Delicious recipes for your Thanksgiving menu

Thanksgiving dinner is all about feasting and family, but it doesn’t have to weigh you down. Here are two recipes to add to your menu, without adding those extra unwanted pounds.

Spinach Stuffed Turkey

20oz turkey breast cutlets
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 bag baby spinach leaves
4oz reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Nonfat cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Coat skillet with nonfat cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Sauté 1-2 minutes, until tender.

Add mushrooms, tossing with other ingredients to combine. Cook until mushrooms soften.

Add spinach and broth to pan. Toss ingredients together to allow spinach to wilt and cook down. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in flour.
Rinse off turkey cutlets and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide spinach mixture evenly among turkey cutlets, forming a mound in the center or each cutlet. Sprinkle half of cheese over turkey. Gently roll turkey over spinach, securing with butcher’s string or toothpicks, as needed.

Transfer stuffed turkey breasts to an oven-safe skillet or sauté pan that has been sprayed with nonfat cooking spray.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and cook until all cheese is melted.


Ginger Carrots

3 cups carrot, peeled, sliced on an angle
1 Tbsp lite margarine
2 packets sugar substitute
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp honey

In a pot of water, bring carrots to a boil and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until for tender. Drain.

In a sauté pan, over low heat, add margarine and sugar substitute and honey.

Stir approximately 2 minutes, or until sugar substitute begins to brown.

Add orange juice, ginger, and carrots.

Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until liquid slightly thickens.

Serve immediately.

Top 10 ways to avoid overstuffing yourself on Thanksgiving

As a follow up to my earlier post, I want to share the rest of my favorite tips for surviving Thanksgiving without putting on a pound--something we can all be thankful for come next Friday morning!

1. During Thanksgiving dinner, choose white turkey meat versus dark turkey meat, which is lower in calories and fat.

2. Maintain your normal exercise routines. Make sure you continue to exercise during the Thanksgiving holiday, which will help burn any extra calories you may consume.
   

3. Try not to skip meals. Skipping meals can make you hungrier, which causes you to overeat later.

4. Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day. Water helps you feel full and can combat the bloating and water weight gain caused by salty foods offered at many parties.

5. Position yourself away from the food table. Staying in another room may prevent you from mindlessly picking at appetizers and finger foods all night.

6. Don’t try to diet. Your goal should be to maintain weight, not lose it.

7. Don’t try to cut out high-calorie Thanksgiving favorites like candied sweet potatoes or pumpkin pie. Instead, choose small portions on the high-fat favorites and fill your plate with additional low calorie choices, such as baked squash, pumpkin, breads, and pastas.

8. Eat something before going to an event with alcohol. The effects of alcohol are felt much more quickly on an empty stomach. Also, try to drink one glass of water before each glass of an alcoholic beverage.

9. Offer to bring a favorite low-calorie dish to holiday parties, so you know there will be at least one “safe” item available. Arrive fashionably late and stand far away from buffets so you’re not tempted to nibble constantly. Instead, indulge in conversation.

10. Center entertainment around non-food events such as ice skating, or renting a holiday movie.
    

Forbes covers my healthy holiday advice

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Forbes.com dishes on how to trim turkey--and your waistline. Click here for these timely tips, featuring my advice on how survive the holiday season without packing on the pounds.