Health Clicks: Whose Side Are You On?

The turkey gets all the attention at Thanksgiving, but for me, the true excitement and all the action at Thanksgiving belongs with the sides!  But, many of them can be very rich and loaded down with too much fat and cooked too long losing all the nutrients.  But, we have lots of help with undoing all that.

Food bloggers.  Gotta love 'em. They work so hard to bring us such beautiful bounty. Their original photographs, their tried and true recipes that they make and make again to get it just right to present to us.

So, food bloggers, thanks, thanks a lot . . . for inspiring me and so many others. Thanks for all your help to feed our families, to entertain our friends and make us look better doing it, and most importantly to nourish our bodies.

Pick a Side

Chose one of these seven delicious, healthy sides that some really talented bloggers created for a special day of thanks we celebrate here in America in a few short weeks:

1.  I love some crunch on the Thanksgiving table to offset all those creamy, luscious sides. I think the colors of this squash and fig salad from Allison presented on wooden plates would be so picture perfect harvest!

2.  Or . . . I think this salad would really wake up the taste buds with a kind of licorice, citrus snap to it. I think Helen got it just right here.

3.  You may fool everyone at your table because this looks like mashed potatoes but it's not. But, Jenn says it's just as comforting and silky and so good for our bodies!


4.  If you have any gluten-free abiding guests attending your Thanksgiving harvest, they will certainly be happy with this. Beth created this butternut squash dish that is spiced just right with a lovely little topping.

5.  Getting all the dishes on the table at the same time for big holiday meals with lots of people can be a brow-wiper. Just make sure you have a few make ahead dishes as well as at least one so simple you can do it with your eyes closed! Here is a simple one that Kalyn created that you can prepare mostly ahead and it's a classic side with a nice flavor twist.

6.  Com'on! You must serve at least one cruciferous vegetable at your table for all those cancer preventing glucosinolates. And, this one will not create any groans or get skipped over at your buffet. Jeanette added grapes to keep it a tad sweet and colorful, too.  And, this is really easy!!

7.  A generous bow is in order to the Native American Indians who taught European colonists to grow corn and therefore inspire this dish.  Everyone at your gathering will love this homey and pretty corn side and Phoebe made it dairy-free and gluten-free, too.



**Bonus:  And if it is extra cold where you are (and I hear a lot of the country may be in for a chilly holiday), here is a delicious and seasonal way to warm up - dairy-free, egg-free but oh so special!  I may just skip the pie and just have this!

Need a bit more?

• Here is another classic side lightened up to make your guests ask for more. 

• If you are reaching for cinnamon a lot lately for those holiday dishes, please make sure you are using the right type of cinnamon to reap all those heart healthy, circulation, germ-fighting benefits.

Make sure you don't miss a healthy thing!

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