Healthy & Delicious Thanksgiving!

Enjoy This Thanksgiving, Even More, this Year!

This year, our Progressive Medical Center expert nutritionists have pulled together some of their favorite Thanksgiving holiday dishes & healthy tips to share with you. The great thing about their tips is that they are healthier options, without losing the flavor, fun, and delight of Thanksgiving!

While our nutritionists are best at recommending your individual sensitivities, in general, they recommend that your meal be higher healthy fats & protein BUT lower in carbs, simple sugars, refined flour, and refined fats. Not only can this add more flavor to the meal, but it also means the turkey will be the only food putting you to sleep… not a sugar crash!

We put together some healthy tips for your food: turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, sweet potato casserole, green beans, pumpkin bread, and pecan pie

As always, adjust these recommendations based on your Progressive Medical Food Sensitivity test results & your doctor’s recommendations. \Enjoy Your Thanksgiving!

HEALTHY TIPS:

• Buy organic! For produce and turkey especially
• Swap out your oils to olive, coconut, or avocado- for a bit more flavor and healthier fats
• Ensure your butter is grass-fed organic. This type of butter has CLA that helps it break down the fat to be more useful to you as energy, and not get stored
• Replace bread in your stuffing with tasty sweet potato stuffing. This is especially great for those with a gluten sensitivity
• Use applesauce to sweeten that cranberry relish instead of sugar
• Try steaming your green beans, then adding a dab of coconut oil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Even throw in a bit of bacon if you like, as it is well accepted by the body
• Make your sweet potato casserole a bit healthier- cut the sugar in half as the potatoes already have great flavor, and use coconut sugar or real maple syrup instead!

A few of our favorite holiday recipes:

Roasted Brussel sprouts with Toasted Almonds and Pomegranate Seeds

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds

Preparation:

1. Place rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 F.
2. To prepare the Brussels sprouts, trim the bottom off each sprout and slice in half or in quarters.
3. Place trimmed and chopped sprouts on two rimmed baking sheets.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and raw sliced almonds.
5. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and place in the oven.
6. Roast Brussels sprouts until tender and golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes, removing pans once or twice during baking to stir and toss the Brussels sprouts.
7. Transfer sprouts to a large bowl and toss them with pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
8. Serve warm.

Nutritional Info:

• Calories: 232 Fiber: 7.4g
• Fat: 16.6g Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sat Fat: 1.8g Sodium: 35.3mg
• Mono Fat: 6.6g Calcium: 100.7mg
• Poly Fat: 1.2g Magnesium: 34mg
• Protein: 7.9g Potassium: 576.4mg
• Carb: 18.3g Vitamin E: 2.6mg*

Maple Roasted Acorn Squash

From Robin Stone Add A Pinch.com

Ingredients:

• 2 small acorn squash cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Cut center pulpy portion of acorn squash from each slice, removing pulp and seeds.
3. Set aside for another use or discard.
4. Arrange acorn squash slices on rimmed sheet pan.
5. Drizzle olive oil and maple syrup over acorn squash slices.
6. Sprinkle with brown sugar, salt and pepper.
7. Roast until fork-tender and fragrant, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.

A Healthy & Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!