(BlackDoctor.org) — Thanksgiving is generally the first in a string of food-focused gatherings that can quickly pile on the pounds. But no worries. With our detailed list of simple steps, you’ll be sure to have a healthy Thanksgiving!
Safety First
Food safety is the first priority when preparing healthy recipes on Thanksgiving.
• Buy fresh turkey before its “sell by” date; cook within two days.
• If frozen, thaw in the fridge (24 hours per 5 pounds), never on the counter.
• Roast until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees. For safety and ease, bake stuffing separately.
• Bake pies with egg and milk fillings, such as pumpkin pie, to 160 degrees, then refrigerate.
• Reheat any precooked dishes at 325 degrees until they reach 165 degrees or are steaming hot.
• Keep cold foods in the fridge until dinner. Buffet foods can stay out for two hours; after that, they enter the “danger zone” between 40 degrees (cold foods start to warm up) and 140 degrees (cooked foods lose heat), in which bacteria grow.
Embrace The Chicken Broth
Use this do-ahead healthy recipe for chicken stock to moisten stuffing, baste the turkey, and braise pearl onions — and sip it to curb hunger pangs while you’re cooking! Short on time? Choose low-sodium canned broth.
• 2 pounds carrots, 1/2 pound parsnips peeled, trimmed, and cut in half
• 4 celery stalks, trimmed and cut in half
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
• 3 sprigs fresh dill (if available)
• 3 pounds chicken, quartered
Bring 6 quarts of water and all ingredients except the chicken to a rapid boil. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. Add the chicken, bring back to a boil, cover and simmer for another 1 1/2 hours. Cool and remove chicken and vegetables; strain broth into containers. Freeze if preparing more than three days in advance. Yields about 5 quarts.
Easy Ways Lower The Fat
• Simple switches can yield big results when it comes to reducing calories.
• Roast turkey on a rack so that the fat will drain off.
• Buy French baguettes (they’re made without fat or sugar) for stuffing; serve instead of high-calorie dinner rolls.
• To bring out their natural sweetness without the added sugar, roast — don’t boil — sweet potatoes.
• Replace mashed potatoes with low-cal squash. Red kuri, butternut, and Hubbard puree well.
• Lighten your string bean casserole by skipping the cream soup and moving it to the stovetop. Slowly sauté with onions until they caramelize; top with slivered almonds.
• Make your own vitamin C-rich cranberry sauce in 15 minutes; using artificial sweetener instead of sugar yields half the calories of canned sauce.
• Flavor food with spices (not sugars) like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
Say No To Salt
• Too much salt can cause your body to retain water and make you feel bloated. And if that’s not reason enough to cut back, nearly one in three Americans has hypertension, and nearly a third of those people don’t even know it.
• Reduce salt in your Thanksgiving recipes, or use herbs to enhance natural flavors.
• You should also avoid buying a “self-basting” turkey that’s injected with a high-sodium solution, and be sure to check sodium labels when choosing canned vegetables.
Appetizers: Cut Calories Here
• Help guests get in more veggeis by offering a platter of crudités, like baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and button mushrooms that don’t require any more prep than a good rinse.
