Wednesday, November 20, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Savor y gr ain-fr ee stuffing
A healthier Thanksgiving
By Jodi Schneider
Correspondent
The average American
can consume thousands of
calories at Thanksgiving din-
ner. It9s far too easy to over-
load on your favorite comfort
foods like buttery mashed
potatoes and gravy, loads of
stuffing and pumpkin pie.
No one ever said
Thanksgiving dinner was
healthy 4 but there are cer-
tain tricks to make it a little
healthier, and avoid riding out
the food coma on the couch
for the rest of the night.
Whether you9re doling out
your own portions or you9re
at the mercy of your family
member passing out plates
piled high with <a little bit of
everything,= knowing which
foods you should be eating
more of 4 and which you
should only enjoy a few bites
of 4 will help you make the
best possible choices this
Thanksgiving.
Planning a healthy
Thanksgiving menu doesn9t
mean the food has to be bland
and boring. In fact, think of
Thanksgiving as the perfect
excuse to pile your plate
high with your favorite nutri-
tious vegetables 4 brussels
sprouts, green beans, sweet
potatoes, and more.
Even
though
a
Thanksgiving meal is inevita-
bly going to be higher in fat,
calories, and sodium, you can
minimize the damage by mix-
ing in some healthier items.
In fact, you could create
a grain-free stuffing using
root vegetables and a little
ground sausage for a deli-
cious healthier side dish (see
recipe).
One way to slow yourself
down eating too much turkey
and all the fixings is to pour
yourself a bowl of seasonal
vegetable soup, suggests
Katherine Tallmadge, RD,
author of <Diet Simple: 195
Mental Tricks, Substitutions,
Habits & Inspirations.= She
recommends a butternut
squash soup, or a broccoli
and carrot soup with pota-
toes and thyme. Research has
shown having a healthy appe-
tizer beforehand may reduce
the number of calories you
consume at your main meal.
When
p l a n n i n g
Thanksgiving appetizers,
prepare lighter foods that
won9t tempt guests to overeat
before the big meal. Serving
bite-sized savory tarts,
creamy Greek yogurt-based
dips, and hummus would all
be safe bets.
During the main meal
try filling up 50 percent of
your plate with non-starchy
veggies. This may include
Brussels sprouts, green
beans, carrots, bell peppers
or a green salad, says Lori
Zanini, RD, spokesperson for
the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics. Stick with smaller
portions of starchy veggies,
such as corn, potatoes, green
peas and winter squashes. Try
to balance your plate as much
as possible without depriving
yourself.
The turkey itself is rela-
tively low in calories if you
stick to skinless white meat,
so most nutritionists don9t
mind if you eat a little more
than the recommended 3
ounces of protein.
<I have certainly seen
individuals pile their plates
with more than three times
the appropriate portion size
on Thanksgiving Day,= says
Zanini.
You might think you9re
eating healthier if you
bypassed the stuffing and
gravy, but if you munched
on cheese and crackers all
day while cooking, know
that those calories add up as
well. If you get hungry while
you9re cooking, snack on raw
veggies and hummus or fruit.
Drinks count, too. Many
of us have large wine gob-
lets and beer mugs and don9t
Your Career
at Your Care
9
even know what a proper
serving looks like in those
glasses. Using a measuring
cup if you need to, pour
five ounces of wine into a
glass so you know the line
that marks one serving.
Don9t waste your calo-
ries on everyday foods like
chips, rolls and mashed
potatoes. Eat foods that
you love and that aren9t
available at other times of
the year, like homemade
cranberry sauce, specialty
sides, and pumpkin pie.
Pie is as iconic a part
of the holiday menu as the
turkey itself. Most nine-
inch pies are meant to be
cut into eight slices. If
your pie is only sliced into
six pieces, your portions
are probably too large.
One trick if you9re trying
to cut back: If there9s only
one type of pie to choose
from, you9ll probably stick
to one slice. Don9t feel
like additional ice cream
or whipped topping is a
requirement, but if you
are going to finish a slice
off with some, keep it to a
golf-ball-sized amount.
3 medium turnips
2 large sweet potatoes
1 TBSP dried sage
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. sage pork sausage (opt.)
3 large shallots
3 large ribs of celery
4 oz. fresh button mushrooms
1 small apple
1/4 4 cup olive oil
for cooking
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Peel turnips and sweet potatoes and
cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Grease two
large baking sheets with oil and evenly
spread the turnips and sweet potatoes
in them. Sprinkle with some of the sage,
rosemary, thyme, oregano, turmeric,
pepper and salt and toss with your
hands. Put into oven and bake for about
an hour until they are soft and starting to
brown, tossing a few times to brown evenly.
While the turnips and sweet potatoes are
cooking, brown the sausage if you are using
it. When sausage is cooked, remove from pan,
leaving drippings. While the sausage is cooking, û nely
dice the shallots and celery. Add the shallots and celery to the
pan once the sausage has cooked. You might need to add more
oil. Dice the mushrooms and peel and dice the apple. Add the
mushrooms and apple to the pan once the onions and celery
have started to soften. Continue cooking until all are cooked.
Return sausage to the pan and add more of the above spices
to your taste. Remove from heat.
Once turnips and sweet potatoes are done, mix with the
sausage/onion/celery/apple/mushroom mixture and continue
mixing until well incorporated and starting to clump together.
Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish and warm in oven if
serving immediately or put in refrigerator, covered, if using later.
Ron Pritiskutch
DINING & TAKE-OUT
until midnight every night
Cell: 541-977-3307
Menu at SistersSaloon.net
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