Thanksgiving is just under a week away. If you're hosting dinner this year you're probably finishing up your menu & grocery list...here's a few tips & motivations to enjoy the bountiful harvest and the food and not have Thanksgiving throw you off. First, I'm a big believer in Thanksgiving IS a day to enjoy food, to enjoy <i>real</i> foods, whole foods, good foods (and of course pumpkin pie!). To that end, I have never dieted on Thanksgiving (of course I was also more than 100 pounds overweight at one point too...so perhaps there were years I should have been a little more cognizant!). But seriously, I'm would be concerned for myself (the long-term effects on my psyche & relationship with food) if I stuck to salads and grilled chicken all day on Thursday and did not enjoy the foods of the season.
The good news is that there are LOTS of 'good for you foods' to enjoy & partake in that are good old holiday standbys!
Appetizers--growing up my family never did appetizers, we went to Grandma's house just before dinner (which was around 2); but when I started dating my hubby his family would have an all day affair, show up early, graze the appetizers for several hours and eat *dinner* at a normal dinner time (6ish). So now that I'm hosting a mixed crowd (and by that I mean my parents and my in-laws!) I'm opting for some appetizers. If you will be doing appetizers why not put a few healthy things out that you can grab guilt free! Fresh veggie tray (don't eat the dip), fresh fruit tray (don't eat the dip), cheeses & crackers (moderation!), stuffed mushrooms (save a few 'mushroom onlys' for yourself), shrimp cocktail--this is a great appetizer & good for you, not too many calories, and you're getting a bit of seafood in on an otherwise non-seafood day.
Turkey--turkey is good for you (just not a plate full & not with 1/2 gallon of gravy poured over it).
Yams--if you go with the candied variety you may need to keep your helping to a small portion, but you are a yam-ologist then try this: cube several yams and then have for a topping brummel & brown yogurt spread with the following spices: ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon--delicious & much healthier
Fresh cranberry sauce--make it yourself, it's delicious & adds some amazing colors & flavors!
Turnips--my family has never been into these, but turnips are a solid root vegetable and good for you, if you like turnips I would encourage you to get as many veggies on that table as possible! As a side note, does anyone remember that Molly Ringwald movie where she played a pregnant teen--'I'm pregnant. Can you pass the turnips'?!
Green beans--instead of a casserole, serve them plain or with almonds (skip the butter, or put some melted butter on the side if you think your guests will be expecting butter).
Corn--again, skip the casserole & the 'creamed' variety & opt for standard frozen or canned corned.
Squash--healthy no brainer...instead of a puree, why not cube and steam your butternut squash, put spices and butter on the side for those that want to 'indulge'
Brussel Sprouts--a great, green veggie that can help fill you up...skip the butter!
Creamy Spinach--personally anytime you add 'creamy' it just can't be that good for you (and I'm skipping this dish this year....but if you insist, I believe some of the 'spinach casserole' recipes call for cream of mushroom soup, why not use reduced calorie/fat free/reduced sodium varieties to make it as healthy as possible
Potatoes--maybe use red potatoes this year? OR just a small scoop. Rachael Ray swears by using fat free 1/2 & 1/2 in her mashed potatoes (and then limiting the butter).
Stuffing--if you're cooking for a group you really can't serve dinner without this, but it may be something you want to avoid or limit to a very small portion.
Gravy--besides the regular gravy, why not have some canned gravy that is reduced calorie/fat free/reduced sodium so you don't feel deprived.
Breads/rolls--I can fill up on rolls faster than you can say, 'come & get it!'....in fact, I sometimes think I could be Johnny Chestnut and the Black Widow in a competitive eating dinner roll competition! So, plan ahead, plan to eat one dinner roll, and when you make or order your dinner rolls, have a 'healthier' option--whole wheat anyone? Also, avoid the kind you have to brush butter on, that's just extra calories/fat that no one needs.
Butter/spreads--while I'm a big believer in 'whole foods' which include butter, I also realize that some people (read: ME) have a BIG problem with butter (yes, I can eat it on everything, crackers, by itself on the spoon, yep, gross, but oh SO good!)...so do yourself a favor and have a healthier alternative, maybe say, you can have 1 tsp of butter on one roll, then everything else is spread-free or brummel & brown.
Salads--prepare all your salads SANS dressings, put them on the side. If grandma has a big problem with this, OH WELL! I personally don't like it when someone decides for me that I have to use the dressing they already put on the salad (this is because I don't like any dressings at all, I like my salads naked as a newborn baby!). You may have some resistance because you didn't make it like great Aunt Mildred, but most people will actually be very thankful!
Jellos/side dishes--this is my BIG pitfall! We have a family recipe for something we call 'Apricot Jello' (cream cheese, jello, pineapple, dream whip...really yummy and UNhealthy)--I LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff, I mean I can eat the entire 9x13 pan of it (hmmm....and I wonder why I got fat when I stopped playing sports?!). Anyway, Thanksgiving just isn't the same without this stuff--you probably have something like this too, huh? I need a plan--right now the plan is to serve myself a small portion, to make the smallest size jello (8x8 I think), and to quickly make my brother or someone else eat the rest asap! I have to confess here, I would get up at 3AM and eat the rest when I was a kid (and also age 26)--so definitely a 'triggor food' for me--YIKES!
Pies/desserts--Plan to have some 'healthier' options...check out some recipes for liter fare OR cut yourself 1/2 a piece. My favorite option is a small piece of pumpkin and I don't eat the crust (frankly I'm not a huge crust fan, and by cutting the crust you can cut out a lot of fat & calories).
NOW....if only there was a plan for all those LEFTOVERS!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Enjoy the food and don't forget to take that long-post meal walk!
I must admit I didn't think Toy Story 3 would be worth the wait but I think the movie delivered. Very good movie and a touching ending that even made me tear up.. just a tiny bit. :)
Posted by: Herve Leger Dress | August 17, 2011 at 06:21 AM