Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving recipes vary from family to family, and each variation upon this classic Harvest festival meal is delicious. On the fourth Thursday of November (in the US), friends and family will gather to celebrate and eat food together.

These are some classic as well as modern thanksgiving vegetable recipes, that are a healthy addition to your traditional thanksgiving dinner recipes. If you're looking to make your thanksgiving menu healthier, why not make these delicious dishes a main part of the day?

We've compiled a fantastic selection of thanksgiving side dish recipes from around the web, just for you:

1. Pear Pomegranate Salad with Orange Vinaigrette from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
2. Smitten Kitchen have a beautiful recipe for Brussel Sprouts and Chestnuts in a Brown Butter Sauce
3. Vegan, Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie from the Gluten Free Goddess
4. Butternut Squash Casserole at Running with Tweezers
5. Sauteed Savoy Cabbage with Apples from Seven Spoons
6. Sweet Roasted Rosemary Squash Wedges by The Pioneer Woman
7. Green Beans and Caramelized Shallots at The Kitchen Sink Recipes
8. French Onion Soup by Bite Me Kitchen
9. Citrusy Root Vegetable Puree from The Daily Green
10. Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms from My Teeny Tiny Kitchen

These are all so good, with some super ideas on eating healthily throughout the holiday season. The best way to reduce your calorie intake is to eat more vegetables and reduce your portion size, so keep that in mind if you are serving yourself. Take a bit of everything, but be conscious of what you are putting onto your plate, and make sure that it is balanced.

Don't be afraid to ask the chef (or family member cook) what's in something, just don't be too questioning. And remember that the best way to know what sort of ingredients have gone into a dish is to help prepare it! So, sign yourself up for cooking duties on the run up to the occasion, and help out in any way you can.

Another way to help your waistline at Thanksgiving is to take some of your own food. Which is definitely appropriate if it's a help-yourself or buffet style meal. Ask what sort of thing you can contribute, and then do your best to make something really healthy and interesting. Be the best advocate for health by creating something so amazing that everyone wants to try some, and are shocked when they realise how good it is for them. Like some really good looking appetizers or a delicious fruit salad.

Take your own dairy free cream for dessert, and add a little whole wheat, buckwheat or gluten free flour to the pastry crust. Exchange a little sugar for agave nectar in your pecan pie, and don't be afraid to let the fruits do the sweetening for you in your apple pie.

Be organised and prepared for everything so you don't get in anyone's way or become annoying by asking for something they don't have. Take your own sugar free drink or just have water or a glass of wine - the sweetened fruit drinks can have a lot of unnecessary sugar in them.

If you prefer apple pie instead of pecan, follow our instructions for a healthy apple pie recipe instead, which is delicious and nutritious. And read through our healthy sweet potato recipes page, to get some great ideas for more holiday side dishes.