Make Side Dishes the Stars of Your Thanksgiving Table

My family is staying home and I’m cooking Thanksgiving dinner myself this year (yikes!).  At first I thought I was going to have to throw my commitment to the MyPlate dietary guidelines out the window for the day (filling half our plates with fruit or vegetables).  But after thinking about it I realized that Thanksgiving will actually make it easier than ever for me to do this!

How so, you ask?  Yes, the turkey is important, but  think about all those side dishes everyone loves.  Plus, with a little tweaking I can make some of those healthier than the traditional versions.  I did a bit of searching on the Fruits & Veggies–More Matters recipe index and I’ve come up with some good substitution choices for a few sides.  I will roast a turkey breast, make the traditional bread stuffing and an apple pie for dessert.  Here are the other side dishes I’ve chosen to complete the meal:

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Glaze
Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup
Green Beans with Roasted Red Peppers

Sounds like a lot of food, right?  I’m skipping the dinner rolls and my thinking is that with so many veggie sides, everyone will take smaller portions of each with lots of leftovers.  Another thing I love is that the above dishes all meet the Fruits & Veggies–More Matters strict nutrition guidelines as a healthy recipe.

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, try adding a few more healthy side dishes to your menu.  If you’re headed to someone else’s home, why not offer to bring a dish and make it a fruit or vegetable side dish?  The way I look at it is the more of the good stuff I put on my plate the less chance I’ll feel like Tom Turkey when the meal is over!  Happy Thanksgiving!

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