Football, Food, and Mom
For Mother’s Day, four NCAA and NFL football players huddled up to talk about diabetes, healthy eating, and their moms.
Stumped on what to cook for Thanksgiving? We've got you covered! This all-in-one handbook has everything you need to prepare a diabetes-friendly Thanksgiving feast on a budget, including recipes, a grocery list, a game-plan, tips for building a healthier Thanksgiving plate, and ideas for leftovers. Our healthier Thanksgiving has one-third the calories, carbs, and fat of a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and at less than $10 a serving, it's easy on your budget, too.
Save time (and calories!) by roasting only the turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. The breast meat has less fat than the dark meat, which cuts down on saturated fat.
No need to cut out stuffing for your holiday meal. Enjoy this bread stuffing and still keep your carbohydrate count down. The vegetables, fresh herbs, and apple add flavor and help fill out the serving.
Mashed potatoes are a Thanksgiving staple. The potato is the star of this comfort food side dish, but a nonstarchy vegetable plays a surprising supporting role. The result is light, luscious, and diabetes-friendly.
Here’s a lighter take on a traditional creamy green bean casserole. This recipe has only 4 grams of carbohydrates per serving. The hazelnuts give a crunchy texture and the dried cranberries add a colorful touch.
Blue cheese, pomegranates, and hazelnuts add interesting flavor and crunch to this salad, making it deliciously easy to add more vegetables to your holiday plate. Adding a salad to your Thanksgiving menu makes it easier to fill half your plate with nonstarchy vegetables.
Traditional pumpkin pie is a calorie and carbohydrate bomb. Instead, finish your holiday meal with these bite-sized treats to satisfy your pumpkin spice craving while still keeping your carbohydrate and calorie count down.
This list contains not only all of the ingredients needed, but also the amounts you will need for the recipe. That way, if you already have some of the ingredients on hand, you’ll be able to tell if you have enough or need to buy more. This is especially helpful for spices and bottled sauces.
In addition, the shopping list is organized according to supermarket department. With large supermarkets, it can be annoying to realize that you forgot something in the dairy department when you’re in the produce section. This list should help, and may even cut down the amount of time you spend in the market.
The cost for this meal is $8.90 per person. The estimated prices of ingredients are based on national food store prices and will vary according to area. This number will give you an idea of what the meal will cost. Also, keep an eye out for sales!
Join Diabetes Food Hub for free to unlock our meal planner and grocery list tools!
Preparing a Thanksgiving feast may seem stressful, but there's plenty you can do before the big day to set yourself up for success. Making dishes ahead of time helps spread the work over more than just one day, and can free up precious stove and oven space. Here is a step-by-step game plan:
Weekend before Thanksgiving
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3 hours before serving
Remove Herbed Bread Stuffing and Better Mashed Potatoes from refrigerator to come to room temperature before warming. Note: If stuffing looks dry, add a little chicken broth.
Set out fillo shells on a foil lined baking sheet. Mix ingredients for Pumpkin Pie-lets in a bowl and set aside.
2 1/2-hours before serving
Prepare and roast Herb-Roasted Turkey.
Fill Pumpkin Pie-lets and place in oven, 10-15 minutes. Remove and set on counter to cool. Serve after the main course. If you have only one oven, place these on the shelf below the turkey.
2 hours before serving
While turkey is in the oven, make vinaigrette for Winter Salad and set aside.
Arrange Winter Salad greens on a serving platter or bowl. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, blue cheese, and pistachios, and set aside.
Make sauce for Green Beans (hazelnuts, cranberries, olive oil) and set aside.
30 minutes before serving
Place Herbed Bread Stuffing and Better Mashed Potatoes in 350 oven to warm through. The turkey should be ready by then. If not, and you have only one oven, place these on a shelf below the turkey.
Warm them for about 30 minutes. Hint: to tell if these dishes are warmed through, stick the point of a knife into the middle of the dish and remove the knife. The metal should be warm to the touch.
20 minutes before serving
Sprinkle the dressing on the Winter Salad.
Make Green Beans and top with the sauce
Carve the turkey and place on serving platter.
After main course
Top each Pumpkin Pie-let with a teaspoon of whipped topping and serve.
By choosing healthier recipes, loading up on nonstarchy vegetables, and keeping portion sizes in check, our Thanksgiving plate has about one-third of the calories, carbs, and fat of a traditional Thanksgiving meal!
Our Diabetes-Friendly Meal vs. Traditional Thanksgiving Meal**Traditional Thanksgiving meal consisting of turkey w/ gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, dinner roll, pumpkin pie
To build a healthier Thanksgiving plate, use the plate method:
Related: Tips for Surviving You First Holiday Season with Diabetes
Even with the smaller breast cut in our turkey recipe, there’s going to be plenty left over. Try these recipes to get more mileage out of your Thanksgiving centerpiece.
Try this light sandwich instead of the traditional leftover turkey sandwich.