guilt free thanksgiving favorites

I have a love/hate relationship with Thanksgiving.


I loooove it, because I think that grateful people are the happiest people and everyone is encouraged to be nothing, but grateful on this holiday. I also love all the traditional Thanksgiving food..who doesn't?!


Buuuuuuttt...I hate how awful I feel after eating too much. Especially when I've eaten too much of food that really isn't even close to being good for me. Unless you count Pumpkin Pie as healthy, because it has Pumpkin, which is a vegetable (right?) and vegetables are healthy.


So let's be honest here.




If you want to stick to those diet restrictions and still enjoy Thanksgiving, or if you just want to feel good about this really fabulous holiday then something must be done.


Luckily, for you, I have a solution!


Here are some Guilt-Free recipes, courtesy of Hungry Girl, that are healthier versions of your favorite Turkey day foods!

Kickin' Cranberry Sauce PER SERVING (1/3 cup): 63 calories, 1g fat, 20mg sodium, 13g carbs, 2g fiber, 8.5g sugars, 1g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2* Dab or pile this stuff on top of your turkey. Or just eat it plain! (There's so much good fruit in here, we wouldn’t blame you.) P.S. For quick day-of assembly, start this off the day before... Ingredients: One 12-oz. bag whole cranberries One 11-oz. can mandarin orange segments in their own juice 1 cup peeled and finely chopped apples 1 envelope (1/4 oz.) dry unflavored gelatin 2/3 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 1/4 cup Almond Accents in Original Oven Roasted 1/4 cup granulated white sugar 1/8 tsp. cinnamon Directions: In a medium pot, combine cranberries, Splenda, and sugar with 1 3/4 cups water. Set stove to medium heat, cover pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes, uncovering to stir occasionally. Meanwhile, in a small dish, combine gelatin with 1/4 cup cold water, stir well and set aside. Turn off heat and stir in gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved and thoroughly combined. Stir in cinnamon and apples and mix well. Transfer mixture to a bowl, and refrigerate for at least 5 hours (overnight is best). Once chilled and set, remove mixture from the fridge and give it a good stir. Drain juice from the can of orange segments. Roughly chop orange segments and drain any excess liquid from them. Slightly crush almonds so that they break into smaller pieces. Add chopped orange segments and almond pieces to the cranberry sauce, and mix thoroughly. Serve with lean turkey, pork, or chicken, or anything else you like cranberries with! MAKES 12 SERVINGS

	Save-the-Day Stuffing PER SERVING (1 cup): 89 calories, 1.5g fat, 275mg sodium, 17g carbs, 4g fiber, 4g sugars, 5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2* We loooove this swap, especially since we can't resist the usual carb-laden, high-cal version. Most of the credit goes to using low-calorie bread. (We heart Sara Lee's Delightful bread BIGTIME.) "Save the day" indeed! HG Tip! Zazzle up your stuffing by adding any of the following to it before baking: an ounce of raisins, 1 medium-sized pear (chopped), 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds, an ounce of sweetened dried cranberries, or 1 medium-sized Granny Smith apple (chopped). Each one adds less than 20 calories to each serving! Ingredients: 6 slices light bread (40 - 45 calories each with around 2g fiber per slice) 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped mushrooms 1 cup fat-free chicken or vegetable broth, room temperature 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original) 1 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown) 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, to taste Directions: For best results, leave bread uncovered at room temperature for a night or two, until slightly stale. Otherwise, begin by lightly toasting bread. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Spray a medium baking dish with nonstick spray, and place bread cubes evenly along the bottom of the dish. In a medium pot, combine broth, celery, and onion. Cook for 8 minutes over medium heat. Remove pot from heat, and add mushrooms and garlic. Season mixture to taste with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Let cool for several minutes. Add egg substitute and butter to veggie/broth mixture and stir. Pour mixture into the baking pan, evenly covering bread cubes. Mix gently with a fork. Bread cubes should be moist, but not saturated (if necessary, add 1 - 2 tbsp. water, and then mix again). Cover with foil, and cook dish in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and fluff and rearrange stuffing. Return dish to oven (uncovered), and cook for an additional 15 minutes. MAKES 5 SERVINGS

 Be sure to take a look at this site if you want more recipes.

If you need me I'll be here, counting my blessings...

Happy Thanksgiving to You!