Healthy Thanksgiving Dishes

Thanksgiving dishes are almost everyone’s favorite, but the calories are not. Here are a few healthy Thanksgiving dishes that are good for you and everyone will still love.

Thanksgiving Dishes: Veggies

Roasted Carrot and Fennel

This dish is healthy, yet delicious! The caramelized carrots and fennel add a fantastic flavor. The raw carrots and fennel add a great mixture of soft and crunchy. Check out the recipe here.

Garlic Green Beans

These are very easy to make and are great Thanksgiving dishes. Just throw the green beans into a skillet with some water until they are crunchy and crisp. After the beans are crunchy, sauté them with some butter or olive oil and some garlic. Don’t sauté them too long though. The green beans need to keep their crisp crunch. Once they are done, add some salt and pepper. For full the recipe click here.

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasting cauliflower brings out the best of flavors! It caramelizes bits of the cauliflower. The ingredients needed are cauliflower, garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice, grated parmigiana Reggiano, salt, and pepper. While the oven is preheating to 450°F mix the cauliflower, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper so all of the cauliflower is covered. Put them into the over for about 25 to 35 minutes and flip the cauliflower every few minutes. Once they are roasted, sprinkle some cheese onto them and serve! For the full recipe click here.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Not everyone hates brussel sprouts, especially when they are roasted. They are super easy to make and delicious! All that is needed are brussel sprouts, olive oil, salt, and pepper. First, wash and trim brussel sprouts so there are no yellow leaves or bottoms of the sprouts. Place all of the brussel sprouts onto a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil and add some salt and pepper. It helps to mix them around so they are all evenly coated. Throw them into the oven for about 40 minutes at 400°F. These are fantastic alone, but parmesan and lemon or a balsamic glaze can make these even more delicious! Check out the full recipe here.

Baked Parmesan Mushrooms

This way to cook mushrooms creates so much flavor! The ingredients needed are cremini mushrooms, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic cloves, thyme, parmesan, salt, and pepper. First, mix the mushrooms with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and parmesan. It is best when the mushrooms are fully coated. Lay them onto a baking sheet and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes. For the recipe click here.

Thanksgiving Dishes: Starches & Meat

Sweet Potato Casserole

Whether you think sweet potatoes are more of side Thanksgiving dishes or more of a dessert, you’ll love this healthy sweet potato casserole. Sweet potatoes can be made without much sugar because they are naturally sweet. The ingredients needed are sweet potatoes, milk (any kind but almond or cashew milk would work well), butter, pecans, dates, pepitas, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and vanilla extract. First the sweet potatoes need to be boiled for about 20 to 30 minutes and mashed until creamy.

This is when you will add the seasonings, butter, and milk. Then blend again. To make the crumble topping, chop the pecans, dates, and pepitas. Then mix them with the flour and butter. Next, spread the sweet potatoes into a baking dish and sprinkle the crumble on top. Bake it for about 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F or until the top becomes golden brown. Check out the full recipe here!

Healthy Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes can be delicious, but it can also be pretty unhealthy. This recipe cuts out almost 500 calories that mashed potatoes normally have. The ingredients needed are potatoes (russet or Yukon gold), non-fat Greek yogurt, non-fat milk, chicken broth, butter, olive oil, parsley, salt, and pepper. First, wash and cut the potatoes into small squares or chunks, then boil them for about 15 to 20 minutes. Using a potato masher or a blender, mash/blend the potatoes until they are smooth. Finally mix in the chicken broth, milk, butter, salt, and pepper until it is all combined. Find the full recipe here.

Butternut Squash Soup

This healthy version of butternut squash soup is so good. The ingredients needed are butternut squash, carrots, onions, garlic, vegetable stock or bone broth, olive oil, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and pepper. First peel and cut the butternut squash into small pieces. Next, sauté the squash, carrots, onions, and garlic until they are slightly brown and soft on the edges. This is the time to add paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Fill the pot with the vegetable stock or bone broth and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down and let it simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Finally blend it in a blender or food processor to make it smooth and ready to eat. Find the recipe here!

Boneless Turkey Breast Roast

Turkey is a key part to Thanksgiving celebrations. Boneless turkey breast is actually easier to keep juicy than cooking a turkey with the bones. The ingredients needed are half of a boneless turkey breast, avocado oil spray, butter, garlic powder, paprika, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. First brush the turkey with melted butter and sprinkle all of the spices on. Grease a pan with the avocado oil and bake it for about 20 minutes at 450°F. Then cover the turkey with foil loosely to prevent the top from becoming burnt. Cook for another 45 to 60 minutes, Once it is out of the oven, wait for about 20 minutes before cutting it to help the juices stay in, then enjoy! Check out the full recipe here!

Chicken Stuffed with Brie

Cheesy chicken is always delicious! The ingredients needed is chicken breasts, brie, minced onion, minced clove of garlic, coconut or avocado oil, chopped spinach, dried cranberries, thyme, salt, and pepper. First, cut the chicken breasts down the middle, but not all the way through, and season. In a skillet, sauté the garlic and onion in oil, then add the spinach, cranberries, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add that mixture to the inside of the chicken breasts along with a slice of brie and wrap the chicken in kitchen twine to keep the mixture and cheese in the chicken. Next sear the stuffed chicken to crisp up the outside before putting them onto a baking sheet. After that, bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at 375°F. Finally take them out of the oven and enjoy! Check out the full recipe here.

Desserts

Pumpkin Pie

This is a lot of people’s favorite! The ingredients needed are pumpkin puree, eggs, maple syrup, coconut sugar, almond milk, vanilla extract, pie crust, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and allspice. First make or buy whatever kind of pie crust you would like or make it crustless. Next mix together the pumpkin puree, eggs, almond milk, coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, allspice and salt until it is smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and cook for 50 to 60 minutes at 350°F. Find the full recipe here!

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

This sweet yet healthy cake will be one of those dishes that everyone asks you to make again! The ingredients needed for the crust are almonds, dates, and a pinch of salt. First, blend the ingredients in a blender or a food processor until it starts to clump together, spread it out into a pan, and put into the fridge to chill until the filling is ready. To make the strawberry filling, you’ll need sliced strawberries, dates, cashew butter, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and frozen strawberries. Blend the strawberries, dates, cashew butter, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a blender until it is smooth and pour onto the crust. Then chop or blend the frozen strawberries so they are in smaller bits and scatter on as a topping. Finally, put the cheesecake in the freezer for eight hours and enjoy! Check out the recipe here.

Spiraled Apple Crumble

This is a great twist on a regular apple crumb pie. The ingredients needed for the apples themselves are red apples, cinnamon, coconut sugar (or brown sugar), orange juice, and orange zest. If you have a spiralizer, spiralize the apples. If you do not, you can always cut them into smaller pieces. Lay the apples onto a baking tray and top them with cinnamon, coconut sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Next make the crumble. The ingredients needed for that are almond meal, rolled oats, coconut sugar (or brown sugar), cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and coconut oil. Mix the almond meal, coconut sugar, cinnamon, rolled oats, salt, and nutmeg. Next add the coconut oil and mix until it is crumbly. Finally sprinkle the crumble onto the apples and bake for 40 minutes at 350°F. Find the full recipe here!