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Cook your turkey the way you like it. Omit any additional fats and the stuffing.
These popular recipes are delicious and low or fat free, try them and start a new tradition. All these recipes came from About.com
Low Fat Mashed Sweet Potatoes
No Thanksgiving table would be complete without sweet potatoes. Enjoy these low fat mashed sweet potatoes with orange juice, a hint of brown sugar and mildly spiced with cinnamon and ginger for a perfect low fat Thanksgiving side dish.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Preparation:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potatoes and cook for 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain sweet potatoes; add orange juice, orange zest, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Mash until smooth.
Serves 6.
Spiced Cranberry Orange Sauce
Add a little zing to your holiday table and serve this spiced cranberry orange sauce. This can be made a few days ahead.
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked through
- 3/4 cup sugar
- juice and zest of 1 large orange
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 cup light red wine (pinot noir is a good choice)
Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop and sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool. Remove cinnamon, cloves and zest. Pour sauce into a bowl and chill. Serves 10.
Cranberry Apple Sauce
Add some chopped apples to your fresh cranberry sauce this year for a delicious accompaniment to turkey, pork or chicken.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
- 2 apples, peeled, cored, chopped
Preparation:
In a medium non-reactive saucepan, dissolve sugar into juice over a medium heat. Stir in cranberries and chopped apples. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until cranberries pop and sauce thickens.Makes about 4 cups.
Per 1/2 cup: 69 calories, Calories from Fat 2, Total Fat 0.2g (sat 0g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 0mg, Carbohydrate 16.6g, Fiber 2.3g, Protein 0.2g
Low Fat Pumpkin Pie
Help yourself to a slice of this low fat pumpkin pie made with a delicate phyllo dough crust. You can find phyllo dough in the freezer section of the grocery store. If you are really pushed for time you could simply use a ready-made, reduced-fat graham cracker crust instead.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
- Cooking spray
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup egg substitute or 4 egg whites
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
- 1 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degreesCut phyllo sheets in half and stack on wax paper or plastic wrap (each full length sheet is 14 x 18
Cider-Glazed Brussels Sprouts
These Cider-Glazed Brussels Sprouts are tender yet still have a bite to them, which is a far cry from the Brussels Sprouts I remember as a child, which were almost always overcooked and mushy. Serve these Cider-Glazed Brussels Sprouts as a side dish at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and with an x cut on the bottom
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook trimmed Brussels Sprouts for 6-8 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain water.In a large skillet, heat oil on medium and saute garlic and red onion. Add Brussels Sprouts and apple cider. Cook on high until cider is reduced and Brussels sprouts are tender.
Serves 6
Per Serving: Calories 100, Calories from Fat 23, Total Fat 2.6g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 30mg, Carbohydrate 15.1g, Fiber 4.8g, Protein 4.1g
As for appetizers, have plenty of fresh vegetables on hand. Use low-fat or fat-free sour cream and yogurt for dips
Mango-Black Bean Salsa
This is a fresh, colorful salsa that goes well with chicken, pork or fish dishes. It's also a perfect fat-free dip for baked tortilla chips.Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 large mango, chopped
- 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
Preparation:
Combine mango, red onion, black beans, cilantro and jalapeno in a medium bowl. Squeeze lime juice over mixture. Stir well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with baked pita chips. Recipe follows.Baked Pita Chips
These baked pita chips are the perfect accompaniment to dips and salsas, as well as a handy snack to have at hand.Cook Time: 9 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 6-inch wholewheat pita breads
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the pitas into 8 wedges. Separate the two layers of each pita. Place triangles in a single layer on two cookie sheets. Bake until crisp - about 9 or 10 minutes.Finally, you don’t have to starve yourself beforehand. You will likely eat more if you’re super-hungry. That means don’t skip breakfast; do fill up with whole-grain crackers, fruit and raw vegetables if hunger pangs strike before the big feast, and do drink plenty of water.
When the time comes to sit down to your Thanksgiving meal, you will be ready to enjoy it without overdoing it.
Then begin an exercise program. YouTube has some great workouts you can do with the videos below is one of my favorites.
