Thanksgiving is almost here… along with countless waist-wrecking temptations! It’s the most fattening day of the year for most people… sending them down a landslide of overeating that lasts until the New Year.
The most brutal part? The leftovers! You hover in front of the fridge on Black Friday, looking at all that food, thinking:
“Well, I already wrecked my diet yesterday. I might as well indulge even more…”
Stop right there! This holiday season doesn’t have to be like the ones before. You don’t have to be a slave to those cravings.
It all starts with selecting healthier — but equally delicious — recipes to use on Thanksgiving day! And it’s an easy swap: Recipes that use whole-food ingredients won’t skyrocket your cravings.
That’s why I’ve included 7 healthy Thanksgiving recipes in the latest edition of my monthly free eBook, Nucific Fit Life Monthly!
Here’s a video of one of star recipes from the eBook — a healthy take on one of the most carb-loaded Thanksgiving temptations of all… turkey stuffing! (Recipe below the video.)
SINFULLY SIN-FREE STUFFING!
Healthy Stuffing Recipe
Stuffing is a calorie trap, right from the start. All the factory-farmed butter (usually a cup or more) and sugar-laced bread… forget about it! But never fear… this amazing healthy stuffing recipe satisfies all your comfort-food needs without ruining your waistline.
Ingredients (Serves 10):
- 12 oz sourdough or whole grain bread (no sugar added), cubed
- 2 Tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound mushrooms (use a mixture), diced
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh sage, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup dried, unsweetened cranberries
Instructions:
1. Spread cubed bread on a sheet pan
and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Toast in the oven at 375ºF until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 2-quart baking dish in a light mist of cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a large saute pan, heat half the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until tender. Add garlic, herbs, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, and cook until garlic is fragrant. Transfer to the bowl with the bread.
4. Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the saute pan, and cook the mushrooms until tender and golden brown – about 5 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to mixing bowl.
5. Add cranberries and stock to mixture in the bowl, stirring to combine. When mixture is cool, add eggs and stir to combine thoroughly – bread should be well-moistened.
6. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until well browned.
7. Plate it, serve it, and enjoy it! 🙂
* To free up oven space on Thanksgiving, you can toast your bread up to a day in advance. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
** If you’re into a sausage stuffing, feel free to add a little crumbled turkey sausage to this recipe – chicken apple sausage also works well. Just cook it with the mushrooms.
Amy Lee, MD
Head of Nutrition
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