A Healthier Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving will be here soon, so it’s a great time to start formulating your game plan for the big day. There are some simple steps you can take to keep the day from being an over-the-top indulgence that leaves you feeling guilty for days afterwards.

Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind:

  • Skip the liquid calories and opt for water, coffee, or tea instead. If your day includes the “need” for a glass of wine (relatives can do that sometimes!), limit it to just one and make it last by sipping slowly and enjoying fully.
  • Fill up on something healthy before the big meal. Whether you are the one hosting the meal or heading out to someone else’s house, you can take 5 minutes to prep yourself a bowl of healthy soup, a salad, or even an apple and some nuts – anything that will fill you up without weighing you down. You’ll be less likely to overdo if you’re not ravenous when you sit down at the table.
  • Don’t forget portion control! You can have a sampling of all of your favorite dishes as long as you remember the mantra “everything in moderation.”
  • Allow yourself one indulgence. Choose ahead of time which one dish you are most looking forward to and plan to enjoy it guilt free. Whether it’s a piece of pumpkin pie or a serving of stuffing with gravy, knowing that you are going to get to enjoy your favorite will help guard against feeling sorry for yourself so that you are less likely to binge.
  • Prepare at least one healthy dish (to serve or to bring with to the hosts’ home) that you’ll be able to eat freely. Check out some of the recipes below for inspiration.

Healthier Thanksgiving Recipes

via The Corner Kitchen Blog

Fall Salad with Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette from The Corner Kitchen Blog

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup from Greatist

Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins from Katie at the Kitchen Door

via Delish

Mashed Cauliflower from Delish

Stuffed Whole Butternut Squash from Oprah

Superfood Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon from Food, Faith and Fitness

via Epicurious

Shaved Carrot and Radish Salad with Herbs and Pumpkin Seeds from Epicurious

Paleo Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Casserole from Food, Faith and Fitness

Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad from Martha Stewart

via Eating Well

Pumpkin Chocolate Cream Cake from Eating Well

Quinoa Apple Cake from Greatist

Pumpkin Pear Crisps from Bon Appetit

Paleo Pumpkin Pie from Ancestral Nutrition

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Kate Miller

Kate Miller, mom of 5, is on a mission to stay fit and healthy. As HealthyWage's Community Manager, she's fortunate to be surrounded by inspiring success stories day after day. Although she does get paid by HealthyWage, she is an independent mom blogger who works with HealthyWage because she thinks it is an incredible weight loss tool. In 2012, Kate lost 50 pounds and documented most of her journey right here on the HealthyWage blog. Since then, she's had to learn the subtle intricacies of staying on track by mastering the daily ebb and flow (and parties and holidays and periods of extreme laziness) of life.

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