It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is just around the corner especially when the temperatures have been unusually warm for this time of year! I know the majority of us are enjoying the break from colder weather, but it does make it a bit harder to get into the holiday spirit. With Thanksgiving just a few short weeks away, it’s the perfect time to start planning some of your holiday dishes that you will be making and what better way to start than by learning how to make healthier versions of some of your favorites!

As I’ve touched upon in previous posts, moderation is key to sustaining a healthy, balanced diet. Of course, part of the fun of the holidays is spending time with loved ones and enjoying a variety of different dishes that aren’t typically served year-round. I think it’s important to be mindful of both what you’re eating and the portion sizes, while savoring each bite. This will help you be more in tune with your fullness cues and know when you’re satisfied! 🙂

On that note, there are plenty of ways to make some of the traditional holiday dishes a bit healthier for you with a few simple swaps WITHOUT losing any of the flavors!

• Green Bean Casserole: another classic Thanksgiving dish that can be made healthier! Campbell’s offers a ‘lighter’ recipe to their classic green bean casserole recipe that won’t sacrifice the flavor of the dish, as it simply just cuts half the amount of milk and fried onions that the classic recipe typically calls for. This idea of cutting down on certain ingredients in recipes (i.e. the amount of sugar, percentage of milk fat, butter, candied toppings etc.) can be applied to MANY recipes, since it won’t usually alter the final product.

• Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Instead of candied yams from a can, make your own with fresh sweet potatoes! Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, so they don’t typically need tons of extra sugar and syrup to add sweetness. It may call for a little extra effort, since you’ll have to peel and cut your potatoes, but I think you’ll be surprised at how much tastier the dish will be and how easy it is to make! Similar to the green bean casserole recipe above, simply using less butter and syrup when making your sweet potatoes will help reduce the amount of fat and sugar without sacrificing taste. A great, simple recipe can be found here.

• Mashed Potatoes: I’ve touched upon this in my Easy and Creative Ways to Add Vegetables into Your Diet post, but cauliflower is an excellent alternative to mashed potatoes. It has a very neutral taste, similar to potatoes, and can be easily mashed to resemble mashed potatoes. Simply microwave or boil a head of cauliflower until soft, then puree in a food processor or blender. Add sea salt, pepper, and, a little butter and you’ve got yourself the perfect dish for your celebration without losing any flavor! If you don’t want to forgo the potatoes completely, swapping in half the mashed cauliflower is another easy way to sneak in some veggies while also serving a more fiber-rich dish to your guests.

• Cranberry Sauce: Of course it can’t be Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce! Instead of buying the canned sauce that typically contains high fructose corn syrup, make your own with fresh cranberries! It’s a very simple recipe and making your own will allow you to control the amount of sugar in the dish (i.e. if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, use 1/2cup instead and see how it tastes!), eliminate the corn syrup, AND provide you with vitamin C, a vitamin that’s nonexistent in the canned version.

• Pumpkin Pie: When it comes to desserts, pumpkin pie typically tops the list as the best option among the variety of pies. If you read my Healthy Fall Foods post, then you know that pumpkin is a great source of fiber, beta-carotene (which our body converts to vitamin A), and also a good source of iron. When making this pie, a few simple swaps like low-fat evaporated milk rather than full-fat, and making your own homemade pie crust (like this easy whole-wheat pie crust!) rather than using a store-bought pie crust will help you have more control of the ingredient list, thus eliminating added fillers and preservatives that are often times found in pre-made, packaged foods to preserve shelf life.

Other Helpful Tips

• If you’re in charge of roasting the turkey, consider trying this roasted turkey recipe that doesn’t need butter during the roasting process!

• Stick to the white meat of the turkey rather than the dark, as the dark meat contains a higher amount of saturated fat.

• Make your own homemade stuffing rather than store-bought by replacing white bread cubes with whole-grain bread, using less butter and low fat milk in the recipe, and adding in diced celery, carrots, and onions to sneak in some extra filling veggies!

• Use nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or mayonnaise in casserole or dip recipes that you plan to make! This is an easy way to sneak in protein and lower the fat content of the dish without sacrificing the flavor.

• Stewed tomatoes can be a very healthy choice when scanning your options. Tomatoes are loaded with lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that can help lower your risk of certain diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C, which helps promote a healthy immune system meaning it can help your body ward off illnesses.  These are only SOME of the benefits and healthful nutrients that tomatoes contain! For an easy stewed tomatoes recipe see here.

• Finally, Check out PTF’s Pinterest Page which will also include other healthy, easy holiday recipes, and of course, enjoy your holiday by spending quality time together with your friends and family! 🙂

Happy Holidays!

Alyssa

References

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. (2015). Lycopene. Retrieved from: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/554.html

U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2015). Beta-carotene. Retrieved from: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/999.html

Zelman, Kathleen. (2010). The Benefits of Vitamin C. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/diet/the-benefits-of-vitamin-c

*Disclaimer: As a friendly reminder, the information I write about is intended for educational purposes only. I encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns with your physician regarding your health and dietary needs, as the information I provide should not replace any medical advice. I write based on my own personal research and experiences.

Today’s post will focus on the what, why, and where of protein. You may be wondering what I mean by this so let me explain! For this post, I will break down what protein is and why it’s important for your body and overall health. For the purposes of this post, I thought it would be a good idea to provide you with alternative sources of protein since the majority of us know that the typical animal sources (i.e. meat, dairy, eggs, seafood, poultry) tend to be the largest source of protein, but there are other ways to consume protein as well!

Our diets are broken down into three macronutrient categories: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Throughout many of my posts, I typically discuss the importance of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), but macronutrients are extremely critical for the overall functioning of the body as well. They’re deemed ‘macro’ nutrients because we need to consume them in large quantities.

Proteins, specifically, are the building blocks of the cells within our bodies (i.e. skin, nails, hair, brain cells) and play a role in pretty much every major function within the body.

While proteins are the building blocks of cells, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. When we eat protein, our bodies break it down into amino acids, which in turn, play their own role in making new proteins to help our bodies in a variety of different processes such as:

• Digestion
• Muscle Growth and Development
• Tissue repair

Proteins are comprised of 20 amino acids with nine of those amino acids termed ‘essential’ in that the body does not make them, and, therefore, must be obtained from food. The remaining amino acids are called ‘nonessential’ since they are produced within our bodies.

In regard to dietary intake, we consume essential amino acids in the form of complete and incomplete proteins. Complete proteins are sources that contain all essential amino acids (i.e. animal sources) in an adequate quantity, whereas incomplete proteins (i.e. plant based sources) simply lack a significant amount of amino acids to be deemed a complete source. These protein sources can often be paired with other incomplete proteins to form a complete source. This is another reason why it’s important to eat a well-balanced diet to ensure you’re providing your body with the adequate amount of fuel it needs to function properly. Pairing incomplete protein sources doesn’t actually have to occur at the same meal, but rather can be eaten throughout your daily food intake to aid in your body functioning at its best.

Remember the MyPlate guidelines for vegetables and fruits I mentioned here? Well, according to the USDA (source), most Americans typically do not have a problem with consuming enough protein. The problem lies in a lack of variety in protein sources, which is why I’ve listed below some excellent alternative sources below:

Quinoa: often times referred to as a grain, but actually a seed, cooks similarly to rice and is an excellent source of protein (roughly 8grams/1cup). Why not try this quinoa & black bean salad recipe instead of one of your typical pasta or rice dishes this week!

Legumes (a class of vegetable):

• Beans: there are a wide variety of beans to choose from that can supply you with a healthy amount of protein. Some of my favorites include garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, white beans, and black beans. Try making a homemade vegetarian chili with beans, and you have yourself a delicious protein-packed meal!

• Peas: a half-cup of peas supplies you with roughly 4.5grams of protein so try adding peas to your pasta dishes, salads, or soups. If you don’t like peas, you may like this green pea hummus instead.

• Lentils: 1 cup supplies about 17 grams of protein- if you’re new to trying lentils, perhaps this recipe is for you!

• Edamame: Your typical appetizer to sushi actually has an adequate amount of protein with about 8 grams per cup! Another popular way to enjoy these soy beans is roasted until browned at 400 degrees in the oven with your favorite seasonings and a touch of olive oil!

–Nuts & nut butters (i.e. almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios): another great source of protein AND healthy fats, especially when you choose nut butters with as few ingredients as possible.

-Greens: surprisingly, greens like spinach (and broccoli (about 4grams/1 cup) also contain a good amount of protein, so not only are you fueling your body with protein, you’re reaping the benefits of the vitamins and minerals that leafy greens supply as well!

I hope you were able to learn something new from this post and will try a new protein source in your diet!

Alyssa

*As always, I encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns with your physician regarding your health, as the information I provide should not replace any medical advice. I write based on my own personal research and experiences.

References

Better Health Channel (2014). Protein. Retrieved from: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Protein

Ebert,Alison. (2013) Amino acids. Retrieved from: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002222.htm

Harvard School of Public Health. (n.d.). Protein. Retrieved from: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/

NIH. (2008). News in Health. Retrieved from: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2008/March/docs/01features_01.htm

I wanted to focus today’s post on time saving healthy eating tips by providing you with a few simple tips and suggestions to staying healthy week-to-week! One of the biggest misconceptions I frequently hear around healthy eating is that it’s too time consuming, so it’s often easier to choose something that’s convenient and quick. This is simply not true! While that may feel like the easier route to take, eating healthy can be MUCH easier than you think with little extra time commitment. The end result will leave you feeling better and healthier, and you’ll actually end up saving yourself more time and money throughout the week!

Meal Planning

• My first tip is to take just a few minutes the day before the start of your week or before your grocery-shopping trip to plan a few meals in advance. This way you don’t find yourself at dinnertime during the week with no idea what to cook which may lead you opting for convenience instead. Just planning out a couple meals, even if you end up switching the night you eat the meal, will help ensure that you have the necessary ingredients on hand. For ideas and suggestions on healthy breakfast options, see my post on ‘Overnight Oats’ and ‘From Hectic to Healthy: How to Jump Start Your Day in a Healthy Way!”

Meal Prep

• Take some time Sunday before the start of your week to prep your food in advance. You don’t have to prep for the whole week, and you don’t even have to prep each meal individually. Preparing enough for two to three days is plenty to help decrease mealtime stress!
• Cook extra quantities of meats/protein sources like chicken, fish, turkey, pork, or whatever other protein sources you enjoy that can be used in healthy meals throughout the week. Many of these meats are versatile, such that they can be incorporated into a variety of different dishes, so you’re never tired of the same meals!
• Hardboiled eggs are another great protein source to prepare ahead of time that can be eaten as snacks, on top of salads, with breakfasts, or made into egg salad!
• Cooking extra portions of baked potatoes, squashes like spaghetti & butternut, pasta, rice, or other whole-grains you enjoy will allow you to create quick, healthy meal options on busy nights.
•  A colorful diet of fruits and vegetables will help ensure you’re eating a variety of nutrients. Simply spend a few minutes before the start of the week to chop up fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, or cucumbers to have on hand and store in your refrigerator for both meals and snacks! Frozen bags of vegetables like sliced peppers and green beans are great for meal prep as well, because it will save you the time of cutting and chopping, and, ultimately, money in the long run!

Crock Pot

• If you want to make it even easier on yourself, and you have a crock pot, you can take a few minutes in the morning to have your meal all ready to go by the time dinner rolls around! There are TONS of simple, healthy crock pot/slow cooker recipes (See PTF’s Pinterest page for ideas 🙂 ) that you can follow to ensure a healthy, delicious meal for you and your family with little effort!
• In line with my meal prep tip, the crockpot can even be used to cook a large batch of your favorite protein source like chicken before the week begins in which you can use in a variety of different meals throughout the week! I’ve even made a big batch of oatmeal in the crockpot at the beginning of the week to have ready for early morning breakfasts. A simple oatmeal recipe can go a long way when you get creative with healthy toppings and add-ins like sliced banana, nut butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and almonds. Changing up the flavors and add-ins each day will keep a variety of nutrients in your diet and decrease boredom surrounding your meal!

Cook Ahead

• Depending on the size of your family, you can even take it a step further and freeze some of what you prep for future meals later in the week or for the following week. For example, you can make up a simple chicken and veggie pasta dish with your prepped chicken and pasta. Simply add some veggies, spices, tomato sauce, olive oil, and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese and freeze for a future meal! Other ideas include turkey chili or meatballs, hearty soups, chicken and veggie stews, baked ziti with added veggies, or casserole dishes!

Meal Ideas

• Your prepped food can be used in a variety of healthy, simple meals such as in stir-fry’s, quesadillas, sandwiches, wraps, stuffed peppers, on top of salads, or in tacos to name a few! By having the necessary ingredients already prepped and on hand, you can eliminate the guess-work and rest assure that you will have yourself a healthy, delicious meal after a long day at work!

Happy prepping!

-Alyssa