Fueling for Success: Tips to Balance Your Thanksgiving Meal Plus Recipes to Enjoy with Your Friends

Overview

Tips for having a balanced Thanksgiving plate

1. Get plenty of vegetables - Many Thanksgiving sides include vegetables, which are an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving plate because they have many important vitamins and nutrients.

2. Prioritize protein - While making your thanksgiving plate make sure to prioritize putting protein like turkey on your plate. Protein is an important part of every persons diet and can help you to feel full and satisfied.

3. Choose a couple sides - At Thanksgiving there are lots of sides to choose from but when creating a balanced plate choose a couple sides that are your favorite so that you don’t over do it.

4. Pick one dessert to enjoy - While there maybe a multitude of desserts to choose from when making sure that your meal is balanced it can be helpful to choose one dessert to enjoy.

Recipes to enjoy with your friends

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, or softened coconut oil

• 1¼ cups packed brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• ¾ cup pumpkin puree

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

• Cream cheese frosting, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until well-combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg and mix to combine, followed by the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.

3. Sprinkle the pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt evenly over the pumpkin mixture. Mix to combine, then add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. The dough will be very soft, like a thick, scoopable batter.

4. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between dough balls.

5. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and the tops are set. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. When completely cool, frost with cream cheese frosting, if desired.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

• 12 oz. cranberries

• 1 cup orange or cranberry juice

• 1 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup!)

• 2 Tbsp. grated orange zest

1. Wash bag of cranberries under cool water, then dump them into a medium saucepan.

2. Add juice, maple syrup, and orange zest. Stir together and turn heat on high until it reaches a boil.

3. Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium low and continue cooking over lower heat for about 10 minutes, or until the juice is thick. Turn off the heat.

4. Transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

• 8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

• 2 lb. Brussels sprouts

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper, plus more to taste

• 1/2 cup dried, unsweetened cranberries

• 1/4 cup apple juice

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

1. In a large cast-iron skillet, cook the bacon oven medium-high until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

2. Add the Brussels sprouts to the skillet, stirring well to coat with the bacon grease. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, without stirring, until the sprouts start to brown and caramelize, about 6 minutes. Stir in the salt and cayenne, and continue to cook until the Brussels sprouts are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes more.

3. Stir in the cranberries, apple juice, and maple syrup. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring to coat the Brussels sprouts. Add the cooked bacon and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

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