Hey guys! Its always befuddled me a little that i see magazines around November featuring articles about "How To Get Through The Holidays and Still Fit into Skinny Jeans".  Sure, this is a holiday where gorging is celebrated, but with deep thought about all the traditional Thanksgiving foods, its s nutritional powerhouse! Think about it, turkey is low fat, high in protien, and provides you with almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, and is a good source of vitamins B, B₁,B₆, zinc and potassium. Cranberries? yep, those a nutritional all stars as well, infamous at warding off urinary infections, these balls of tartness contain potent plant chemicals, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, that have been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease.  Pumpkins are loaded with beta carotene and anti-oxidants, plus the seeds arehigh in protein, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper and essential fatty acids.  So have no fear, I've honed my recipe developing skills since attending culinary school and it came at a perfect time too because the class i am currently taking in school just finished our poultry week (so i am all bird savy now!).  I'll list a few nutritious junk apporved recipes and post some more on my culinary school blog http://thiswaifcooks.blogspot.com/ (when thanksgiving time rolls around, i'll post there picks of the dishes i created at my Thanksgiving)

enjoy!

Green Beans with Almonds!

1½ pounds snap green beans
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ lemon

Cut strings off both sides of the beans. Spray a medium cooking pan with nonstick cooking spray (i.e., Pam). Add the beans and cook on medium high until they begin to brown. Add the water, cover and cook approximately 10 minutes longer. Water should evaporate and beans should be moist to the touch. Add sliced almonds and cook until beans and almonds are slightly brown. Remove from heat and stir in garlic, salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice over all and serve.

Serves: 5

 per serving: (about 4 ounces) 80 calories, 1g fat, 4g protein, 13g carbs, 6g dietary fiber

Shmushed Sweet Potatoes!

2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks 
1 pinch sea salt  
¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock or water
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
White pepper, to taste

Place sweet potatoes and parsnips in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Add chicken stock or water, pumpkin oil, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and white pepper. Mash potatoes and parsnips with a potato masher until smooth. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid if the potato mixture is too stiff. Transfer mashed vegetables to a casserole dish that has been lightly coated with nonfat cooking spray. Cover and keep warm in a low oven. Serve hot.

Serves: 6 

per serving: (1 cup) 151 calories, 1g fat, 3g protein, 34g carbs, 5g dietary fiber,

Pumpkin/Carrot Soup

3 cups sliced carrots
3 (10.7-ounce) cans fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups canned pumpkin
¼ cup water 
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
Combine carrots and 1 cup broth in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Transfer carrots and liquid to container of an electric blender; cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a 3-quart saucepan; add remaining broth, pumpkin, evaporated milk, water, sugar, pumpkin spice, salt and ground white pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot; ladle into bowls.

Serves: 6

serving: (1 cup) 110 calories, 0.39g fat, 7.81g protein, 20carbs, 4g dietary fiber

For "the Bird" recipe and other recipes, visit the "this waif cooks" blog