Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes

We know the holidays can be a trigger for many people with casseroles, desserts and allll the stuffing! We want to make eating nutritious and satisfying at the same time because we know you want to enjoy your holiday favorites and not feel like you're missing out!

We have talked about protein many times as it is so important to many functions in the body as well as maintaining and building lean muscle mass, so there is no other way to start your day than with these protein donuts! 

Protein Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup stevia in the raw
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup CLEAN Vanilla protein
• 3/4 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup egg white
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup unsweetened non dairy milk, more if needed
  
  Cinnamon Sugar Topping
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp monk fruit
• 1 tbsp truvia brown sugar

Instructions ⠀

1. Preheat oven to 325.⠀
2. Spray donut pan with non stick cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk all wet ingredients.
5. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and whisk well. 
6. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Careful not to over cook.
7. While donuts are baking, make cinnamon sugar topping.
8. Let cool a few minutes and then carefully dip in cinnamon sugar topping and devour!

Sweet potatoes are a staple in our house, super nutrient dense and this healthy sweet potato casserole is a sure-fire crowd pleaser!

Sweet Potato Casserole 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes⠀
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, butter, or ghee, melted⠀
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce⠀
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon⠀
• 1 tsp sea salt or to taste⠀
• pinch of ground nutmeg⠀
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts⠀
• Cinnamon⠀

⠀Instructions⠀

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.⠀
2. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork in several places, wrap them in aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until soft (about 1-1.5 hours).⠀
3. Remove from oven, cut in half and let cool.⠀
4. Remove skins and set sweet potatoes aside.⠀
5. Reduce oven to 375 degrees F.⠀
6. Add applesauce and sweet potatoes to your blender or food processor and blend until smooth. ⠀
7. Add melted coconut oil (butter/ghee), cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg and blend until combined.⠀
8. Transfer to a 9” baking dish and sprinkle the top with pecans (walnuts) and cinnamon.⠀
9. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until potatoes begin to slightly bubble and toping is lightly browned.⠀
10. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.⠀

*You can make this dish ahead of time in one of two ways: ⠀

1. Bake the dish completely, let cool and store, loosely covered in plastic wrap, in the fridge. Then reheat at 300 degrees until warmed through.⠀
2. Make the sweet potato mixture and do not add toppings. Place it in your baking dish tightly covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Then add topping and bake according to the instructions.

Stuffing! This is one of our absolute favorite recipes, and something we love as leftovers with an egg or two on top for breakfast!  

Grain Free High Protein Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1lb ground turkey sausage (I buy the Jeannie-O tube of turkey sausage or the spicy hot Italian links)
• 5 pieces of center cut bacon, diced
• 5 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 yellow sweet potato
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 container of mushrooms, diced
• 1 apple, diced
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup chicken broth

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss diced sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and salt, and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, then set aside.
2. While they cook, place a large skillet under medium-high heat and add chopped bacon to it. When some of fat has seeped out and bacon has begun to cook, add chopped apples, celery, and onions.
3. When onions begin to become translucent, add ground turkey and mushrooms and white wine vinegar. Let cook until turkey is almost cooked through. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Once the sausage is all done, add mixture to a bowl. Add beaten eggs to your sausage mixture, and then add your chicken broth, sweet potatoes, pecans, and dried cranberries. Mix well.
5. Place mixture either in a 9x13 baking dish OR on chlorine free parchment paper lined baking sheet.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until everything is a bit browned.

One of my favorite casseroles growing up is the green bean casserole! We know many of our followers are gluten free and/or dairy free so we have a healthier alternative so you can enjoy the casserole too! We are sure no one will notice if you don't tell them :)

Dairy Free/Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole with gluten free option for Fried Onions

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 3 tbsp gluten free flour
• 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups fried onions

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch green beans for about 4 minutes, or until bright green and slightly tender. Drain.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet *affiliate link over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Whisk in flour until a roux has formed. Slowly add broth, whisking into the roux until smooth. Add almond milk and continue to whisk. Add onion powder, salt and pepper.  Bring sauce to a simmer and allow it to thicken, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Stir in green beans and 1/2 cup onions until evenly coated in sauce. Top casserole with remaining onions and bake for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions have browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Gluten Free French Fried Onions

Ingredients

• 2 cups onion (~2 medium onions)
• 2/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/3 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/3 tsp olive oil (more for oven baking)

Air Fryer Instructions

1. Slice the onion in half and then made "ribbons" about 1/8 inch thick. Separate all the onions and add them to a bowl.
2. Pour milk over the onions and use a spoon to smoosh down the onions so they're mostly covered by the milk. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients in a lidded container. Set aside.
4. Drain the onions, shaking the excess milk off. Place onions in the flour mixture. Put the lid on and shake until the onions are coated.
5. Preheat the air fryer at 400 for 5 minutes.
6. Using clean hands, remove the onion from the flour mixture and set aside (I use the lid of the container). In another bowl (or wiped out flour container), add the olive oil. Add the onions to the olive oil and stir or shake to coat.
7. Lightly spray the inside of the air fryer with olive oil (I used my Misto) and add the onions. Cook for 8 minutes, and then shake the basket to distribute the onions. 
8. Cook for another 5 minutes. Pro tip: spritz with olive oil on top to keep the onions extra crispy! Continue to cook in 3-minute increments until it has reached your desired level of crispiness (took 20 minutes total for me).

Oven-Baked Crispy Fried Onion Instructions

Follow steps 1-4 above.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
For oven-baking, you'll need to use 1/4 cup olive oil.
Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for 10 minutes. Stir, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

It's not Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie right?

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients:⠀

For the pumpkin pie filling:⠀

• 1 cup pumpkin puree⠀
• 1 large egg⠀
• 1 egg yolk⠀
• ¼ cup maple syrup or Walden Farms sugar free maple syrup⠀
• 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk⠀
• 1 tsp vanilla extract⠀
• 1 tsp cinnamon⠀
• ¼ tsp nutmeg⠀
• ¼ tsp ground ginger⠀
• ¼ tsp allspice⠀

Crusts: Options include store-bought mini-crusts (Keebler makes some!), graham cracker crust or King Arthur has a great gluten free pie crust mix you can utilize for gluten free.⠀

Topping: Whipped cream or SoDelicous coconut whipped cream, cinnamon and pecan pieces.

Instructions: ⠀

1. First, make your pumpkin pie filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, egg yolk, pure maple syrup, unsweetened almond milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice until smooth and well combined. Set aside.⠀
2. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick spray and place your ready-made crusts in them (or mix and bake your homemade crusts in the tin!) ⠀
3. Add the pumpkin pie filling to your crust of choice. Each cup will get about 2 tablespoons of filling, or a little less. To smooth the filling, barely shaking the pan back and forth to settle the filling.⠀
4. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until filling no longer jiggles. Allow mini pumpkin pies to cool completely in the muffin tin before removing them from the pan. To remove them, gently run a butter knife around the edges of the crust. Serve immediately or cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve.⠀
5. Once ready to serve, top each pumpkin pie with a little whipped cream or coconut whipped cream, then sprinkle with just a tiny bit of cinnamon. Enjoy!

We hope you enjoy these delicious recipes as healthier alternatives to make this Thanksgiving!