November is here. That's means in most parts of the country there's a slight chill in the air, the leaves have changed color, football season is well under way and yep...Thanksgiving is just around the corner.
What is there not to like about Thanksgiving? Family, friends, parades, football and the food. Oh yes, the food.
I come from a large extended family where the tradition was to all gather at my Aunt's house for a huge Thanksgiving dinner. My Aunt would cook us this amazing meal with all the fixins...turkey, mashed potataoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and...well let's just leave it at that. To top it off, my Uncle is a professional baker and would bring home about 6 different pies for dessert. I've always had a sweet tooth and almost every year I would try as many of the pies as my already full stomach would allow. (Lemon meringue was my favorite).
As a child, I could afford this behavior. I was an active kid and this was not a normal meal...my body would bounce back as long as I didn't keep up this sort of eating.
But as I entered adulthood and tried to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Everything about Thanksgiving goes against what I try to practice everyday. Besides making fitness a important part of my life, I've learned to cook and eat in a way that nourishes but doesn't punish my body. I substitute lean proteins for the fatty ones, I cut the oil or butter, add extra veggies and more.
I work hard all year to be healthy. How can I let all that hard work go for just one day? Then I got an idea...how hard would it be to make Thanksgiving a healthy meal for once? I grabbed my Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook and starting thumbing through the recipes.
Below is the menu I came up with. I was surprised how easily I came up with a meal that would scream Thanksgiving but would still be healthy and good for my body. And there's even dessert!
So maybe you're looking to just stick to your usual Thanksgiving indulgences this year...that's okay. It's a holiday and if you're healthy all year round, one day won't kill you. But there is an opportunity here for all of us. Maybe you'll be just wrapping up your 30-day Fitness Challenge, or maybe you've just finished training for a marathon. This might be your year for a healthy Thanksgiving as well.
To explore all these recipes and make your very own 'Healthy Thanksgiving,' pick up a copy of the Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook in our online store.
Soup Course:
Butternut Squash Soup (p 138)
Main Course:
Roast Chicken Breast (Substitute Turkey Breast) (p 118)
Stuffed Zucchini (p186)
Cauliflower Mash (p196)
Sauteed Spinach with Roasted Garlic (p194)
Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie Bars (p 220)
by Jennie Beyer