Delicious holiday recipes you won't want to miss!
This blog is all about delicious holiday recipes that are perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Enjoy the delicious taste you want and skip the excess calories you don’t.
Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favorite meals. However, it’s so easy to leave the table feeling stuffed, bloated and in desperate need of a nap.
I’m all for a lazy Thanksgiving day, chatting with family, watching football or a movie. I don’t know about you. I’m not all in for feeling stuffed and uncomfortable.
It is estimated that the average person will eat 3000 calories for Thanksgiving dinner alone, not including beverages and dessert.
This is far from a low calorie meal though, Just one serving plus the chocolate cake will be approximately 800 calories.
If you know you are going to eat extra calories on Thanksgiving (is there anyone that doesn’t?), don’t forget to workout first thing in the morning. Not only will your workout energize you for a busy day, it will speed up your metabolism and burn a few of those extra calories.
If you’re new to my blog, Welcome! I’m so glad you are here. My goal is to provide you with tips that help you stay strong and active as you age.
Here are some of my other blogs to check out after you read this one.
- 4 easy changes to get you eating healthier
- Sarah’s journey from pain to her dream job
- Boost immunity naturally with top superfoods
- Top secrets to staying healthy through the holidays
- Easy steps for starting your fitness routine
- Secrets to removing mental blocks to losing weight
- Secrets to a strong, healthy female body
What would your family say to this beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving Dinner?
How to keep your Thanksgiving turkey moist
Are you wondering how you can add flavor to your turkey? Try brining your turkey before cooking.
Brining is simply soaking your turkey in a mixture of salt, water, lemon and herbs. Plan to soak your turkey for 1 – 1.5 hours per pound. You definitely have to plan for this!
Are you like me and wondering, how the heck do I make the brine? Here’s a brine recipe from tangledwithtaste.com.
1.5 cup salt, 1.5 gallons water, 8 by leaves, 1/2 cup molasses or 3/4 cup brown sugar, 6 lemons washed and quartered, 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, 2T minced garlic.
Combine all the above ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes or until salt and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Place turkey and the mixture in an oven bag. Keep in the refrigerator or in a cooler with ice.
Herb Roasted Turkey
Delicious juicy turkey perfect for your Thanksgiving Dinner
Ingredients
- 10-12 pound turkey
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs, plus 20 whole sprigs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and/or marjoram divided
- 2 T olive oil, extra-virgin
- 1 t salt
- 1 t ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Aromatics, onion, apple, lemon and/or orange cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 cups water plus more as needed
Instructions
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 475 °F.
- Remove giblets and neck from the turkey cavities and reserve for making gravy. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels.
- Mince herbs.
- Mix minced herbs, oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin, and on the breast meat.
- Place aromatics and 10 of the herb sprigs in the cavity. Tuck the wings under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string.
- Add 3 cups water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan.
- Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes.
- Remove the turkey from the oven. If using a remote digital thermometer, insert it into the deepest part of the thigh, close to the joint. Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting for 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more. If the pan dries out, tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup water.
- The turkey is done when the thermometer registers 165°F.
- Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Remove string and carve.
Notes
NUTRITION FACTS
Serving size - 3 ounces
Calories: 146; Fat: 4g; Saturated Fat; 1g; Sodium: 202mg; Carbohydrate: 0g; Fiber: 0g: Sugar: 0g; Protein: 25g
Recipe courtesy of eatingwell.com
How about a delicious holiday recipe for cranberry sauce without the processed sugar?
Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- zest from 1 medium orange (approx 1t)
- 1/2 t ground cinnamon optional
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice optional
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries well and drain off excess water. Sort through and discard any squishy ones.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, honey, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened to your liking, about 5 - 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in the orange zest. If you're using the optional ground cinnamon and orange juice, add them now. Taste and, if the mixture is too tart (cranberry sauce is supposed to be a little tart), add more orange juice, honey or maple syrup to taste.
- The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. It will keep in the refrigerator, covered for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
NUTRITION FACTS:
Serving size- 1/4 cup
Calories: 82; Fat: 0g; Sodium: 2.2mg; Carbohydrates: 22g; Fiber: 1.4g; Sugars: 19g; Protein: .2g
Recipe courtsey of cookieandkate.com
Enjoy this delicious holiday recipe with a new twist on Scalloped Potatoes
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 Heads of garlic
- 2 T Olive oil, extra-virgin additional for roasting the garlic
- 1 cup Onion finely chopped
- 1 cup +1 T Full- fat coconut milk divided; not light!
- 1 cup + 1T Unsweetened Plain almond milk divided
- 1 1/2 T Potato starch
- 1 t Sea salt
- 1/4 t Black pepper
- 2 lbs Sweet Potatoes, thinly sliced (about 2 very large potatoes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and place two squares of foil on top of each other (shiny side up)
- Cut the tops of each head of garlic off, so that the tips of each clove are exposed. Peel off any of the large pieces of papery skin. Drizzle the heads with a little bit of olive oil and rub it in. Wrap the garlic in the foil like a packet and place it into the oven. Cook until the garlic is tender, about 45 minutes.
- Once the garlic has roasted, squeeze the garlic out of its skin and finely chop it.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
- Heat the remaining 2T of olive oil in a very large, oven-safe frying pan, over medium/high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until golden brown and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add 1 cup coconut milk and 1cup almond milk and bring to a boil. While you wait for the liquid to boil, whisk together the remaining 1T of coconut milk, 1 T almond milk and 1 1/2T of potato starch in a small bowl, until smooth.
- Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, whisk in the potato starch mixture, stirring constantly so it doesn't gum up in the milk. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add in the salt. pepper and chopped roasted garlic. Cook the sauce for an additional 5-6 minutes until thick, stirring frequently.
- Layer half of the potatoes in a lightly greased casserole dish, pour half the thickened sauce over potatoes and repeat.
- Cover with foil and place into the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, press the potatoes down so they really sink into the sauce, cook for an additional 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender and the top is browned. OPTIONAL: Turn your oven to high broil and broil potatoes for 3-4 minutes to darken the top.
- Let the potatoes stand for 10 minutes. Serve.
Notes
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories: 147; Fat: 8.5g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Sodium: 42.4mg; Carbohydrates: 15.5g; Fiber: 1.8g; Sugar: 3.9; Protein: 1.5g
Recipe courtesy of foodfitnessfaith.com
Is it a carb or a veggie? No-one will know.
Your family will think they are eating mashed potatoes and gravy.
You’ll know you are serving them a delicious vegetable and not another carb.
Shhhh. They’ll never know…
unless you tell them.
Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower cut into florets about 3 lbs
- 3 T unsalted butter
- 3 T sour cream
- 6 cloves garlic, divided
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cauliflower in a steamer over a large pot of boiling water. Steam for 15 minutes or until tender. OR, boil cauliflower in salted water for 10 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove from heat and drain. Cover with a lid and set aside.
- Heat butter over medium-high heat. Saute garlic until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Blend cauliflower and garlic in a food processor on high setting until smooth, You may need to do this in 2 - 3 batches, depending on the size of your food processor.
- Transfer blended cauliflower back into the pan. Stir in parmesan cheese, sour cream and season with salt and pepper.
Notes
Save prep time! Use Cauliflower rice instead. Steam the rice or saute in a pan with a little water under tender.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories: 59; Fat: 5g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Sodium: 61mg; Carbohydrates: 2g; Protein: 1g
Recipe courtesy of cafedelites.com
Not just for the holidays. This is an all-time favorite of mine.
Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan
Ingredients
- olive oil cooking spray
- 1 lb fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 t sea salt
- 1/4 t garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Spray inside of a 9 x 13 casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place asparagus in the dish and lightly spray spears with cooking spray.
- Sprinkle asparagus with Parmesan cheese, sea salt and garlic powder.
- Roast in preheated oven until fork easily punctures the thickest part of stem, about 12 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 46; Fat: 1.7g; Sodium: 660mg; Carbohydrates: 4.4g;
Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com
TIP: Best way to keep asparagus fresh for a long time while in refrigerator is to slice off the stems and stand them in a glass with a couple inches of water in the bottom.
A holiday dinner just wouldn't be the same without rolls!
Vegan Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 T organic cane sugar
- 1/2 t sea salt
- 1 packet rapid-rise yeast approx 2 1/4t
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 T Vegan butter + more for topping
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
- In a separate mixing bowl (or small saucepan over medium heat), microwave the water, almond milk and butter until warm - about 110-120°F (approx 55 seconds). It should be the temperature of bath water. If too hot, it can kill the yeast.
- Add wet mixture to the dry and whisk or beat for 2 minutes, scraping sides as needed.
- Add 1/4 cup more flour and beat for another 2 minutes.
- Add only enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Let rest 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces, shape into balls and place in a greased 8 x 8 dish or 8-inch round pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size - about 30 - 45 minutes.
- Preheat over to 375°F and brush the tops with additional melted vegan butter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until fluffy and light golden brown.
Notes
TIP: For best results, serve immediately or store them loosly covered with a kitchen towel for up to 3 days on the counter.
Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 110; Fat: 2.3g; Saturated Fat; .8g; Sodium: 135mg; Carbohydrates: 19.6g; Fiber: .7g; Sugar: 2.2g; Protein: 2.4g
Recipe courtesy of Minimalistbaker.com
For you chocolate lovers. You're going to love this delicious recipe!
Keto-friendly Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups fine almond flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 T dutch cocoa or additional regular
- 2 1/4 t baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/3 cup water or milk of choice
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar or granulated erythritol (for Keto)
- 1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 oz melted chocolate (optional)
- 8 oz cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- 1/4 cup butter spread or vegan butter
- 1 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar or erythritol (for Keto)
- 1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
- 2-4 T milk of choice
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Grease an 8-inch pan or line with parchment paper.
- Stir all the ingredients together. Spread into pan. If needed, use another sheet of parchment paper to smooth down.
- Bake 14 minutes on the center rack.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Let cream cheese and butter come to room temperature.
- Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer.
- If too thick, very slowly add more milk. If too thin, add additional powdered sugar or erythritol.
- Cover and refrigerate leftover frosting for up to a week.
Notes
NUTRITION FACTS:
Cake without frosting:
Calories: 130; Fat: 9g; Saturated Fat; .9g; Sodium: 175mg; Carbohydrates: 6g; Fiber: 3.3g; Sugar: .2g; Protein: 6.9g
Cake with frosting:
Calories: 207; Fat: 14.8; Saturated Fat: 4.3g; Sodium: 282mg; Carbohydrates: 8.4g; Fiber: 4.1g; Sugar: .2g; Protein: 9.3
Recipe courtesy of chocolatecoveredkatie.com
Well, it just isn't Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie!
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 15 oz canned pumpkin
- 2 T whipped butter, softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
- 1/2 cup fat free milk
- 1 egg, large
- 2 egg whites, large
- 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 t ground cinnamon
- 1/4 t ground nutmeg
- 1 t vanilla exract
- 1 frozen pie crust sheet, Pillsbury thawed to room temperature
- whipped cream topping, optional
Instructions
- 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%. Your final crust will be approx 5 oz.
- Place into a 9-inch pie dish, cutting off the excess dough.
- Place pumpkin in a large bowl, Add butter and mix well.
- Using an electric mixer, mix in brown sugar, milk, eggs, egg whites, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour filling into unbaked pie crust. Bake about 70-75 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cut into 10 slices and serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories: 137; Fat:5g; Saturated Fat; 1.5g; Sodium: 114mg; Carbohydrates: 25g; Fiber; 1.5g; Sugar: 16.5g; Protein: 3g
Recipe courtesy of skinnytaste.com
Have you joined our Facebook community yet? If not, join us for fitness and nutrition tips, recipes, encouragement, challenges and so much more.