What's for dinner? Try one of these recipes!

Get Chef Meg's Latest Cookbook: A 500-Calorie Thanksgiving

By: dailySpark Guest Blogger : 11/17/2009 12:13:33 PM : 36 comments : 11,728 Views

by Chef Meg, World Master Chef and SparkRecipes Healthy Cooking Expert

Thanksgiving is a time for family, gratitude, and, of course, food. The typical holiday meal can have more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat, according to the Caloric Control Council. That's almost three days worth of food for most of us! Butter, cream and white bread seem to be lurking in almost every dish, and the meal never seems to end.

For those of us who are trying lead healthier lifestyles, moderation and healthy eating are just as important on Thanksgiving. Fortunately, it is possible to eat right and still enjoy yourself on Turkey Day!

To help, I created brand new SparkRecipes for a three-course Thanksgiving meal that clock in around 500 calories! (Dessert, not included in that number, will add 150 calories or fewer, if you have room for it.)

This SparkPeople meal has 510 fewer calories and 39 fewer grams of fat than a traditional feast! These recipes include a veggie-rich soup to start your meal off right, the juiciest turkey you'll ever taste, several sides, two desserts, plus a cranberry relish that will leave the store-bought jelly quivering in its can.

You can find all the recipes on SparkRecipes!

Click here to download and print a colorful recipe book that includes all of these recipes! (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download this pdf document.)

For an online version of the cookbook or to add the recipes to your Nutrition Tracker, click here.

Which recipes will you be trying? Do you have any to share? What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?

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Comments (Scroll to end to leave a comment)

DIANE1253 12/5/2009 8:20:45 AM	my favorite is the whole meal. My dish that I am known for is potato casserole	36
PAMELASUZANNE 11/29/2009 12:07:09 PM	I made everything but the deserts and it was so good!	35
NAVYGIRLTAM 11/20/2009 12:43:54 AM	These recipes look absolutely delish. I will definitely make some later. Unfortunately, I am having oral surgery the day before Thanksgiving so it doesn't really matter what I make since I won't be eating much. My son, on the other hand, is looking forward to going to my friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner! He'll get to eat it while I am "drinking" it. Ugh.	34
WISEWIFE 11/19/2009 10:02:10 AM	I'll be having turkey & gravy, stuffing made with pork rinds, mashed turnips & flax meal muffins. With butter. Insteady of being worried about calories & fat ( which is good for us) I worry about carbs. Have lost weight, gained health, controlled my type 2 diabetes & my cholesterol ( after 2 years of low carbing) is 198, 105 of which is HDL.	33
TRICOTINE 11/19/2009 9:48:00 AM	I want to try the Sweet Potato Tarts, the Cranberry Relish and the Roasted Root Vegetables recipes, and maybe the Vegetable and Fruit Stuffing minus the bacon. Thank you! ☺	32
LLBRCFAN 11/18/2009 11:57:13 PM	I loved that sparks Mousse. Sure gonna make this	31
DIANE1253 11/18/2009 5:56:55 PM	that picture looks good enough to eat...lol	30
GRANDMO1 11/18/2009 5:43:58 PM	I love the cranberry sauce with turkey	29
EGRAMMY 11/18/2009 4:57:18 PM	Amazing. Chef Meg is amazing. My favorites are the gravy, turkey, oh all of them. Thank you SP and esp. Chef Meg.	28
DOWN2SEXY 11/18/2009 2:23:37 PM	DD has generously offered to host Thanksgiving dinner and asked me to bake the pumpkin pies. I think that I'll make the traditional pies for the not-so-diet-conscious guests, but I think I'm also going to make some of those Mini Apple Tarts for me. I printed the cookbook, though. I may have just planned my menu for Christmas Day dinner. Thanks, Chef Meg!	27
ALICOTTER 11/18/2009 1:01:32 PM	I have to ask, do you ever create a recipe for less than 8-12 serving? Not everyone feeds a small army	26
KNELSO2 11/18/2009 12:42:32 PM	These recipes look great! Thank you!	25
SUNSTARS4 11/18/2009 12:11:19 PM	I am in charge of making the cranberry relish for Thanksgiving so I am very excited for this recipe. The other one I found didn't sound as yummy or healthy.	24
CBRENNAN2 11/18/2009 11:33:51 AM	I will be sure to make the pumpkin pie spice, and the apple tarts look great, & the sweet potatoes. Thank you	23
TLAUER1 11/18/2009 10:47:57 AM	Im definitely going to try the veggies and the cranberry relish	22
SHUTRBUG1 11/18/2009 8:53:15 AM	I had already decided that I would make healthier versions of our family favorites, and the recipes for the apple cider gravy and cranberry relish are just what I have been looking for! Thanks!	21
2BSALLYB 11/18/2009 8:21:32 AM	Thank you!	20
DHSPARK 11/18/2009 7:40:26 AM	A family favorite at our house is "Cranberry Sauce Salad". It's what I'm always asked to make. Visit my SparkPage for the recipe in one of my blogs. Not sure of the caloric breakdown as I haven't entered it into the Nutrition Tracker yet. Thanks for the healthy Thanksgiving recipes! I'm thankful for YOU, Chef Meg!	19
SHEILA1505 11/18/2009 3:42:51 AM	I have saved this - I have sent it on to friends and I hope the side of the family that is doing Christmas this year will have seen it too. I dare not send it to them!! Maybe they'll let me break tradition and contribute a healthy alternative dish this year - naah, doubt it. Just have to eat with caution.	18
4A-HEALTHY-BMI 11/18/2009 12:53:05 AM	Oh wow, this is perfect. I even emailed the pdf link to the friend who is hosting T-giving this year and asked if she wanted me to make any of those things...	17
GOALWEIGHT180 11/17/2009 11:37:39 PM	This dinner sounds yummy. I am going to try all of it	16
GIANNA345 11/17/2009 11:04:59 PM	Thank you for the cookbook. I'm really determined to keep eating healthfully this holiday season. I love pumpkin pie, preferably with vanilla ice cream, but I'll save that for another year.	15
DMWACHHOLZ 11/17/2009 9:39:29 PM	To REEDSKI, do you recall how many weight watcher points is in a serving of the pumpkin mousse? It sounds yummy.	14
FOX2566 11/17/2009 7:51:03 PM	I am planning to fill the shells with the egg free pumpkin mousse!!!Travelling, and kitchen other than my own! thanks for the solution!	13
JUHOEG 11/17/2009 6:49:17 PM	I can't wait to try the cranberry relish and the apple tarts.	12
30LBSOVER50 11/17/2009 6:09:26 PM	I tried to download the cookbook to print, says the file is damaged.	11
REEDSKI 11/17/2009 5:17:26 PM	I love pumpkin mousse which a WW "teacher" gave us one time. It is so good. It's very low cal and EASY to make. Here is a version from SparkRecipes: 1 can Pumpkin (15oz.) 2 sm. pk instant sugar free fat free vanilla pudding 2 cups skim milk 1 8 oz. tub Cool whip lite 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice Directions Mix pudding with skim milk; when set add other ingredients; Chill Number of Servings: 8	10
HAPPYWRITER7 11/17/2009 4:50:27 PM	I will definitely try one of the deserts.	9
LADYHUNTER82 11/17/2009 4:09:56 PM	yummy! thank you for the recipes we will be trying these this holiday season...	8
NANCY-GIRL 11/17/2009 2:16:25 PM	We already had T'giving here in Canadaland, but Christmas is coming!! Thanks, Chef Meg! :-)	7
RAINMUSIC 11/17/2009 2:01:08 PM	I've used apple cider in gravy before; it's really good with pork. Try thickening it with ginger snaps sometime.	6
LIVINGONMYTERMS 11/17/2009 1:57:50 PM	I will have to try some these! Just last night my SO and I were just thinking ot doing a fruit and veggie tray and smoking a turkey.	5
COVEGIRL1 11/17/2009 1:34:33 PM	The veggie combo and the desserts	4
ANGIERUNNER 11/17/2009 1:14:56 PM	I'm going to try the deserts!	3
GRAMMA123 11/17/2009 1:10:04 PM	The winter veggie combo--looks delish!	2
LOSETONEED 11/17/2009 12:41:04 PM	I will definitely make the Cranberry Relish.	1