We kick off day 3 of our 5 part series of super foods at your holiday feast, with an affectionate spotlight on sweet potatoes. These super delicious spuds are a winter staple and can satisfy the strongest sweet tooth. A powerhouse both on the palate and in the body, make sure you find room on your holiday plate for these hearty and delicious taters.

Sweet potatoes can be considered a natural exfoliant. Chock full of vitamin A, this antioxidant is responsible for producing new skin cells and shedding worn cells, defending the body against free radicals that may lead to wrinkles. They are a great source of potassium as well, which can help repair and replenish sore muscles after a workout. Try a hearty and nutritious sweet potato hash as a healthy alternative to a traditional holiday side dish.

Sweet Potato Hash: serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, wash and dice into small cubes
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup red pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 whole fresh jalapeño pepper, minced
• 2 cloves of roasted garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh group pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

Bring large pot of water to a boil and add diced sweet potato. Boil for 5-8 minutes, until cooked through. Drain the water and set the sweet potato cubes aside to dry. Warm canola oil in a skillet, and add onions and peppers. Sauté until soft. Add boiled potato cubes, garlic, and remaining ingredients to skillet into single layer. Cook until slightly browned.

We kick off day 3 of our 5 part series of super foods at your holiday feast, with an affectionate spotlight on sweet potatoes. These super delicious spuds are a winter staple and can satisfy the strongest sweet tooth. A powerhouse both on the palate and in the body, make sure you find room on your holiday plate for these hearty and delicious taters.

Sweet potatoes can be considered a natural exfoliant. Chock full of vitamin A, this antioxidant is responsible for producing new skin cells and shedding worn cells, defending the body against free radicals that may lead to wrinkles. They are a great source of potassium as well, which can help repair and replenish sore muscles after a workout. Try a hearty and nutritious sweet potato hash as a healthy alternative to a traditional holiday side dish.

Sweet Potato Hash: serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, wash and dice into small cubes
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup red pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 whole fresh jalapeño pepper, minced
• 2 cloves of roasted garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh group pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

Bring large pot of water to a boil and add diced sweet potato. Boil for 5-8 minutes, until cooked through. Drain the water and set the sweet potato cubes aside to dry. Warm canola oil in a skillet, and add onions and peppers. Sauté until soft. Add boiled potato cubes, garlic, and remaining ingredients to skillet into single layer. Cook until slightly browned.

Happy almost Thanksgiving! If you are reading this, congratulations on your efforts to get through Thanksgiving with your health goals in mind! All of your efforts will add up, so take some of these suggestions to heart and your heart (and thighs and stomach and immune system) will thank you for it.

1. Be a Wo/Man with a Plan. Before you embark on your Thanksgiving day, take a minute to decide what you are going to eat, indulge in or taste. If you take a few moments before you begin to really think and plan, you will set yourself up to be successful. Sometimes a little planning is all you need to get you through the day enjoying your meal and feeling good too!

2. Take Control with Portion Control. Remember to load up on steamed vegetables, salad and turkey breast. Limit the sides and desserts. Choose 2 tablespoons of 2 decadent sides to indulge in; keep the rest of your plate green and lean! Of course, you should enjoy your meal, but get leftovers out of the house or don’t take a doggie bag. Removing tempting indulgences will help you get back to your Nutritious Life on Friday!

3. Drink Up Up Up! Unwanted calories from beverages can undermine your work. Have a full glass of water or seltzer (with lemon) before the meal and match each glass of wine with a glass of water. Avoid the eggnog and fancy coffee drinks – those calories take the worst revenge and can plump you up, well…like a Thanksgiving turkey!

4. Heed the Need for Nutrient Density. Roasted chestnuts, a tablespoon of cranberries, roasted root vegetables, turkey breast, and a spoonful of winter squash are loaded with nutrition! Make sure you are getting these powerhouses in, in place of the stuffing, mashed potatoes and corn bread, which may be less healthful. Making these nutritious choices on Thursday will have you feeling proud and inspired to make better choices for the rest of the long weekend!

5. Get Up and Go. Rally the family for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood, a game of touch football or a shake- your-tail-feathers dance-a-thon. Do the best you can to move during the day!

Remember: Listen to your body! Stop eating when you are slightly satisfied even if it seems to go against the spirit of “stuffing” on Thanksgiving. ENJOY your Thanksgiving — It is one meal that should be celebrated. Keep your nutritious life in the forefront of your mind and best of luck with your holiday efforts!

  Recipes

Pilgrim Salad

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon agave or honey
• 1 head endive, trimmed and sliced into half moon pieces
• 1 large head frisee, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces
•  2 tablespoons dried cranberries
•  2 tablespoons raw pecan pieces

 Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and agave or honey. Add endive and frisee, toss to coat. Top with cranberries and pecans. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serves 6.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 3 – 4 shallots
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Trim the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves, cut them in half, lengthwise. Peel shallots and quarter. Then toss Brussels sprouts and shallots in a large bowl with oil.

2. Transfer sprouts to a rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until deep golden brown, crisp outside and tender inside, 40 to 45 minutes. Toss the pan half way through.

3. Transfer sprouts to a serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

Garlic and Lemon Haricots Verts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1 pound haricots verts or green beans, cleaned, ends removed
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

 Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil and garlic over low heat. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and allow garlic to sit in oil for an additional 5 minutes.

2. Bring a large saucepan filled with 1 inch of water to a boil. Lower a steamer basket filled with haricots verts or green beans into it, tightly cover pan, and steam for 4-5 minutes, until beans are crisp tender. Drain beans.

3. Remove garlic from butter and discard. Toss steamed beans with garlic-infused oil, lemon zest, and sea salt; serve hot.  Serves 6.

Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 ½ teaspoons fleur de sel or sea salt
• ½  teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped pecans, divided
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Place sweet potatoes in a pot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until very tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and let cool.

2. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add sugar, butter, salt and vanilla. Mash sweet potato mixture with a potato masher. Fold in 1/4 cup pecans. Scrape potato mixture into an even layer in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, top with remaining pecans and marshmallows and bake another 5 minutes or until golden. Serves 8.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 16 to 18 pound turkey
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons ground sage
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons pepper
• Kosher salt
• 1 can broth, for basting

Directions

1. Combine rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper in small bowl. Rub all over turkey.

2. Roast turkey, uncovered, at 375°F, basting frequently with turkey or chicken broth. After 1 hour, baste and sprinkle with seasonings again, then make a tent with aluminum foil and cover breast loosely. Reduce heat to 325°F and continue roasting for another hour, basting occasionally.

3. Uncover breast and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the thigh registers 165°F. This will take about 90 to 110 minutes longer, depending upon the size of turkey and oven being used.

4. When turkey is golden brown and done, allow it to sit for 20 minutes to rest before carving. Don’t wait for the little plastic “pop-up” devices to pop, or it’s likely that the bird will be overdone and dry.

5. If you don’t own an instant read thermometer, test to see if turkey is cooked by inserting the tines of a large fork into the upper thigh. If juice is not pink, then turkey is done.

Wild Rice & Bulgur Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 ½ teaspoons canola oil
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup wild rice
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup bulgur
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup pecans
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preparation: Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onions and garlic; sauté for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in wild rice. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.

2. Meanwhile, place bulgur and water in a bowl. Let soak for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool and chop coarsely.

4. Place raisins in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

5. Stir the soaked bulgur, pecans, raisins and parsley into the cooked wild rice. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 8.

Pumpkin Soufflé

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in order given. Pour into well buttered baking dish. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees; let cool 15 minutes. Marshmallows can be melted to cover. Serves 6.

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Sweet Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup grated onion
• 1 ½ lb peeled & shredded sweet potato
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Coat bottom of baking pan with oil.
3. Combine grated onion and potatoes in a colander and use paper towels to squeeze out excess moisture.
4. Sift flour and baking powder into onion-potato mixture.
5. Add eggs, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Toss with hands to mix thoroughly.
6. Shape into 8 evenly divided 1/4-inch thick pancakes, squeezing out excess liquid.
7. Lightly coat top sides of pancakes with cooking spray and bake at 425° for 20 minutes.  Use spatula to flip pancakes over and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Makes 8 latkes

*Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Why we love this recipe:

Sweet potatoes are a nutritionally-sweet deal! These tasty tubers are higher in fiber, beta-carotene, and vitamin C than white potatoes, and they’re a great source complex carbohydrates! By baking these puppies instead of frying them, you’re cutting down on unnecessary fat.  Amping up the volume with the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg makes these latkes super tasty, and provides an antioxidant boost! For a delicious complement to these little treats, try adding a dollop of reduced-fat sour cream and unsweetened applesauce.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1″ pieces
1 precooked, all-natural chicken sausage, cut into 1″ pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1/3 cup frozen cauliflower florets, thawed

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a small baking dish with canola or olive oil cooking spray.
2. Combine sweet potato and chicken sausage in a medium bowl. Toss with minced garlic, chopped oregano, and oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
3. Place potato mixture in the prepared dish and bake 30 minutes. Stir in cauliflower and bake 10 to 15 more minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Why we love this recipe:
This recipe requires just a handful of ingredients to make a nutrient-dense, super-filling meal.

For those of us who are budgeted with time, but want something that tastes like we slaved over our kitchen counters – this is the perfect solution!

The olive oil is packed with polyphenols, which fight free radical damage and help prevent certain types of cancers, while the garlic and oregano give the recipe an additional antioxidant boost. Plus, the sweet potato is packed with more eye-healthy beta-carotene than any other fruit or vegetable!