Try these secret Thanksgiving recipes for healthier holiday season

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. The average American gains five pounds as they consume an astounding 4,500 calories over the holidays. To make your Thanksgiving dinner a little healthier, South Florida dietitian Monica Auslander-Moreno and fitness expert Sunny Marz revealed their secret recipes to CBS.

Make your Thanksgiving healthier with these secret recipes(Unsplash)

Cranberry sauce

Cranberry sauce is a must-have Thanksgiving dish. Dietitian Monica Auslander-Moreno says you should not make it “overwhelmingly sweet.” For the perfect cranberry sauce, take 12 oz. of cranberries, 1 cup of cranberry juice, 1 cup of pure maple syrup, 3 tbsp. of orange juice, 1 tbsp. of honey, 1 tbsp. of vanilla, and some cinnamon.

After combining all the ingredients, turn the heat on high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for ten minutes after it reaches a rolling boil. Add extra honey if you want your cranberry sauce sweeter.

Besides “warmth and spice”, cinnamon adds anti-inflammatory benefits to the sauce. Auslander-Moreno says, “If you like vitamin C, you’re going to like it.” A cup of store-bought cranberry sauce typically has 418 calories. The healthier version from Auslander-Moreno has roughly 150 calories per cup.

Also read: Is Walmart’s Thanksgiving basket more affordable this year? Check price and what’s inside

Green beans

For a healthy green bean dish, you will need the following ingredients: olive oil, sliced almonds, green beans, and fresh garlic. Have the almonds toasted in a skillet in the oven. Then, add the minced garlic, green beans, salt, and pepper and sauté everything together.

“We have vitamin A, we have vitamin C, we have fiber, we have a bunch of micronutrients, and it helps balance our blood sugar because it’s going to be a little more elevated after a large Thanksgiving meal,” says Auslander-Moreno.

According to Auslander-Moreno, the key to organising your Thanksgiving dinner is to prepare beforehand.

Sweet potato mash

Auslander-Moreno and Sunny Marz added a dash of cinnamon, butter, vanilla, honey, and maple syrup to the store-bought, precooked and cubed sweet potatoes, mashed everything together, and garnished with pecans. They cooked it for thirty minutes at 375 degrees.

The sweet potato dish with marshmallows and brown sugar has about 300 calories per serving, while the healthier alternative has roughly 150. Auslander-Moreno says, “We got our vitamin A, our fiber, our beta keratein up in here”.

FAQs:

When is Thanksgiving this year?

Thanksgiving is on November 27 this year.

Is Thanksgiving a federal holiday in the US?

Yes, Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the US.