Thanksgiving! That special day when eating more than your fair share is perfectly okay, so long as everyone can get that extra piece of turkey, or second helping of mac and cheese. However, if you do not want to have to loosen your belt buckles or wear your stretchy pants on turkey day, here are a couple of tips that might help!
1. Drink plenty of water. Not only does it keep you hydrated, but it causes you to feel full, meaning you may not overeat quite as much.
2. Run errands for mom. If your mom is doing the cooking, she is guaranteed to need to grab that extra can of pie filling that she forgot about while selecting a turkey, so volunteer to run the errand for her! You’re keeping yourself active by getting out of the house, and your help is sure to please mom!
3. Know the secrets to cutting back in hidden calories:
A. Use less butter in mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc.
B. Turkey (Source: Allrecipes.com)
i. Breast meat has fewer calories than dark meet
ii. Instead of rubbing turkey in butter or oil, season it with oil spray, salt, and pepper.
iii. As for the gravy, avoid making it from turkey drippings; it is just fat.
iv. Instead, use vegetable oil, or even vegetarian gravy.
C. Baked Mac and Cheese: The following recipe will allow you to cut calories nearly in half, and to cut fats by over 50%. (Source: Eatingwell.com)
i. Add spinach to increase nutrients.
ii. Low-fat milk replaces whole milk to cut down on fat and calories.
iii. Use whole-wheat pasta instead of refined white pasta to boost fiber.
iv. Replace some of the regular (full-fat) cheese with low-fat cottage cheese, which has great creamy texture
D. Stuffing: Do not rely on the Stovetop box brands and seasonings. Instead, try the following recipe (Source: SparkRecipes)
i. 1 tbsp. light butter, 14 oz stuffing bread (such as Pepperidge farm or Mrs Cubbison), 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup diced celery, 1/2 cup diced carrots, 1/2 cup diced mushroom, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 2- 2 1/2 cup chicken broth, poultry seasoning to taste, pepper to taste around 1 tsp
E. Green beans: There is a lot you can do with green beans. For a quick list of options, visit http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_green_bean_recipes
F. Pumpkin pie (Source: TheHealthyFoodie.net) A seasonal favorite, here is a recipe that boasts not only deliciousness, but an impressive amount of healthiness as well.
i. Crust: 1½ cup graham flour, ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats, 75g crushed pecans, ¼ cup raisins, 2 tbsp coconut oil, 2 tbsp liquid honey, 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses, ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp allspice
ii. Filling: 3 cups pumpkin puree, ½ cup 0% fat Greek yogurt, 1 cup 1% fat cottage cheese, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 whole eggs, ½ cup egg whiles (or 4 egg whites), ¼ cup maple syrup, 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses, 3 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp each: allspice, ginger, freshly grated nutmeg, ½ tsp ground clove, ½ tsp salt
iii. Crumble:30g crushed pecans, ¼ cup oats, ¼ tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp raisins, chopped, 1 tbsp maple syrup
iv. Cooking
1. Prepare the crust by baking it for 10 minutes at 375
2. Transfer the combined ingredients (the filling) to the pie crust, and bake at 350F for about 50-55 minutes.
3. Prepare the crumble by preheating a small pan over medium heat, and by then adding the aots, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and toast. Add raisins and maple syrup, mixing well. Allow to cool and then sprinkle over pie.
4. Finally, avoid the food coma! We’ve all been here. After a hearty meal of deliciousness, we feel our bodies start to slow down and become sluggish. Next thing you know you are on the couch dozing, just to wake up hungrier than before. This vicious cycle is a sure-fire way to gaining at least a couple undesired pounds over the Thanksgiving break. Try fighting it by balancing your meal with vegetables, which don’t make the body as tired as carbs do, and give yourself time before going straight into a nap. This makes digestion easier for your body as well.
Everyone eats a little more than they’re supposed to over the holidays, but hopefully this list of recipes for typical Thanksgiving dishes can provides you with a few ideas of what you can do to stave off unwanted calories.
Of course, though, there’s nothing wrong with gaining a pound or two! I mean…this is Thanksgiving after all!
Happy Holidays!