Thanksgiving Without The Guilt

Do you ever feel a little anxious before the holidays because you know you’ll be eating more than your body weight? I’m pretty sure almost everyone does besides the people who get full after two bites of turkey. We all know those people… the people who kill the vibe, lol. I accept that I am going to over-eat eat on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want a partner in crime who is going to go in headfirst with me. Lucky for me, that’s my whole family.

As I get older, and my metabolism isn’t the same as it was when I was 18, I start to get nervous about eating around the holidays. Even though I have my side-kicks stuffing their faces with me. I refuse to be the miserable person at dinner who barely touches any of the delicious food because they are so scared of it. That’s how eating disorders start.

So… how do I accomplish the holidays without feeling as much guilt? Easy. Choose healthier options. Like I always emphasize, if you want to indulge in a “treat yourself” food, why not make it nutritionally beneficial. You can look at my blog post, Healthy Replacements, where I give a lot of options to incorporate more nutrients and cut out the processed ingredients. Take a look back at that post to see which ingredients to replace. Below are meal/side dish replacements.

Sweet Potatoes

Try a new sweet potato recipe instead of the classic cheesy potatoes. Hear me out because I know you’re about to log off reading this. My favorite sweet potato recipe at Thanksgiving is one by Danielle Walker in her Celebrations cookbook. When you try her recipe, you forget cheesy potatoes are missing from your table. Click Here to get her Smoky Candied Bacon Sweet Potatoes recipe.

Brussel Sprouts

I’m not a green bean casserole kind of girl, but I have been known to eat leftover brussel sprouts for breakfast. Brussel sprouts are the perfect side dish to add some green to your table. My entire family’s favorite recipe is from Delish.

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Need a tasty and nutritious appetizer? Delish has a great stuffed mushroom recipe to try. Click here.

Mashed Cauliflower

This side dish could be one you don’t have to tell the family about. Let them try it first because no one will taste a difference if they think it came from potatoes. The frozen mashed cauliflower from the grocery store can give cauliflower a bad reputation, one hundred percent because they’re disgusting. Have you ever made homemade cauliflower mashed potatoes? Game-changer. Another Danielle Walker recipe that is delicious.

Bacon or Prosciutto Wrapped Veggies

This side dish has been a family go-to for years. You can wrap green beans, asparagus, carrots, or a mix of veggies in bacon or prosciutto. My favorite is prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. This is a quick and easy side dish for any regular dinner. I don’t follow a specific recipe, but you could look one up on the internet and find one that suits you best.

For desserts, you can look back at my Healthy Replacements post to use less processed ingredients for your favorite pies.

The holidays are supposed to be fun and filled with joy and love. Decide to not feel guilty this holiday season by choosing to eat foods that fuel you. There is no more room for stress and guilt in the year 2020.

Comment below what you are going to make. Click the heart below if you liked this post.

Happy Thanksgiving!