In Search Of...... A Healthy Thanksgiving Menu

Growing up in a large family, Thanksgiving was a big holiday. It was one of the times that everyone would converge in someone's home and gorge themselves into turkey oblivion in the name of family togetherness. We would normally just head to my sister's for a day of over-eating, football and napping. And what a spread it was -- I can remember eating as many stuffed celery pieces as I could handle, and there would be leftovers for days on end.

This year, with things being a little wacky, we are doing an "orphan Thanksgiving" which basically just means that those of us who can't find their way to their families mega feasts and family drama (normally due to fur-kid or work obligations, or in my case - both) will get together and make a meal for ourselves.  Maybe misfit Thanksgiving would be a better description. Less people/ more leftovers.

In any event, since I have pretty much commandeered our corporate townhouse and filled it with things like big screen t.v's and a Wii, I figured this year I would take a stab at making dinner as well. This means I can also enjoy the tv, football and Wii. I mean, come on, how hard can it be? A little turkey in the oven, a few appetizers, lots of alcohol so no one notices if it doesn't come out quite the way I planned - win-win-win. Tryptofan is bound to kick in after a while anyway.

So now I have to figure out some sort of healthy menu. Turkey - check - that's a no brainer for healthy as long as you stick to the white breast meat and not eat the entire breast. Or try to deep fry it - which I am not about to do -- the Beaverton fire department will thank me later. The next healthy thing on my list will be the sweet potato - they're like the anti-potato and filled with all sorts of good for you nutrients. Who needs candy with the sweet potato lingers around? I'm thinking a sweet potato/ apple casserole type of dish. Looks rather yummy, doesn't it? Let's home mine turns out as well.

Then there's the stuffing. When I think of stuffing I immediately have flashbacks of last year, when my soon-to-be ex insisted that I help with the stuffing (an old family recipe handed down from generation to generation -- all two of them). Then as I was attempting to keep grandma's stuffing on par, the soon to be ex (we'll just refer to him as the 'idiot' if mentioned again) kept reprimanding me for doing it wrong, but would not offer any help in the "right way" to do it, nor did he want to do it himself. My hackles are raised just thinking about it. So, in light of the not-so-fond memory, I need to give stuffing a better name and am thinking of an mushroom herb stuffing that hopefully no one grandma's has tried to perfect just yet.

And who can neglect the cranberry? Dubbed a 'superfood' this is going to take a spot on the table as well. And not the canned kind that keep the shape of the can when you slide the cranberry tube out of it's metal container. No way. We're talking real cranberry sauce, ala Martha. Martha's cranberry recipe and super antioxidant - a triumphant combination for sure.

And of course, there will be stuffed celery. Lots of it.


But the one thing I can't figure out how to make healthy, no matter how hard I try. That thing is called dessert. I am not a fan of the traditional pumpkin pie - but that doesn't mean I should deny the orphans (or misfits, whatever you want to call them) the pleasure of having a nice slice with loads of whipped cream. The jury is still out on the rest of it. By the time dessert rolls around (giving the amounts of wine that are sure to be consumed) perhaps no one will care about the nutritional benefits of what's being plopped in front of them in the name of dessert.

Which brings me to last, but not least -- the bevvies. I'm thinking we start off the day with the perfect bloody mary and then work our way into wine - and lots of it. This, plus football, plus food coma will make for a very nice Thanksgiving -- well, in my book anyway. And if it all doesn't come out right, I am not below crashing someone else's feast. So beware.