Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes to Celebrate with Friends and Family
I love Thanksgiving, as you know, but I also have a personal commitment to mindful and healthy eating. It may seem hard to combine those two things, but I’ve learned that Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be about excess. I spent some time this year thinking about the ways I make my holiday meal wholesome and meaningful for myself, my kids, and my community. And I asked around the office to see what Thanksgiving recipes and traditions others have in their homes. Here’s what I found.
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Decadent Desserts
My daughter is a gifted poet and an incredible baker. Our favorite treat every Thanksgiving is a pecan pie made with all alternative ingredients. It’s both gluten and dairy free and it always tastes better to me than store bought pie.
We also love an amazing deep-dish apple pie. A thick and flaky crust that’s completely gluten free with sweet and delicious apple filling. What’s not to love?
If you want all the flavor of Thanksgiving but are looking for alternatives, there are plenty of recipes for both gluten-free and dairy-free pies that would be a great addition to your holiday.
Deceptively Delicious
During Thanksgiving, our culture will abandon any pretense we had about eating healthier or smaller portions. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to stick with a healthy lifestyle even around this food-centered holiday.
One way I do it, especially with my kids, is to use some tricks, tips, and recipes from Jessica Seinfeld’s book and website Deceptively Delicious. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts are all covered in these recipes that allow you to use more healthful ingredients for delicious and even decadent meals.
You can search her site for the Thanksgiving meal components that are a hit for your family and try out her recipes, like this roasted Turkey.
Pumpkin Spice Everything
When I asked Teona, our resident marketing genius, what her favorite part of Thanksgiving was, her response was immediate: she loves everything pumpkin spice. We know a lot of people take an anti-pumpkin spice stance these days, but two things remain true: it’s still a multi-million-dollar business, which means there are still quite a few fans out there. We’re all for encouraging people to like what they like without shame, so enjoy that pumpkin spice!
If you want a quick and easy muffin recipe that would be perfect for an easy Thanksgiving potluck offering, try this:
- 1 box of commercially available spice cake mix. Duncan Hines and Betty Croker both make them, so get whatever you can find.
- 1 can pumpkin puree. Make sure it’s the puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- That’s it. Mix these two ingredients together until you have a thick batter. Then spoon into a lined cupcake pan and bake according to package directions or until a toothpick comes out clean.
If you want to add a little something, put chocolate chips in the batter. Or craisins. Or pecans. Honestly, anything you like. So delicious!
Making the Most of Leftovers
Teona’s other favorite part of Thanksgiving is the potential for leftovers. She was so excited when we talked about using the turkey and cranberry sauce to make an amazing sandwich. She loves to use a great soft Hawaiian roll to pile up with whatever’s left over the next day from turkey to stuffing to all of the sides.
At GoPrime Mortgage of West Asheville, we wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. And let us know your favorite Thanksgiving Rrecipes and leftover ideas!
Do you want to know more about the options you have for your mortgage? Contact Zachery Adam and the team at GoPrime of West Asheville. Call us today.
