Thanksgiving is a holiday where friends and family gather, give thanks and, unfortunately, tend to eat in excess. It's okay to indulge on this special occasion, but by going in with a bit of a plan, we can enjoy the holiday, eat some pie, and come out feeling good about ourselves and truly thankful!
1. Work in a work out! Sign up for an early-morning Turkey Trot and get in a 5k before the sides are in the oven. Or be the ringleader that gets the whole family out to walk the neighborhood after mealtime. Whatever you do- state your plan in advance, and get others on board if you can. While you're at it- plan a fun workout for the day after. Skip the Black Friday craze and book a spin...or boxing...or yoga class early morning Friday.
2. Eat a good breakfast!. Alter the tendency to skip breakfast knowing that a solid breakfast will help you avoid nibbling throughout the day or overeating a dinner due to extreme hunger. If you will be in the kitchen all day, set up a few healthy snacks for yourself before the cooking begins; a cut up apple, celery and 2 Tbs hummus, lots of water/tea/seltzer to keep you from picking as you cook!. Serve a veggie platter to help you reduce your intake of other less-healthy hors d'oeuvres out there (make veggie dip using low fat greek yogurt to make it an even better offering).
3. Suggest a buffet style, and keep those tempting dishes off the table. Take reasonable portions of what you like at the serving station and sit! You're less likely to load up on second-third and fourth helpings if the dishes are not sitting on the table, tempting you. If your family doesn't want to break tradition, strategically keep healthy fare near you and don't park your weakness (grandma's stuffing) in front of your place setting.
4. Watch the liquid calories- they add up fast!!! Give yourself a beverage budget (100 cals...200 cals). Make a wine spritzer (1/2 wine, half seltzer) to cut cals in half. Drink water or seltzer between any alcohol to pace yourself and stay hydrated. If you enjoy treating yourself to seasonal eggnog, make it a small glass, sip slowly and enjoy the flavor as a dessert.
5. Speaking of dessert, treat yourself to a small dish. Choose pies with one bottom crust only, or ones such as pumpkin pie, which tend to be lower in calories than other choices.
6. Make a healthy dish. Sounds silly, but if there is not a "healthy" option on your traditional menu, add one new healthy dish to the mix. If you are not hosting, offer to bring at least one healthy dish to the table--and be sure you sit hear it!
_______________________________________________
Enjoy these lightened up, but still very tasty, Thanksgiving recipes:
Pear, Proscuitto and Hazelnut Stuffing
Recipe courtesy of Eatingwell.com
Ingredients
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced, cut into ribbons
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups diced fennel bulb
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
8 cups stale baguette, preferably multi-grain (not sourdough), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Bosc pears, ripe but firm, chopped
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
-Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
-Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto; cook, stirring, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel and shallot and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add sage, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Transfer everything to a large bowl and gently stir in bread, pears, parsley, hazelnuts and the prosciutto. Add broth; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the prepared baking dish; cover with foil.
-Bake for 40 minutes; remove the foil and bake until the top is beginning to crisp, 25 to 30 minutes more.
Tips & Notes
-Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3 and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
-Note: If you don't have stale bread ready to use, spread the baguette cubes on a baking sheet and toast at 250°F until crisped and dry, about 15 minutes.
-Tip: To toast chopped nuts & seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
Nutrition
Makes: 12 servings, 2/3 cup each
Per serving: 176 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 8 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 9 g protein; 6 gfiber; 489 mg sodium; 283 mg potassium.
________________________________________________
Skinny Pumpkin Pie
recipe courtesy of Skinneytaste.com
Ingredients:
15 oz canned pumpkin (or homemade pumpkin puree)
2 tbsp light butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 frozen pie crust sheet, Pillsbury (thawed to room temperature)
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Lightly dust a large cutting board or flat surface with flour. Roll out a room temperature pie crust sheet, so that it becomes thin enough to cut off about 30%, so that your final crust is 5 oz. Place into a 9-inch pie dish, cutting off excess dough. If you prefer to skip this step and use all the dough, increase points+ to 6 per slice.
-Place pumpkin in a large bowl. Add light butter, and mix well. Using an electric mixer, mix in brown sugar, milk, eggs, egg whites, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.
-Bake 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping and enjoy!
Nutrition:
Makes 8 servings, Serving Size: 1/8th Calories: 172.3; Fat: 6.4 g; Carbs: 31.4; Fiber: 1.7; Protein: 3.5 g; Sugar: 20.7; Sodium: 143.1 mg
November
