It’s surprisingly easy to fully enjoy your Thanksgiving meal while still eating healthily. It’s even easier when someone creates your healthy Thanksgiving menu for you. This post will give you everything you need for a healthy, happy Thanksgiving. And instead of giving you a long intro, let’s just get right into it.
Grocery List (amounts all depend on how many people are going to be fed):
1 turkey
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (homemade recipe here, Green Giant version here)
Dates (around 15)
Apples
Sweet potatoes
Muesli
Plain yogurt
Pumpkin pie spices (homemade mix here)
Pecans
Arrowroot flour (only between 1-3 tablespoons really needed, if you do not have this it can be substituted with coconut flour)
Egg(s)
Let’s start with dessert first, because who doesn’t love some good Thanksgiving dessert?
Listen to this Thank-Skimming Playlist while you cook.
Recipe #1: Apple Crisps
Ingredients
- 2-3 (or more) Apples
- Cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then slice apples into thin rounds, taking out the seeds. Separate the apple slices onto the baking sheet(s) and sprinkle them with cinnamon, then flip and sprinkle the other side of the slices with cinnamon. Place the baking sheet into the oven for one hour, then flip the apple crisps onto the other side and dry those for another hour. Et voila! Your apple crisps are done.
Note: this is a great recipe to make ahead of the big day as the crisps do not need to be fresh out of the oven when consumed!
Recipe #2: Abso-fruitly Amazing Pumpkin Spiced Date and Pecan Pie
Pumpkin and Pecan Pie mashup? Two amazing Thanksgiving pies in one. You won’t be disappointed.
Ingredients
- 15 dates (I used the medium-sized Medjul dates from Trader Joes)
- 6 oz bag of pecans
- Pumpkin pie spice (recipe here)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder
For the Crust:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grind the pecans, egg, and arrowroot powder into a crust-like substance using a blender or a mixer. Lightly spray a pie dish with olive oil spray, then line the bottom of the dish with the pecan crust. You may need to use your hands to keep the crust together but I promise it will line the bottom of the pan!
Pecan pie crust
Once the crust is lining the pie dish, place it in the oven for 15 minutes. During this time, prepare the filling.
For the Filling:
Pit and cut up around 15 dates and add the pie spice to taste (I used the entire amount from the homemade recipe for reference). Mash the mixture up, even using your hands if you need to (dates aren’t easy to completely mash up because they’re sticky but they will with a bit of effort). Once the crust is finished, pull it out of the oven and let it cool for five minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you’re waiting.
Once the five minutes of cooling is up, place the filling on top of the crust and spread it out with the bottom of a fork as best you can. It should cover the bottom of the pan with a little effort! Then, place the pie in the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, just to warm up the filling.
When finished, let the pie cool for five minutes but dig right in afterwards! Tastes best when fresh out of the oven.
To be completely honest, this doesn’t look tasty. But don’t judge a book (pie) by its cover (looks)!
Note: Though pecans and dates are great for you, they are also very calorically dense. Of course you should enjoy as much as you would like (it is the day of overeating after all) but do keep that in mind 🙂
Recipe #3 Side Dish: Sweet Potatoes with Plain Yogurt and Muesli
Ingredients:
- Sweet Potatoes (1 per person)
- Plain Yogurt
- Cinnamon
- Muesli (I used the muesli found at Trader Joes)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the sweet potatoes in half, then place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Once fresh out of the oven, spread a spoonful of yogurt on time and sprinkle it with cinnamon. Sprinkle as much muesli on top as you would like. Voila! An easy, tasty side dish.
Note: You can also bake the sweet potatoes as above, then scoop the insides out and create a sweet potato mash mixed with cinnamon, muesli, and plain yogurt. Whatever way you would prefer! Ultimately, it’s a great mix.
Recipe #4: Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Get the recipe for this side dish here.
Final thoughts, two tips to keep in mind:
Tip #1: How to Cook the Turkey
Despite the fact that deep frying is fun and a bit quicker than roasting it in the oven, it is definitely healthier to roast the turkey. These products are great to use for the best-roasted turkey (and side dishes) you ever made.
Tip #2: Don’t get Stuffed on Stuffing
One of the things I like to suggest to my clients is to simply take out the ingredients that you don’t even notice in recipes. This is no exception. If you completely skip the stuffing, how much will it honestly be missed? I would gather it won’t be missed all that much, and it’s a time saver to skip it anyways.
I hope you enjoy a wonderful, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving. Did you try any or all of these recipes? If so, let me know what you think in the comments, or share this post with your friends!