It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I am still reeling from a delicious meal yesterday! I have to say, the left overs might have been even better today {which is not always the case}. We had a special Thanksgiving this year, because we had a friend join us that is not from the US and this was her first American Thanksgiving celebration. Of course food prep started the day before and restarted Thursday afternoon. I use mainly vegetables in my cooking so most of my food preparation goes into chopping rather than baking. I explained to my new friend what classic Thanksgiving dishes consisted of, but quickly realized that what I was cooking was more of a modification of the “traditional American Thanksgiving Dinner”. Of course I love the regular stuff as much as the next person: green bean casserole, gravy, pie, the whole thing! However, I prefer to cook healthy alternatives to traditional dishes. She was actually excited to hear that! My guests and family loved the dishes I made! Even though they lacked butter and fake cheese goo, it did not take away from the holiday festivities in the least. Here are a few “this for that” alternatives that I chose to opt for on my dinner table this year. They turned out amazing, and were easy to execute:
Instead of Traditional Green Bean Casserole (cream of mushroom etc):
Vegan Green Bean Casserole from the blog The Minimalist Baker
Forget anything out of a can! Fresh mushrooms, green beans, shallots, and almond milk that this a rich and tasty, yet healthy alternative. I added a little fresh rosemary to mine for some extra yummy flavor! I made extra gravy with this as well to eat with the turkey.
2. Instead of Traditional “Dressing”:
Thanksgiving Paleo Gluten Free Stuffing from the blog The Girl on Bloor
No bread. Have I lost you yet? Okay, if you are gutsy enough to still be listening, look at this picture of all the beautiful colorful veggie goodness!!! Oh so good, seriously you won’t even miss the bread. Butternut squash, fresh sage and rosemary, peppers, celery, and more, oh my! I made a couple changes to my personal recipe: instead of turkey sausage {because we ate turkey for dinner} I used Applegate uncured bacon and cooked the veggies in the oil from the bacon for flavor. I also did not use Brussel sprouts, but only because I thought I threw them in the shopping cart but didn’t. Still good! And great the next day.
3. Instead of Loaded Potato Soup: Roasted Cauliflower Soup Shooters from the blog Flavour and Savour
I actually served these in rocks glasses because shot glasses seemed a little too small. I served this soup as a starter and it was a huge hit! It is super easy to make, just sautée all the veggies, add your broth, throw them in a blender and voila! My kitchen smelled absolutely incredible while cooking this soup. I made it the day before, refrigerated it, and it easily heated back up on the stove the next day. I made the recipe as is, without the garnish and it was a perfect starter soup. It’s not too heavy and is vegan, Keto, Paleo, and Whole 30 friendly!
4. Instead of yeast rolls: Best Darn Vegan Biscuits from the blog The Minimalist Baker
Now I am a bread lover. I seriously am, BUT I do not feel good eating a meal with multiple carb items, so since I opted for veggies for pretty much every other side dish, I felt a little better about having a biscuit on the dinner table as an option. This recipe is super simple, just 7 ingredients. The key is definitely making sure you use COLD vegan butter! That’s what makes a biscuit, a biscuit. They are light and fluffy, and you feel a little lighter using vegan butter instead of real butter.
5. Instead of regular Pecan Pie: Vegan Pecan Pie from the blog Chocolate Covered Katie
Take out the butter and high glycemic index sugars and opt for more heathy alternatives such as agave nectar and nut butter. Of course you can still add a little shot of Bourbon for flavor! A perfect way to end your Thanksgiving meal, without feeling like you’re so full of butter and sugar that you’re going to roll out of bed with a sugar hang over the next day. Add a little vanilla coconut cream ice cream as a topper and enjoy!
The holiday parties and Christmas dinners are fast approaching. I hope this inspires you to look for healthier alternatives to your favorite dishes! Not only do they taste way better than anything out of a box, but they are better for your body and leave you with less guilt! Finding recipes is easy, just Google “healthy recipe for ____” you fill in your favorite food, and you will find hundreds of options! Using recipes from blogs are some of my favorites because they usually have lots of step by step pictures and options for other ingredient/tips you can add for that personal touch! The recipes that I used were very easy for me as a novice home “chef”. If I can do it, so can you!! Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy!
Dr. Ashley Romine, DPT
Owner / Physical Therapist
Athlete’s Mechanic, LLC
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