Healthy Thanksgiving

Instead of mashed potatoes I am going to boil up some cauliflower and mash that. It tastes awesome and has the feel of mashed potatoes.

I'm taking roasted veg. Butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, red onion, head of garlic, eggplant, zucchini cut up in same size pieces, foretaste garlic cloves but don't peel them. Spread out on one or two cookie sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, bit of salt and pepper. Roast in 350 oven till browned and edges are crispy, turning once or twice.


When done let cool a bit. Squeeze garlic out and mash up a bit. Toss with the rest in a bowl. Taste for salt and pepper. These can be served hot or at room temp. Any leftovers are great tossed into pasta sauce or into a pasta salad with dressing made of same oiland vinegar.

Try cookinglight.com. I found healthy recipes for sweet potato casserole, stuffing, green bean casserole, pumpkin biscuits, etc.

I plan on cooking the same stuff I always do but I will eat the health stuff. I think the pistacio pudding will be the hardest to leave alone!"!

As far as green bean casserole, use reduced sodium or 98% fat free condensed cream of mushroom (instead of regular). Use frozen green beans instead of canned. Skim milk with the mushroom soup. Can't really replace the french onions completely, but I recommend using half as much. Use enough to mix in to the actual casserole, then top with potato sticks (some crushed some whole). That way you get the flavor of the onions IN the casserole and the texture on top.

I'm making a turkey breast this year, instead of a whole turkey. I'll leave the skin on while it cooks (to keep moisture in) but I won't be serving the skin. I recommend peeling the skin away from the breast while raw and placing sliced onions, garlic, sage and thyme between the skin and the meat. This adds extra flavor with almost no extra calories!

I don't like cauliflower, so I'm making real mashed potatoes, but if you use skim milk, fat free sour cream and light margarine, you can get the creaminess without all the fat. Or, in place off the milk, try some stock. Adds flavor and takes away fat and calories. I also recommend adding some roasted garlic; the flavor makes the potatoes feel decadent without them actually being unhealthy.

If you're like me, you HAVE to have stuffing. It's going to be high in calories because of the bread, but the more you add in, the better it'll be. Only use half the amount of butter the instructions tell you to, replace the rest with extra stock. Add celery, onions, carrots, black eyed peas, etc. The more veggies the better. That way you can still have your serving, but it'll be half bread, half veggies.

Try to drain as much fat from the drippings as possible. Use a gravy separator if you have one. If not, use a small ladle to get off the most of the fat, then use layers of paper towels to soak up the last bits off the top. If you added the onions, garlic and herbs to the turkey (as I suggested above), that will translate to extra flavor in the drippings as well. If you think you'll need more flavor to make up for the lack of fat, before cooking the turkey, pour some stock into the bottom of the pan, add carrots, onions and celery, then place turkey on top. This way, you get extra flavor from the veggies cooking in the stock/drippings, but those same veggies keep the turkey up and out of the liquid so it doesn't get soggy.

For me, the hardest part is going to be rolls. I LOVE the rolls! But let's admit it, there's really no way to do those low calorie. If I make any, they will be for the guests only.

Try your pumpkin pie without crust this year! That reduced calories and fat drastically! Also, use egg whites or egg substitute instead of whole eggs. Buy cans of pure pumpkin, not the "pumpkin pie mix". This allows you to add the sugar, spiced, etc. by yourself so you can keep a closer eye on calories.

Why not try a pumpkin spice cake this year? Just 1 spice cake mix and 1 15oz can of pumpkin. Mix together, spread into greased and floured cake pan. Cook as box instructs. Comes out much more dense than regular cake, but moist and delicious If you feel that you need topping for it, I recommend this http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/11/pumpkin-pie-dip.html . Its delicious and light. It would also be a good replacement for traditional whipped cream on pies.


I'm going to stop typing now! lol I have TONS of suggestions, but I don't want to blather on too long (although I think I already have)

The best website i can recommend for all kinds of food and not just thanksgiving is the gracious pantry - She does Clean eating recipes and the ones i have tried are fantastic plus she has a few dishes for thanksgiving that she's already cleaned up.

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-thanksgiving-dinner/

Enjoy