Appetizers: Ditch the heavy cheese dips and chips before the big Thanksgiving meal. Creating this adorable veggie platter will give lil’ ones something to do while you cook, and will also interest them more in eating it since they were part of making it. Healthy snacks like veggies are often quite filling, and will help curb your appetite before the big dinner.

The Turkey: Almost everyone has family recipes and traditions on how to cook their own turkey. As for us, we have a few suggestions on how to keep that healthy. Try to avoid deep-frying your turkey, but rather roast it in the oven. Flavorful herb recipes like this one from Food Network reduce the need to cover the turkey in butter or gravy without sacrificing great flavor:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-roasted-turkey-breast-recipe/index.html

Sweet Potatoes: Ditch any recipes with a lot of brown sugar or marshmallows in favor of healthier (just as good!) sweet potato recipes. Simple baked (sweet) potatoes is one option, as they are easy to cook and healthy! If you want a more traditional casserole, try this healthier version of the sweet potato and marshmallow casserole: http://recipes.womenshealthmag.com/Recipe/marshmallow-whipped-sweet-potatoes.aspx

Green Beans: A quick and easy way to enjoy green beans without butter or cheese, is to just steam them in a double boiler. Take a sauce pan with a little bit of olive oil, and brown some sliced almonds. Toss these together for a much healthier (and still delicious) version of green bean casserole.

Stuffing: In exchange for fat and carb-loaded bread stuffings, try these healthier, non-traditional versions of the Thanksgiving favorite.

• Celery stuffing: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Celery-Stuffing/Detail.aspx
• Wild rice stuffing: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/wild_rice_stuffing.html
• Wild mushroom stuffing: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/wild_mushroom_stuffing.html
• Quinoa stuffing: http://www.fitsugar.com/Quinoa-Stuffing-Recipe-Thanksgiving-25897153

Cranberry Sauce: Cranberry sauce is often loaded with sugar in order to make up for the tart-ness of the Cranberries. Unfortunately, so much sugar can be a diet buster for many. Enjoy recipes that are low-sugar or sugar free, like this one: http://wellnessmama.com/3392/slightly-sweet-cranberry-sauce-recipe/

Bread: To help with portion control, try baking cornbread muffins. The pre-portioned muffin serving will keep you from overdoing it, but the cornbread will let you enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving. If you still want a loaf of bread, go for the whole-wheat option.

Drinks: Skip on the alcoholic beverages or juices at the table this year in favor of water. If you want to spice this up and make your table look fancier, use sparkling water with a lemon wedge on the rim of the glass. This will save you the empty calories, and leave space for dessert… yum!

Dessert: Feel free to indulge in a little healthy dessert… remember everything in moderation! A main downfall of us dessert lovers is having to try a little bit of EVERYTHING. To prevent this, try to only offer a few dessert staples. After all, you’re just cooking for a few, not an army! Don’t underestimate the power of a bowl of fresh fruit or homemade fruit salad as a great dessert option as well.

• Low-Cal Pumpkin Pie: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/low-cal-pumpkin-pie
• Healthy Fruit Pizza (feel free to add in kiwi, mangos, oranges, or any other fruit of your choice on top: http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/post/51247006634
• Mom’s Apple Squares: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/moms_apple_squares.html

We hope you like these recipes; feel free to try them out this week before the big day and leave comments below! Overall, the biggest helpful hint we can give you is: moderation! There are always Thanksgiving leftovers, so don’t worry about eating it all in one sitting! Gobble Gobble!