The first long weekend of fall is here (and reminder there are no classes on Mon Oct 12 but make ups are held on Friday Oct 19) and it just happens to be one of our fave holidays – Thanksgiving!
Now to make sure you aren’t sending your blood sugar skyrocketing (which also means weight gain, moodiness, bloating, gas, aging, cancer and much more yuckies!), we wanted to share our “Top 3 Chick Approved” Thanksgiving side dish recipes that are not only gluten, grain and dairy free but are just downright DELICIOUS!
Swap out these healthier alternatives for your reg mashed taters, cranberry goo and white bread stuffing. We can almost guarantee your guests will love these just as much – if not more 🙂
Wishing you and yours a SUPER HAPPY & HEALTHY THANKSGIVING!
FIT CHICKS XO
CHICK FEED: Cauliflower & Roasted Parnsip Mash
Mashed potatoes are so last season! And being high in simple carbs, they don’t do much of anything for your body but add an extra layer to your hips and put you into a sugar induced sleep coma. Try this tasty mash treat that still gives you the creamy comfort of mashed potatoes but with more nutrients, less calories and healthy fats!
Cauliflower and Roasted Parsnip Mash
This mash is creamy thanks to the coconut milk, and dreamy thanks to the parsnips.
- 4-6 skinny parsnips
- Medium sized head of cauliflower
- 4 tablespoons of coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
Peel and cut parsnips into small strips. Toss in olive oil. Lay on a baking sheet and roast at 400°F for 20 minutes.
Cut cauliflower into florets and steam until tender.
Combine parsnips, cauliflower, and coconut milk in a food processor and blend until smooth. You can add more or less coconut milk until you achieve your desired consistency.
Don’t like coconut milk? Use almond milk!
Don’t like parsnips? Sub for turnip, butternut squash sweet potatoes or even 1/2 cauliflower & 1/2 potato if you MUST have the taters…but make sure to keep the cauliflower!
CHICK FEED: Chicktastic Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is typically PACKED with refined sugar and chemicals (and usually just tastes downright GROSS!). This chicktastic cranberry sauce recipe is made with all natural sweetners, is super easy to make and can with turkey or with desserts – yummers!
CHICKTASTIC CRANBERRY SAUCE
2 12-oz bags of fresh or frozen cranberries
juice of 1 orange
zest of 1 orange
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs honey (optional)
Combine cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon and optional honey in a saucepan and heat on medium. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until consistency is jam-like. Smash the cranberries with a spoon while they’re cooking, or leave them whole for a chunkier consistency.
CHICK FEED: Quinoa Stuffing
Quinoa is one of the most fab super foods to add to your diet. Not only is it a gluten free and packed with protein & fibre but it gives you that starchy, comfort feeling of rice or bread without the “bad for you” carbs. Plus for our veggie or vegan chicks, this can be eaten as your meal as it is high protein option!
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water (or stock of your choice)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 2 medium apples – peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 cup dried cherries or raisins
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning
DIRECTIONS
Bring water to a boil in a medium pot on high heat. Add quinoa. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 12 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the onion, mushrooms, apples, pine nuts, cherries, garlic, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and quinoa. Mix well.
Pack lightly into uncooked turkey. Roast turkey as directed.
Sourced from http://livewell360.com/2008/08/quinoa-turkey-stuffing/
