing some of those dishes). Happy Thanksgiving, friends. You can celebrate this one without a souvenir extra pound or two to remember it with. Cheers to you — you can practice these tips for all of the holidays to come!
