Guide to a Healthy, Lower-Fat Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. It is a holiday of family, of pounds, of friends, of pounds, of fantastic food, of pounds, of football, of pounds, well, you get the picture. Thanksgiving is the holiday in which most of us worry about gaining weight. According to ACE Fitness (www.acefitness.org), a typical Thanksgiving meal has 3,000 calories and an average of 229 grams of fat. As if those numbers alone aren't sickening enough, they don't take into account the amount of leftovers that most of us ingest in the days following the meal. My family and I have made changes to some of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, using similar ingredients in a non-traditional way, in an effort to keep the pounds off on the holiday. What follows are several healthy options that keep Thanksgiving on your table, but not on your waistline.

For an appetizer:

Forget the mini pizzas, cocktail franks, phyllo squares filled with cheese, and all the other fat-filled appetizers. Here's a healthy, low-fat alternative:

Mozzarella/Tomato Stackers

Serves: Up to you

Prep Time: 2-3 minutes

Ingredients:

Part-skim mozzarella cheese

Fresh tomatoes, medium size

Fresh basil

Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

Layer on plate, starting with the cheese. Add slice of fresh tomato. Repeat once. Garnish with basil on top and serve with a splash of balsamic vinegar. These make a beautiful platter for appetizers or served individually on the center of a plate.

For side dishes:

Instead of sweet potato casserole made with butter, milk/cream, and topped with mini-marshmallows, try:

Baked Yam Pieces

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

6 medium to large yams, peeled and rinsed (make sure you've cut the ends off)

4 tsp. of ground white pepper

3 ¼ tsp. of salt

4 Tbsp. Olive oil

Optional: My family adds a touch of onion powder for an extra kick!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While you're waiting for the oven to warm up, spread the olive oil evenly in the bottom of two 9x13 baking dishes.