Thanksgiving is known for warm comfort foods, juicy deep fried turkey, and tasty pies. It’s theone day a year where calories don’t count, and we can eat ourselves into a food coma.Hallelujah! But when the company leaves, and you are back to the daily grind and feeling alittle sluggish — you may be wishing you hadn’t indulged quite as much. We know we have feltlike that before! As registered dietitians/healthy living bloggers, we believe moderation iskey throughout the holiday season. But it can also be difficult to find healthy recipes thatare time and diet friendly, especially for busy moms who are spread so thin between dailymom duties and the extras that come with the holidays.
So if you’re looking for ways tolighten up your Thanksgiving fare this year without sacrificing taste, we have somedelicious swaps that won’t leave you feeling overly full. We promise your guests will notmiss the calorie-laden options that you opt out for this year with these Thanksgiving recipe swaps too!
Sweet Potato Bites with Pecans and Pomegranate
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving. Growing up, it was a staple onour holiday menu. But these nutrient dense vegetables turn into a pseudo dessert whenThanksgiving rolls around. With butter and sugar whipped into mashed sweet potatoes, andtypically topped with pecans, more sugar, and even marshmallows – a serving of this dishcan easily add up.
There’s no need to compromise our health just to enjoy the goodness ofsweet potatoes. For a healthier {and dare I say tastier!} alternative, I love these decadentbites to either pass as an initial appetizer while food is being served or as a side dish toyour main meal. With incredible flavors from the pomegranate seeds, ricotta/ goat cheesemixture, and a finishing drizzle of maple syrup, your taste buds will explode when you takea bite into these.
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
2-3 large sweet potatoes, sliced into ¼ inch rounds
Olive oil
Ground cinnamon
Cheese Mixture
½ cup fat free ricotta cheese
½ cup goat cheese
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp maple syrup
Toppings
1 cup raw pecans, roasted and chopped {or purchase pre-chopped raw pecans}
¾ cup pomegranate
maple syrup to drizzle
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the sweet potato slices, olive oil,and cinnamon in abowl, and combine with your hands to ensure the spices are on both sides. Arrange therounds on a baking sheet, bake for 20 minutes, flip the rounds, and then bake for another15 or so minutes. Make sure your rounds are cooked through and crispy on the edges.
During the last 10 minutes of baking, roast your pecans on a baking sheet.While the sweet potatoes are baking, prepare the cheese mixture by combining ricottacheese, goat cheese, nutmeg, cinnamon, kosher salt, and 1 Tbsp maple syrup. Stir well tocombine and refrigerate until ready. Once the sweet potatoes are done, change the ovensetting to broil and place a dollop of the cheese mixture on each sweet potato round. Placein the oven for 2 or so minutes until the cheese is melted and easy to spread. Remove therounds from the oven, spread the melted cheese to cover, and top with chopped pecans, afew pomegranate seeds, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Serve immediately.
Quinoa Farro Fall Harvest Salad
Stuffing is perhaps the ultimate comfort food, though traditional versions are packed withsimple carbohydrates, fat and thus excess calories. I have tried many times to makehealthier versions of stuffing, though none have been good enough to serve to guests; theyhave all been “too healthy” in the words of my husband. So this year, I’ll be serving a heartyfall harvest salad in its place. This quinoa/farro salad combines fall produce – brusselssprouts and butternut squash, with a pop of sweetness from pomegranates and driedcranberries. The end result is a satisfying colorful salad rich in flavor and nutrients! Prepthe quinoa and farro the night before, and this salad will come together in less than 25minutes!
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa {cooked}
1 cup farro {cooked}
1 cup brussels sprouts
1 cup butternut squash, cubed
½ cup fresh pomegranate arils
½ cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare quinoa and farro according to package instructions.Set aside. Cut brussels sprouts in half lengthwise and place on baking sheet. Spray witholive oil and top with salt and pepper. Prepare butternut squash the same way and placeboth baking sheets in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until softened.
While vegetables are roasting, prepare dressing by mixing all ingredients together in adressing shaker or bowl {whisk with a fork to combine}. When veggies are done, combinewith quinoa, farro, pomegranate, dried cranberries,and dressing. Serve warm.
Homemade Green Bean Casserole
There’s just something about green bean casserole that reminds me of gathering aroundthe table with family and friends for Thanksgiving. It doesn’t seem like a holidaycelebration without it, at least for my family. But the calorie and fat content of a typicalrecipe can take away from having the nutrients of the vegetables in your dish! By makingthe recipe from scratch, you are able to control the ingredients you include. And to makethis dish even better, the fifteen minute prep time will have you making it from scratchfrom now on. This dish can be made vegan and/or gluten free – perfect for any familymembers that may have food allergies or preferences.
Ingredients
1 pound green beans, rinsed, trimmed and cut in half if not already {use fresh or frozen forthe same nutritional benefit}
sea salt and black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup finely chopped button or baby bella mushrooms
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¾ cup vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup crispy fried onions {or make your own with sliced onions and coconut oil on thestovetop}
½ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs or Panko Breads
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring a large pot of water to boil with salt. Add thegreen beans, cook for 5 minutes, drain, and place in an ice bath to prevent further cooking.Drain and set aside. Prepare the sauce by sautéing the garlic with the olive oil. Add themushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly brown {about 3-4 minutes}.Sprinkle in flour, whisk to coat the veggies, and cook for 1 more minute. Then, slowly add inthe vegetable broth, whisk, add the almond milk and ¼ cup parmesan cheese, and continueto whisk. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Allow your sauce to simmer tothicken {about 6-7 minutes or until thick}. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Removefrom heat; add half of the fried onions and all of the green beans. Stir to coat, pour into anoven safe dish, and top with remaining fried onions, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese.Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Antioxidant Rich, Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is another traditional Thanksgiving side that can be a total diet bomb!Loaded with antioxidants, cranberry sauce has the potential to be one of the healthiestdishes at the table, though most recipes are loaded with sugar to mask the natural tart tasteof fresh cranberries. We created this recipe to showcase the tart taste of fresh cranberrieswith a hint of sweetness from natural sugars in orange juice and honey. This is unliketraditional sweetened cranberry sauce, though the tart flavor pairs well with savoryturkey!
Ingredients
1 bag fresh cranberries
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup water
juice and zest of 1 small orange {or half of a large orange}
3 Tbsp honey, to taste
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of cloves
Directions
Place cranberries, orange juice, applesauce, and water in a saucepan on medium heat. Thecranberries will begin to pop, continue stirring until most cranberries have popped and thesauce is formed. Reduce to a simmer and place zest and juice of orange into pan, also addspices. Mix well. Store in the refrigerator overnight before serving to allow flavors to mix.
Optional :: If flavor remains too tart for your liking, consider sweetening with 1-2 tspTruvia.
Perfect Pumpkin Custard
Pumpkin pie, the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert that everyone looks forward to.When creating this recipe, the first priority was to not sacrifice taste as dessert is the bestpart of the meal {in my humble opinion}. By leaving off the crust, and making a custard, yousave calories and fat without losing the creamy, rich pumpkin filling. Top with a dollop ofwhipped cream, and you won’t even miss the crust!
Ingredients
2 eggs, plus 2 egg whites {or 3 eggs}
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
Optional Toppings
whipped cream
cinnamon
biscoff cookie
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Beat eggs/eggwhites, stir in pumpkin, sugars, spices, salt, milk, and vanilla. Pour mixture into preparedbaking dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until fully set – knife should come out clean. Top withwhipped cream and cinnamon. Garnish with Biscoff cookie.
So tell us, do you do healthy swaps on Thanksgiving? What are some of your favorite waysto make your feast a little healthier?
About Healthy Bites Houston
About Healthy Bites HoustonHealthy Bites Houston is a healthy living blog founded by two Registered Dietitians lookingto share their knowledge to help others live a healthy lifestyle. Laura Pearce and CaitlinOgletree work as dietitians in the Houston area and blog in their spare time. They arepassionate about whole food nutrition, lifestyle modification, and believe moderation is keyin any healthy lifestyle as there is always room for a treat in a healthy diet! Check out their website, and follow them across social media @HealthyBitesHouston.
