Who's cooking for thanksgiving and have you come up with some healthy sides or items that I can include in our dinner ??
So far I have the turkey and some yams and some brown rice.
Were getting into the sugar free jello and im trying to find some no sugar cookies to make the old fashiond pudding desert.
Any other good ideas out there post em if you can share your secrets

I am not sure if I am cooking this year (still working that out with the in-laws - they may take us out b/c MIL can't cook,. or I may make the meal), but last year, I made the turkey, pumpkin soup, whipped sweet potatoes (used margarine and spices and a bit of brown sugar, topped with some pecan bits), roasted fall veggies (broc, cauli, and mushrooms, sliced and sprayed with a tad of olive oil and sprinkled with salt, thyme and garlic, spread on a cookie sheet and baked with turkey for anout 30 or 40 mins), broccoli au gratin (the one really rich dish), salad, stuffing, peas or corn (can't recall which), and for dessert I made a pumpkin pecan pie. Oh, and I served some canned cranberry sauce, but I skipped that. I made sure I drank tons of water during the day, so I wasn't too hungry at dinner, and only had "firsts" - no going back for seconds.
I didn't really want to do too many light versions of real favorites, because I was having family and friends over, but I made sure there were plenty of veggies and having a cup of pumpkin soup and a salad before the meal definitely filled me up so I didn't overeat. Luckily, we had so many people over that we had hardly any leftovers.

If you are into the greem bean casserole, can make it with the low fat cream soup and top it with some Crispy Delights Red Onion Chips (better for you than the French's french fried onion bits). I think there is a recipe thread somewhere on the boards for holiday recipes.

Good luck with your planning!

I'm cooking some of it. 3 of us are doing it this year, my sis-in-law, my mother-in-law, and myself. Since we have a big crowd and not everyone is into the "healthy eating" thing (especially on Thanksgiving) we don't usually worry about making everything "diet" or lowfat. Now, anytime I cook anything for any occasion, I cut fat and calories where I can. I'm always trimming the fat and calories in one way or the other. But I've been on my new lifestyle since June of last year, so I've already been through one Thanksgiving and I learned pretty quick not to stress myself out over what I'm going to eat and how much on that particular day. It's not worth it to me. It's only one day a year.

That doesn't mean I gorge myself (although I'd like to! lol) but if I want a particular dish, then I have some. I usually take a little bit of everything, eat one plateful, have a little dessert and leave it at that. The worst that could happen is I'd eat 3500 (what it takes to gain a pound of fat) calories and gain back one pound. Heck, I've done that before in the past and I guarantee that won't be the last time. I can get that pound back off in no time.

I guess my point is that although I do my best to make sure the dishes I fix are as healthy as possible, I don't stress myself out over the food during the holidays, especially when I've got a picky crowd to feed that freaks out if they just see anything labeled "lite". No way can I serve Cool Whip Lite, for example, as a dessert topping. They won't eat it. Not unless it's the regular. Anything that says "lite" on the package we have to disguise in other serving dishes (so they don't see the "lite" lettering) or they'll turn their noses up at it. It's like they're allergic to healthier food, lol. So trying to make traditional Thanksgiving fare healthy and lowfat, in this family anyway, would be a disaster.

Again, I just have one plate of food, allowing myself little bits of everything I want, I eat slow, drink plenty of water during the meal to help fill me up faster, and leave it at that

If you are looking for a healthy veggie dish, you might want to check out my thread about rutabagas. I love rutabagas! Not many people eat them here in the States, so I hope they catch on as a delicious and healthy lower-carb alternative to potatoes and yams. Here's the link: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...90#post1019890