For the last 30 years, our Thanksgivings have been as natural (chemical free) as possible. Most Thanksgiving dinners are loaded with ingredients the Pilgrims never heard of: High Fructose Corn Syrup, MSG, artificial colors and flavors, polysorbate 60, sodium caseinate, and transfat. These ingredients are so commonplace today, that for many Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving with them.

I was motivated all those years ago to eliminate chemicals from our Thanksgiving feast, because our four-year-old daughter, Jenny, reacted to the additives and sugars in processed foods. Today, there are over 3,000 additives in our food supply, we have Genetically Modified Foods (GMO), and sugar is paramount. In fact, we now have a new sugar: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

Savannah and Ashlyn are determined to help their mom make their Thanksgiving healthy and yummy.

According to a USDA’ report, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of added sugars; the majority comes from high fructose corn syrup. Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar.

Making your Thanksgiving healthier really isn’t as difficult as you might first think. Purchase a turkey with the nutrition label listing only one ingredient: turkey. Save money and make your own stuffing with leftover whole wheat bread. Instead of soda pop, containing HFCS, for the kids, offer sparkling apple juice. Don’t use box mixes or canned vegetables, like sweet potatoes.

I’d like to know who came up with “candied sweet potatoes.” Aren’t sweet potatoes, well, sweet, without marshmallows? Did you know that marshmallows are really sugar-mallows, because they no longer contain any marshmallow root. Marshmallows are made from sugar, primarily corn syrup, water and gelatin.

I suggest regulating sugar in all its forms to dessert. Delete it from the main course. And, totally eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup from your Thanksgiving meal altogether.

Many of the dishes we serve during the Thanksgiving meal are loaded with sugar. Why aren’t they considered dessert? This is beyond me! Jello “salad” is one that stands out. Jello is made with only five ingredients: water, gelatin, sugar, and artificial colors and flavors. This doesn’t sound much like a “salad” to me.

Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving perennial. They say there is always an exception to the rule. This is my exception for sugar during Thanksgiving dinner. Cranberries by their very nature are tart. I always purchase cranberries in the produce department and cook them with less sugar than is suggested in the directions. Some make their cranberry sauce with apple juice instead of sugar, but I haven’t been able to find the right combination that suits our family.

Pre-made, whipped toppings, like Cool Whip, are primarily air, sugar and transfat. Make your own whipped topping with real whipping cream. Not only will it taste better, it’s better for you. Cool Whip is made of water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut (this is the transfat) and palm kernel oil (CPKO), sodium caseinate, vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60 (glycosperse), and beta carotene.

A natural Thanksgiving begins with having yummy, healthy recipes and then purchasing whole foods. Now’s the time to do a little planning. Read labels and find products free from sugar and artificial ingredients. Take a close look at the ingredients in your favorite recipes and make healthy substitutions. Finally, keep sugar regulated to dessert. 

For my alternative to the jello fruit mold, CLICK HERE.

For more information about Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater, CLICK HERE. 

There’s nothing like a nice hot bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day. Soup is winter comfort food. Unfortunately, most soup consumed is the processed variety, full of additives.

Today, homemade soup is a rarity, because of the time involved. Cooking a soup stock can take hours. So, we rely on the canned and dried varieties of soup. No matter the brand of processed soup, the flavor is never the same as one cooked from scratch.

You can make yummy soups in a fraction of the time, using premade chicken broth. Chicken broth will give your quick soups depth of flavor. In fact, it may be hard to discern a 30-minute soup from one that’s simmered for hours.

If you purchase organic, free-range chicken broth, you’ll avoid many of the additives in canned soups and other broths. Look for chicken broth made from grain-fed chickens, raised without hormones or antibiotics. Also, in this broth the salt content will be lower.

On the next cold winter day, make a hot sweet potato soup that’ll warm you from the inside out!

Sweet Potato Soup
This recipe takes only 30 minutes to complete from start to finish. It’s so tasty, you’ll think that your eating at a fancy restaurant! Serves 4

You’ll need:
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb)
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
1 stalk of celery
32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth
½ teaspoon each of sage and pepper
1/3 cup heavy cream or canned organic coconut milk

Method:
1. Coarsely chop the veggies and potatoes.
2. Place in a pot with the chicken broth and seasonings.
3. Boil until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and cool for about 5 minutes.
5. Alternatively place veggies and potatoes in a blender with 1 cup of the broth. You control the texture of the soup with the amount of broth used. (We like it thick and creamy.) Puree, until the consistency is smooth.
6. Repeat until all is pureed and ladle into bowls.
7. Add most of the coconut or cream to the soup.
7. Drizzle remaining cream or coconut milk in each bowl.

Make these yummy oat bran muffins and your meal will be complete!

Oat Bran Muffins
Yield: One dozen muffins
Heat oven to 400 degrees
1¼ cups oat bran (pulse 1 cup rolled oats in your blender to make oat flour)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
or pastry wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup milk
¼ cup honey
2 eggs
1 tablespoon melted butter
or coconut oil
½ cup raisins or blueberries

1. Put paper muffin cups in a muffin tin (or coat with coconut oil or butter).
2. Chop fruit into bite-size pieces
3. In a mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.
4. In another small bowl combine applesauce, milk, honey, eggs, and oil.
5. Make a well in the center of dry mixture. Add wet ingredients. Stir until moistened.
6. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin. Fill each about 2/3 full.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for about ten minutes
8. Remove from oven and cool.

CLICK HERE for ordering information for Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater and The Forest Feast: Baby Bites Mealtime Adventures.

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