Are you headed to Thanksgiving dinner and in charge of bringing a side dish or dessert? Are you tasked with creating a whole Thanksgiving meal – turkey and the trimmings? With a little pre-planning and setting an intention for a clean eating holiday, you can pull it off without adding tons of calories and fat too.  

I say make a healthy shopping list, get to the store before the crowds (I’ve waited until the day before far too many times in the past – those days are over!) and ease into your healthy cooking feeling relaxed, no last minute scrambling necessary.  

Here are a few simple tips to get your clean eating juices flowing: 

1. Skip the marshmallows in your sweet potatoes!  So many sweet potato dishes are needlessly loaded with sugar but the truth is that sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, and roasting them brings that out.  Instead of dousing your sweet potatoes in marshmallows, use more natural sweeteners like pure maple syrup, if you need any at  all.

2. Forego the butter and try olive oil instead.  Saute or roast your favorite vegetables in heart healthy olive oil instead of butter.

3. Reach for the pumpkin puree.  Making a pumpkin pie for dessert? Instead of buying pumpkin pie filling loaded with sugar, go for pure pumpkin to which you can add your favorite spices and a natural sweetener.  Your waistline will thank you!

4. Go for the green veggies! Focus more on healthy vegetable side dishes like green beans, Brussels sprouts or collard greens and less on calorie and carb-rich dishes like stuffing made with white bread.

 5. Use whole grain bread.  Whether serving stuffing or dinner rolls, increase the health factor by using whole wheat bread instead of white.  I bet your guests won’t even be able to tell the difference. 

What will you do to help create a clean eating Thanksgiving meal for your family? What’s your favorite holiday dish that you’ve made healthier over the years? Do tell!   

What did I love most? Simply put, the simplicity of the food and its preparation. Clean eating is all about taking fresh, whole foods, adding minimal ingredients, and creating something healthy and delicious.  And my gosh, that food was awesome.

I loved that I had a plan that was easy to follow.  Meal planning and creating a vision makes all the difference in the finished product.  By getting clear early on about what I was making, there were no last minute emergencies.

I loved that nothing was elaborate. I made fresh, healthy and delicious cranberry sauce in 15 minutes. I loved that my healthy dessert, spiced pumpkin mousse, took all of about 15 minutes to make as well (and man is it tasty, yum!). 

It felt easy, it felt doable and there wasn’t even a hint of feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks.  In fact, I was in a clean eating cooking groove, thoroughly enjoying the process of being in the kitchen and feeling inspired by listening to my favorite music (Pat Metheny).

I will say that part of the reason that it felt doable is that I happily followed the advice of Clean Eating Magazine in planning the meal out in advance.  I read through the suggestions of making things 1, 2 or even 3 days in advance.  Frankly, the days in advance thing didn’t happen, despite my best intentions, given some other priorities, but I did shop early (for me that was Sunday, a vast improvement over the day before Thanksgiving).  I started cooking on Wednesday afternoon, but after a solid 3 hours under my belt, I declared myself in excellent shape — cranberry sauce and pumpkin mousse made, sweet potatoes prepared and ready for roasting the next day and the green beans prepared through the first step — blanching.  We roasted our locally grown turkey in our rotisserie which made that part of the meal super easy.

I seriously don’t remember preparing a Thanksgiving dinner that seemed so fun and full of joy.  Part of it was definitely the anticipation of having friends and family join us and partake in the bounty of healthy food.  The fact that Bruce and I were debuting our new dining room table that has a much larger capacity added to the fun too — I loved creating a beautiful and seasonal centerpiece that created a lovely ambiance (see above).

You know what else? I was so organized that I even had a timetable of what needed to get done on Thursday which made for a relaxing day. No rushing around, just happily getting busy in the kitchen with some simple tasks.  We even had time for a visit with our friend Marjorie (pictured here), in the hospital before everyone started to arrive.

Clean, healthy Thanksgiving meal + family and close friends + tranquil and relaxed atmosphere =a day of joy and numerous reasons to be thankful.

What about you? How was your Thanksgiving? What clean eating dishes did you prepare? What was the highlight for you?

One of my favorite things to make is turkey chili. I love it because it’s so easy yet flavorful. I’ve been making the recipe here for several years and I still love it.  I think the red wine gives it a fantastic flavor.  Since my husband Bruce isn’t big on spicy foods, I tend to use a less spice than I would if just making it for myself. Either way, it’s delicious and all about clean eating with fresh ingredients and no processed foods.  Think low fat, high fiber and flavorful!

Southwestern Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped green pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I loved Eden Organic brand, no-salt added variety)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes)
1 cup red wine
3 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Saute pepper, onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.

2. Add beans, tomatoes, wine, turkey, chili powder, cilantro, crushed red pepper and salt.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

This recipe is so quick and as you can see, you can whip it up in no time! A simple way to practice clean eating, use up some of your leftovers and create a new dish with interesting flavors that family and friends can enjoy over the weekend.

What’s your favorite way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers? What exciting dishes do you have up your sleeve that you’re just itching to make?

I already have planned out a super simple turkey soup and I’m also making a delicious, super easy turkey chili that only requires a few ingredients. When I went to the store on Sunday, I picked up the things I’ll need to make my post-holiday dishes that are all focused on clean eating.

In fact, there are several compelling reasons to plan ahead for post-Thanksgiving treats.  Here are just a few:

1. When I have the ingredients already on hand, it makes meal preparation so much easier
2. It ensures I actually use the leftovers for other dishes and don’t waste any food
3. It gives turkey a fresh spin. There are only so many days I can eat leftover turkey in its original form.  Creating something new makes it so much more interesting
4. Planning ahead relieves the pressure of having to go out on Black Friday.  I’m usually content to stay home and avoid the crowds and when I have what I need, the pressure isn’t on to be out and about.
5. I have clean and healthy food for the next several days.  The great thing about cooking for Thanksgiving is that you have a bounty of food from which to make healthy leftovers that usually involve minimal steps. In about 30 minutes I can whip up a simple dish.
6. You save lots of money! Who needs to be eating out after you’ve just cooked up a storm? Plan a few meals with leftovers BEFORE Thanksgiving and your bank account will be thanking you for the money saved
7. It’s a great reason to invite friends and family over. Have a games night or watch some sports and have your friends help eat up the leftovers (so they don’t all end up on your waistline).

Most importantly, however, creating a day after Thanksgiving plan ensures that you will continue on the clean eating path. Ever have one of these holidays where you start overeating and indulging in almost everything in sight and next thing you know your pants are a bit tight and you can’t seem to help yourself? I sure have been there in years past but not anymore. But with an intention of creating a clean eating Thanksgiving meal, the leftovers are simply an extention of that initial effort.

To me, the beauty of the holidays is in spending time with family and friends. While food is a part of that equation, I never like it to supercede the powerful connections and fun with the people who are important in my life.  I love the idea of making some clean eating, post-holiday dishes that I can share with others.

What’s in your post-Thanksgiving meal plan? What can you plan ahead for now? Who will you invite over to help share in the bounty? What will you do to practice clean eating once the holiday is over? Do tell!

So I decided to give the online shopping list a try. As you know, I’m a big fan of shopping early for Thanksgiving dinner to beat the crowds. And today, I put that plan into action, knocking out my shopping without all the crowds, going both to the health food store as well as the big box grocery store.

In addition to the turkey, we’re making several dishes that don’t require a huge amount of effort. Several of them are things you can do in advance and part of my plan is to work on creating things tomorrow,  Tuesday and Wednesday.  I got my inspiration this year from the November/December Clean Eating magazine that had a scrumptious looking menu.  To keep it simple, other than the stuffing which my mom is making, I’m creating the entire menu — sweet potatoes, green beans, turkey and spiced pumpkin mousse. As you can imagine, all the recipes have a clean eating spin so they’re low in fat, use the highest quality ingredients and only use natural sweeteners like pure maple syrup.

Building the shopping list was easy.  Although the Thanksgiving recipes from Clean Eating aren’t available online to put into Springpad, I simply built my list from the recipes in the magazine and added them to my online shopping list. Easy! And you know what else, I don’t have to worry about not being able to read my writing, which sometimes happens.

Since I often like to write notes on my list, I printed it out and brought it with me instead of looking it up on my Blackberry (when I tried to access the site, it didn’t work anyway).  But simply having it with me to use was fabulous. And because it was comprehensive and included a fair amount of forethought, I didn’t have lots of items I added on at the last minute.  I generally buy exactly what I’ve put on the list and only that, and this was no different.

All in all, I have to say it was a helpful tool in making my Thanksgiving shopping a smooth process. That combined with shopping early, makes this Thanksgiving seem so much less stressful than in past years.

What do you do to minimize your time in the grocery store in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. What tools help make shopping easier?

The great news is that the pre-planning I mentioned can make all the difference once the holiday is over, your clothes still feel comfortable and you haven’t gained weight!  And there’s a way to prepare your Thanksgiving meal that is simply delicious — a clean eating version of Thanksgiving where you don’t feel like you have to give up flavor and enjoyment.

One of the key components to making this all happen is to shop early and have a comprehensive list. There’s nothing worse than starting your Thanksgiving shopping the day before, not having a clear idea of what you need,  and having to make repeated trips to pick up things you forgot.  I definitely have done that in the past, that is, before I got hip to the power of holiday meal planning and keeping a budget in mind. Large crowds make just-in-time shopping inefficient, not to mention that there’s less selection and it can cost more if you’re not exactly sure what you need.

I’ve made a short video with some tips on how to make the most of your Thanksgiving shopping trip and get into action now. With a week to go until Thanksgiving, there’s still plenty of time to make your list, check it twice and get what you need without the hassles of the crowds.

What will you do to get into action right away and get set with your plan?  When will you do your shopping and how will doing it in advance help save you time and money?

Ever notice that it’s so easy to overeat during this time of year when there’s a  bounty of food in front of us? I sure have been guilty of that in the past, but with a little pacing and some clean eating cooking tips and ideas, any of us can turn out a delicious meal that doesn’t have to pack on the pounds.

During the radio show, yours truly, the Clean Eating Coach, will be sharing tips on healthier versions of traditional Thanksgiving meals, the importance of clean eating, the best cooking techniques to reduce risk of weight gain, and suggestions on creating healthy leftovers after Thanksgiving dinner.

It’s going to be great fun and you can even call in live and ask questions! Join us and get your Thanksgiving, healthy meal plan in gear, before it’s too late.

You can check out more details here about Feel and Look Fabulous with Irina including the call in number for the show:  http://budurl.com/kdac

In fact, there’s a way to plan a beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving meal that’s all about high quality ingredients and manageable portion sizes that won’t have you struggling to button your pants!

With an idea to keeping our Thanksgiving dinner all about clean eating, I’ve already mapped things out.  For inspiration, I’ve turned to the November/December issue of Clean Eating Magazine, my mini-bible. They have the most sumptuous menu planned but with healthier versions of some of your favorite meals:

• coconut cardamom sweet potatoes instead of sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows
• Spiced pumpkin mousse instead of calorie and sugar-rich pumpkin pie
• garlicky Green beans with roasted chestnuts instead of green beans cooked with ham
• Mushroom and leek stuffing with whole grain bread instead of white

This is just a sampling of a few clean dishes that you can create. I encourage you to pick up the most recent issue to get the full scoop.  They even include ideas to help you plan in advance and figure out what dishes can be prepped before Thanksgiving arrives.

And there are lots of other great resources to create a healthy Thanksgiving meal using clean foods. I’m also a big fan of realsimple.com and they’ve got loads of ideas for a healthy Thanksgiving meal. To me, the focus should be on planning ahead.  It’s hard to keep things healthy if you’re only starting to make your list the day before.  If you get in gear now, you’ll avoid big crowds at the store, can determine what things you can prep in advance and you’ll save money too — no last minute purchases!

What’s your plan to create a clean eating, healthy Thanksgiving meal? How are you pre-planning to avoid last minute stress? What will you do to avoid holiday weight gain?

Speaking of avoiding holiday weight gain, be sure to join me on Tuesday, November 17 at 8 pm ET for my free call, Clean Eating During the Holidays: Outwit Holiday Overeating. Click here to sign up! http://bit.ly/109omL

Can you say post-holiday weight gain?

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way! We can all thoroughly enjoy ourselves during the holidays AND manage to emerge in January feeling our best.

The key: clean eating and meal planning that focuses on healthy and fresh foods. In fact, there are super simple ways to prepare yummy holiday dishes and treats that don’t have to be full of calories and fat!

Join me on Tuesday, November 17 from 8-9 pm ET for a fre*e call on how to outwit holiday overeating by beginning with the end in mind. I’ll be sharing all my secrets to help you embrace clean eating during the holidays.

Take it from me, The Clean Eating Coach, you won’t want to miss this fun, engaging and informative call!

You can get more details and register here: http://bit.ly/109omL

Over the last few years, I’ve gotten into the habit of writing down at least five things I’m grateful for at the end of each day. It gets me in touch with all the things in my life that I appreciate from my clients and co-workers to my family and having a job I love. From having a safe place to live to being able to walk to my local pharmacy or market when I need to pick something up. Sometimes it’s big things I appreciate, other times they’re very mundane – seeing the sun come out after a rainy morning, a stranger lending me quarter right before the meter maid gives me a ticket or uncovering a favorite pair of boots that were buried in the depths of my closet.  All those little things, big and small, add up to an “attitude of gratitude.”

So with Thanksgiving upon us, it’s an opportunity to think about how much I have to be grateful for and remember that many people, right in my own community, are suffering. Be it hunger, homelessness, domestic violence or another issue, far too many people don’t have enough resources to meet their basic needs. So I’m not only reflecting on what I have, but taking a moment to make a contribution to my favorite local charitable organizations and lend my time and energy to the issues that mean the most to me.

Take a listen to this week’s audio tip on how you can create your own attitude of gratitude both on Thanksgiving and everyday – and appreciate all that you have. And you can get the scoop on why an attitude of gratitude helps keep us healthy.

What are you most grateful for this Thanksgiving and what do you do to reflect on it?