Could use some help - am having friends over for a traditional Thankgiving dinner on the 25th, and although I am still doing South Beach, I don't want them to feel like I am feeding them "diet" food.

Any great recipes that you guys could share? Looking for sides and dessert ideas.
Thanks!
Cindy

Some suggestions

Turkey - season as you want, for you focus on eating the white meat. You could also eat ham as well.

Yams - you can bake them in the oven, season with splenda and cinnamon if you want a sweet taste to them.

Green Beans - Always good, you can add some turkey bacon to them if you want.

Zucchini - Always good, can also add some mozarella cheese on top for a cheesy effect

Whole wheat or sourdough rolls - allowed on SBD and I don't think anyone would complain.

Splurges - If there is something traditional for you/your family and you want it, make it and eat a little of it.

I hope this helps.

CINDY - Re: Green Bean cassorole, I saw on Food Network the show Low Carb and loving it, the chef, tossed sliced onions with soy flour and baked in the oven to make a topping. I am going to check out that site for ideas.

I just found out I have two more for dinner, the more the merrier.

I am making mushrooms stuffed with sausage and chopped mushroom stems, cranberry sauce with Splenda, stuffing with more sausage rather than bread, faux mashed potatoes (cauliflower), and the gravy I am thickening with heavy cream that has been reduced. This is more Atkins than SB maybe but it will make for a merry time.

Most of all I am focusing on the people and not the food.

Well, fortunately for me and the rest of my family, I don't have to cook - all I need to do is show up with whatever my sister assigns me to bring (for the past 10 years, it's been 'brown & serve rolls and a pie').

Since it IS Thanksgiving and my family (e.g. Jim and I, sisters and their families, plus our parents) would have a mutiny if we dared to change one thing about our traditional Turkey Day menu I just plan ahead and take modest portions of each item, eat slowly and enjoy the company (even when Dad decides to retell our more embarrassing moments growing up...how many times do I have to hear the story of when I wet my knickers at Monty's Restaurant in Fisherman's Wharf anyway?? Fortunately I got over the embarrassment around the time I hit puberty...).

Our family's trad T-Day fare includes:

Turkey with stuffing (both in the bird and outside)
Mashed sweetpotato casserole
Mashed white potatoes
Corn Casserole
Deviled eggs
Green beans with pine nuts
Jello holiday salad
brown & serve rolls (yeah I know...)
and the usual condiments, gravy, cran sauce, that type of stuff. I probably missed something, but remember I'm in the very fortunate position of not having to cook!

I guess it really depends on what is "traditional" for you. We are having what is very traditional for my family, but also very diet friendly:
BIG salad
steamed asparagus drizzled with hazelnut oil
green beens sauteed in a bit of olive oil
baked yams
turkey
home made cranberry-walnut sauce (ok, very sugary)
whole wheat bread sausage apple stuffing
apple cranberry walnut pie with a nut crust (sugar again, tiny slice)
home made pumpkin pie (I will have a sliver)

Rolls, potatoes, and casseroles or marshmallow were never part of my traditional
Thanksgiving, so we're sure not starting now

Mel

Here's what I came up with for a menu:

Butternut squash soup
Turkey w/herbed gravy
Baked yams (w/sf maple syrup)
Green beans w/carmelized shallots
Wild rice/brown rice mushroom stuffing

I'm still stuck on what to do for dessert. The thing is, if I make something with too much sugar in it, and then eat it, it will make me feel ill. I did find a recipe for a Pumpkin Parfait, which is basically sf/ff vanilla pudding, milk, canned pumpkin and spices all mixed together and then chilled and served with ff cool whip. I think I'll mix up a batch of it tomorrow to see what it's like and if it's good, that will be dessert. If not, I'll probably do some sort of fruit crumble with very little sugar.
Cindy

Cindy ~~ The Pumpkin Parfait IS delicious I've had it and it would make a nice light desert after a large meal... The rest of your meal sounds DEVINE ... What time??

This is late for Thanksgiving, but someone might find it useful for Christmas and other holiday meals. I recently saw the current issue of Weight Watchers Magazine, and there are tons of holiday recipes in it. There are several options for holiday meals, including a turkey dinner and I think some kind of roast. The recipes looked really good and not too hard, so this might be a good resource.