Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes

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Happy Week of Thanksgiving, friends! I am excited to share some of my favorite, healthy Thanksgiving side dishes with you in today’s post! I know you are going to love them as much as I do.

Can you believe Thanksgiving is already here? Where in the world did November go? Next thing we know it’s going to be Christmas! But hey, I’m not complaining. I’m super pumped about the upcoming holiday season, and I am SO ready for it to be 2017. Helloooooo Year Of My Wedding. ; )

our first annual friendsgiving

This past weekend I celebrated “Friendsgiving” with some of my besties from college, and it was an absolute blast. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s when you gather with friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. The name says it all, right?

Not only did I get to spend quality time with some of my favorite people that I don’t get to see very often, but I also got to eat my first Thanksgiving feast of the year! One of FOUR, might I add. Lord help me. Time to whip out the stretchy pants.

I was genuinely impressed at the collective cooking skills of all my friends. The spread was amazing. We had everything from salads, to green bean casserole, homemade stuffing, crescent rolls, two types of cheesy corn (Ethan was thrilled about the variety of cheesy corn available), sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, ham, of course, a big ol’ turkey, and allllllllllll the pie. Plus So. Much. More.

eating intuitively at thanksgiving

This was written in 2016 before I had fully embraced intuitive eating, but it’s interesting to go back and read it, and see how far I’ve come in my relationship with food!

Important update to the 2016 version: you don’t have to “control yourself” at family meals like this. Enjoy the food, enjoy the conversation, enjoy the experience. Give yourself permission to eat the foods that sound good to you. You’re far more likely to binge when you label certain foods as “off limits”.

2016 Version:

Everything at Friendsgiving was delicious! I was overwhelmed with all the options. For the first time possibly ever at a Thanksgiving meal, I managed to not completely overeat. I filled my plate with a variety of foods that looked best to me, including salad, veggies, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole and cheesy corn. All foods can fit, especially at Thanksgiving!

This time around I tried to shift my focus to the people and the conversations, rather than stuffing my face with every food in sight, only to feel uncomfortably full for the rest of the night. I’m happy to say I succeeded in that, for once! Progress, not perfection.

I love food so much, and I often struggle with self-control in situations like Thanksgiving, when it’s a total free-for-all. I’m not afraid to admit that because I know a lot of us struggle with this, which is why I’m proud that I didn’t binge at Friendsgiving. (I now know that restriction is what leads to the urge to binge, and that giving myself permission to eat the foods I want can help prevent this from happening regularly.)

I even enjoyed some dessert, without feeling any guilt, and you should too! Don’t be afraid to dig into that pecan pie or pumpkin cheesecake! Now let’s see if I can have this mentality at Thanksgiving number two, three and four! 🙂

what to bring to friendsgiving

As I mentioned above, our spread consisted of all the traditional Thanksgiving favorites, as well as a few fun, different dishes mixed in.

The items that I contributed included Healthy Greek Yogurt Corn Dip as an appetizer (recipe on my Side Dishes & Dips page), Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad, and Sweet Potato Casserole!

I made the Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad for the first time a few weeks ago, and I just knew I had to make it again for Thanksgiving. It encompasses so many delicious fall flavors all in one dish, and it’s a great, healthy option that you should definitely include on your table this year.

I also made Sweet Potato Casserole, which I have surprisingly never made before! It was a little time consuming (mostly because I doubled it), but I really enjoyed making it and I was SO happy with the final product. This recipe is healthier than most versions of sweet potato casserole, without sacrificing flavor. There is so much natural sweetness from the sweet potatoes themselves, plus just a little bit of honey and brown sugar, and the perfect amount of crunch from the pecans sprinkled on top!

I loved both of these recipes so much, and found that everyone else at Friendsgiving actually loved them too, even after they found out they were healthy! 😉 I just knew I had to share them with you all!

healthy thanksgiving side dishes: recipes

Sweet Potato-Pecan Casserole — recipe from Pop Sugar Fitness

Ingredients:

• 5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (divided)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup pecan halves (optional: used these to line the outside of the pan)
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a pot with a large steamer basket in place. Place the sweet potatoes in the basket, cover, and steam until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.*

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2. When the sweet potatoes have about 15 minutes left, preheat your oven to 350 F. Prepare an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.** (I made a double batch, which is why you’ll see a 9×13 dish in my pictures.) 

3. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a bowl, and let cool for a few minutes. Add the honey, egg, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt; whip with an electric mixer until smooth.

4. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish; use a spatula to make it flat across the top and even around the edges.

5. Mix the brown sugar, chopped pecans, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over the top of the potatoes.

6. Place pecan halves around the edges of the pan if desired. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.

*Make sure you have enough water in the bottom of the pan so it doesn’t boil away in those 20 minutes and burn the bottom of your pan… Needless to say I learned that the hard way.

**For Friendsgiving I doubled this recipe and filled up a 9×13 casserole dish. There were about 20 people there, and I had tons of leftovers! Keep in mind that people take a little bit of everything on Thanksgiving since there are so many options, so if you think you need to double this, think again! I think the original recipe would make plenty for most families. 

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Lastly, I have to include an oldie but goodie — Whipped Cauliflower. I will never tire of this recipe, and it is appropriate all year round! However, I know everyone especially loves their mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, which are often filled with loads of butter, cream, whole milk, sour cream, etc. AKA not always the healthiest ingredients in the world. While I totally believe in treating yourself every now and then (especially on this day), but I also think that it is awesome to substitute healthy items whenever you can so you can splurge on other things that you love even more, like PIE. 😉

Whipped Cauliflower Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 2 tbsp butter*
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer.
2. Cover and bring water to a boil over high heat. Add cauliflower, re-cover pan and steam until soft (10-15 minutes).

3. When cauliflower is soft, transfer to a blender or food processor (I use my small Ninja). Add other ingredients; 1 tbsp butter, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper, and a small portion of the milk. Cover with lid and blend to combine for 30 seconds or so.

4. Remove lid and scrape sides down with a spoon. Add remaining 1 tbsp of butter and slowly add milk as needed. (Note: you may not need the full amount of liquid. Add until you reach desired consistency. If you add too much too quickly, the final product may turn out to be too watery.) 

5. Continue to blend until spices are well distributed and desired consistency is reached.

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Yum!!!

Other Side Dishes and apps To Consider

• Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Easy Smashed Potatoes
• Simple Roasted Vegetables
• Smoked Mac and Cheese
• Slow Cooker Cheese Dip
• Easy Mexican Corn Dip
• Healthy Baked Spinach Dip

thanksgiving dessert ideas

• Healthy Berry Crisp Recipe
• Easy Apple Crisp with Oat Crumble
• Death By Chocolate
• Easy Cinnamon Rolls – for Thanksgiving breakfast!
• Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hope that one or all of these side dishes will make an appearance at your dinner table this Thanksgiving! Don’t forget to treat yourself a little this year, and most of all, be thankful for the people and the delicious food with which you have been blessed.

We tend to take these things for granted on a day-to-day basis, but Thanksgiving Day is a perfect time to sit back and be truly grateful! If you have one (or five) pieces of dessert, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just get back to your normal routine when your body is ready. : )

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Shanna, RD

#wellnessforthewin