Healtharoni: Thanksgiving Edition
I'm switching it up a little this week...
I decided to do Healtharoni on Tuesday instead of Thursday.. so you guys can have some holiday food ideas and whatnot before Thanksgiving! :)
Squash. I mentioned it in the last Healtharoni post, but I'm going to go into a little more detail here. Squash is perfect for Thanksgiving! Not only is it in season, but it is SO yummy and has a lot of health benefits!
Here are some types of squash;
I decided to do Healtharoni on Tuesday instead of Thursday.. so you guys can have some holiday food ideas and whatnot before Thanksgiving! :)
Squash. I mentioned it in the last Healtharoni post, but I'm going to go into a little more detail here. Squash is perfect for Thanksgiving! Not only is it in season, but it is SO yummy and has a lot of health benefits!
Here are some types of squash;
- Acorn Squash -
YAY!
So, with these types of squash, you can do lots of things with them. They can be steamed (all but the butternut has to be peeled before steaming) You can bake them, stuff them...
I have actually had all of these in different ways.
You can use Spaghetti Squash in place of noodles...because the insides are kind of stringy like spaghetti noodles!
You can stuff them with a meat ball type mixture and bake them.. They taste so good even if you just want to cook them plain!
Okay, so the health benefits of squash are huge. They have a high percentage of your daily value of Vitamin C and B!
They are high in beta carotene, omega 3, and are an anti-inflammatory! All of these things protect you from cancer, heart disease, diabetes type II, help promote a strong immune system and help fight off colds and flu! (Which is especially great for this time of year...getting together with family, traveling..etc.)
While you're cooking for yourself, your family, friends, or assisting...even if you aren't cooking this year I have some tips you can share, or use again!
- You can substitute apple sauce for oil or butter in baked goods. This cuts calories and saturated fat, but increases fiber.
- Use low fat or fat free plain yogurt OR regular plain Greek Yogurt as a base for dips instead of sour cream. This adds protein and reduces calories.
- Graham crackers for pie crusts!
- Use almonds to top casseroles instead of fried onions, candied pecans or marshmallows. (not going to lie though, I love almonds but wont give up candied pecans :P)
And now for some final other holiday tips:
- Drink lots of water before you eat. We all know this helps you feel more full so we don't eat as much.
- Personally, I'm going to do Yoga in the morning on Thanksgiving.
- After you eat, don't just lay around feeling sluggish. Go for a walk! Go play in a park! ( i know, that sounds so immature but parks are fun. Doesn't matter if you're 5 years old or 500. parks will always be fun, and provide you with low impact exercise)
- A family tradition of ours used to be to go see a movie after dinner on Thanksgiving. This is a good idea, and if you live close enough you could walk to the movie theater!
- Also...Black Friday shopping can be good cardio...depending on where and when you go! :P
I hope some of these tips can help you this holiday season, and I will definitely have more until January!
Enjoy your holidays everyone, spend time with the ones you love, and most importantly the ones who love you!
