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When it comes to hosting Thanksgiving, there’s a lot of pressure to come up with a menu that will please everyone. However, there’s also the consideration of how healthy your options can be. Thanksgiving isn’t exactly known as a time of calorie-counting and health-conscious choices, after all.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s completely possible to serve up food that is both delicious and healthy for your guests.
Consider hummus and veggies instead of chips and dip. While the combination of vegetables and a healthy dip might throw your guests for a loop, it’s a delicious alternative to fatty, salty potato chips and the nutritionally bereft dips that you typically see with chips. If you want to add something a little “bad” for the guests, you could slip in a bit of blue cheese, too.
Turkey is one of the healthier options found in a traditional Thanksgiving spread. As it turns out, it’s not hard to make a healthy turkey centerpiece for your guests. But what’s the best way to prepare your bird?
One option would be to cure the turkey overnight in a tasty spice mixture (think sage, cumin and the like) before grilling it over something like a charcoal grill. You get the idea! By grilling it, you bring out a lot of delicious flavors without imparting lots of fattening oils. This keeps the main dish delicious while also preserving its healthy qualities!
Don’t be afraid to get creative and cut loose with the sides. There are tons of healthy options you could dig into. Instead of normal stuffing, you could do bread stuffing with mushrooms. Southern-style cornbread could be made into stuffing, too, adding a sweetness and down-home comfort to the classic side.
You could also consider serving up some interesting seasonal bread for the occasion. Something like a pumpkin loaf or even a cornmeal biscuit could add some lovely flavors for the sides of your meal.
Just maintan a healthy spin on classic favorites and make sure you stay creative! Follow these simple tips and you’ll have a Thanksgiving to remember.
