Thanksgiving Tips, Tricks, and Recipes

It’s that time of year again! This year Ryan and I are not going to be able to make it back to Michigan to see our family unfortunately, but we are looking forward to our first holiday season in California. It’s a totally different experience! First of all, it is really neat to see all of the Christmas decorations go up around town, specifically in Beverly Hills and in Santa Monica. They have everything from multicolored spotlights and ornaments in the trees to a giant Christmas tree in the middle of 3^rd Street Promenade, and there is even an outdoor ice rink a few blocks from where we live. Also, it’s neat to be able to run outside in a t-shirt and shorts with the sun shining on your face and nothing more than a slight breeze in the middle of November. Way cool.

Last year I wrote about the importance of awareness and letting go of the stress that sometimes comes along with this season. When we make a choice to tune in to what the season is all about – friends, fam, love, happiness – then the worrying seems to fall away. It seems so simple, yet really making this decision right now, is so important. So decide right now to chillax and be easy. Do what you’ve gotta do to be healthy and take care of yourself, while also enjoying this time of year and all the fun and good times that it brings.

On that note, there is quite a buzz of healthy Thanksgiving tips, tricks, and recipes around the web, and I thought I would pick out a few of my favorites to share with you.

Tips and Tricks

• Valerie Waters has a great video providing a few of her tricks on how she handles her Thanksgiving meal. I agree with her wholeheartedly. Sticking with a lifestyle of health and fitness is all about being educated on things like portion size and about planning ahead.
• Roni over at ronisweigh.com had a great idea for getting some activity for the whole family the morning of Thanksgiving – the Turkey Trot. Ryan and I ran the Turkey Trot in downtown Detroit a few years ago. It was great to get out and burn some serious calories the morning of our get together with the fam. It felt so rewarding, however be careful not to use this as an excuse to overdo it in the “refeed” category. Roni also gives a few great recipes for Thanksgiving side dishes.
• Gavan, The Healthy Irishman, teaches us how to pick a turkey, oh and if you don’t want to cook the whole turkey, here is a recipe for cooking a smaller Thanksgiving feast (Persimmon Couscous Stuffed Turkey Breast).

Podcasts

Last year I also did a few Podcasts on how I have handled my own holiday food stressin in the past. Check them out if you want more tips on how to navigate the temptations of this season.

• Podcast – Holiday Food Stressin Part 1
• Podcast – Holiday Food Stressin Part 2

Recipes

Here are a few of our own recipes that would be great healthy Thanksgiving dishes.

• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto
• Quinoa Turkey Stuffing

And here are a few other great Thanksgiving recipes from around the web:

• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie from Karena’s Kitchen
• Green Bean Casserole from Eating Well
• Firecracker Cornbread from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks
• Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Cranberries, and Bacon from Whole Foods

What to do with the leftovers:

• Turkey Huevos Rancheros Oatmeal
• Stuffed Peppers with Thanksgiving Turkey from Daily Unadventures in Cooking
• Turkey Tetrazzini, Turkey Nachos, and Turkey Enchiladas (gluten-free) again from Karena’s Kitchen

Have any of your own holiday tips, tricks, or recipes to share? Leave them in the comment section below.