It's hard to not associate the month of November with food, and that's just the beginning of a long season of treat-filled holidays. If you're stressing a bit over the calorie-fest on the horizon, you might want to try your hand at the healthy Thanksgiving meal recipes below. Don't worry, they're delicious too. Happy Feasting!
Roasted Turkey with Balsamic Sauce Serves 10
Instead of adding fat during cooking and serving the turkey covered with gravy, this roasted bird is complemented with a refreshing, aged Italian vinegar-brown sugar sauce.
Directions: Preheat oven to 325. 
Ingredients:
1 whole turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3-4 cloves of garlic
½ cup water
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup defatted pan drippings
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Turkey: Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey breast-side up on rack in roasting pan. Rub turkey with olive oil, a sprig of rosemary, and garlic cloves. Place all remaining rosemary and garlic inside the bird. Loosely tie the legs together. Place on middle rack of oven (if possible). When the skin is light (after about 1½ hours), cover the breast with a tent of foil to prevent overcooking the breast. Check turkey with meat thermometer after 3 to 3½ hours. Turkey is done when the thigh is pierced deeply and juices run clear (180-185 F) or when the breast muscle reaches 170-175 F. Remove the turkey from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes to allow juices to settle in the meat.
Sauce: Deglaze the pan by adding ½ cup water. Stir to scrape up browned bits. Pour pan drippings into a gravy separator. Reserve 1 cup of defatted pan drippings for sauce. In a pan or microwave dish, stir together the vinegar, defatted pan drippings, and brown sugar. Warm the sauce until the flavor is just released, about 15 seconds in the microwave, or over low heat on the stove until steam escapes. Do not boil. Drizzle carved turkey slices with the warmed brown sugar sauce. Serve immediately.
280 calories for a 5-ounce serving of light and dark meat (plan for leftovers!)
8 g total fat, 150 mg cholesterol, 154 mg sodium, 9 g total carbohydrate, 3 g sugar, 43 g protein.
(From mayoclinic.org)
Apple Salad with Figs and Almonds (Serves 10)
Figs are a sweet fruit with soft flesh and tiny edible seeds. They are a good source of iron, calcium, and phosphorus. You can eat figs raw, with or without their peel, or use them in baked goods.
Ingredients: 
2 large red apples, cored and diced
6 dried figs, chopped
2 ribs of celery, diced
½ cup fat-free lemon yogurt
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 carrots, peeled and grated
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine apples, figs, and celery. Add yogurt and mix thoroughly. Top with almonds and grated carrots. Serve.
89 calories in a ¾ cup serving
18 g total carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 38 mg sodium, 1 g total fat, 2 g protein, 3 g sugar
(From mayoclinic.org)
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Serves 8)
Ingredients: 
6 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
7 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup milk
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
Directions: Preheat oven to 350.
- Place garlic cloves in a small baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, cover and bake 45 minutes or until golden brown.
- Bring large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but firm. Drain, and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Place roasted garlic, milk, parmesan cheese, and butter into the bowl with the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Beat to desired consistency with an electric mixer.
(From allrecipes.com)
Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash Serves 8
Ingredients: 
2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 (6 oz.) package dry corn bread stuffing mix
2 teaspoons butter
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh chopped mushrooms
1 cup long grain and wild rice mix
2 sprigs fresh sage, chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
Directions: Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease 2 baking pans, and place the cleaned-out squash, cut-side down, into the pans. Bake in the preheated oven until barely soft to the touch, about 25 minutes. Follow package directions to prepare stuffing mix; set aside. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan, and cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook and stir until they give up their juice, about 5 more minutes. Add the rice mix and sage, and cook and stir the rice and vegetables until the vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock, stir to combine, cover and reduce heat. Simmer the rice mixture until tender, 30-40 minutes.
Lightly mix the cooked rice mixture with the stuffing in a bowl, and pile the mixture into the centers of the squash without packing it. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and bake until the squash are tender and stuffing is hot, about 15 minutes more.
(From allrecipes.com)
Gluten-Free Crustless Pumpkin Pie (makes one 9-inch pie)
Ingredients: 
2 eggs
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
⅛ tsp ground ginger
1¼cups evaporated milk
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
¼ cup chopped pecans
Directions: Preheat oven to 400.
Beat eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in a bowl until blended. Stir in milk and pumpkin until mixture is smooth; transfer to a 9-inch glass pie dish. Sprinkle with pecans.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 and continue baking until set, 30-40 minutes more. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
(From allrecipes.com)
Sweet Potato Pudding (makes 4 servings)
Ingredients: 
2 large eggs
¼ cup honey, divided
¼ cup 1% low-fat milk
1 slice whole wheat bread, crusts removed
2 cups peeled, baked, and mashed sweet potato
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
2 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
¼ cup plain low-fat Greek Style yogurt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 1½-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Combine eggs, 3 tablespoon honey, milk, and bread in a large bowl. Beat with mixer until smooth. Add sweet potato, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice; beat until smooth. Pour into prepared baking dish. Scatter pecans and ginger over top. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until pudding is set and slightly puffy (it will sink slightly as the pudding cools).
While pudding bakes, combine yogurt and remaining 1 tablespoon honey; stir until smooth. Divide pudding among four bowls and top evenly with yogurt mixture.
(From health.com)
