Beyond Thanksgiving: A Week of Healthy Meals and Recipes

Healthy dishes to serve your holiday visitors all week long.

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for so many reasons: its meaningful origin, the fact that it inspires us to take time to be thankful -- and, of course, the feast laden with comfort foods. Most of the excitement is focused on the big day, but if you think about it, there is a whole week of potential meals with visiting friends and family! You may have children coming back home, relatives staying with you for the week, or friends stopping by. For all these wonderful reasons, here is a week of healthy meals and recipes designed specifically for Thanksgiving week:

Monday

Breakfast: Everyone in the house can make a Breakfast Burrito by cooking up 1/2 cup of vegetables (try onions, mushrooms, raw or frozen spinach) and adding 1/3 cup egg substitute. Top with an ounce of reduced-fat, shredded cheese and roll it all up in a high-fiber tortilla (some of them have more than 10 grams of fiber).

Lunch: Get a serving of fish today with a tasty Tuna Melt. Start by mixing up a tuna salad using canned tuna packed in water, chopped onions, and celery and apple (if desired). Blend it all together with a light bottled vinaigrette, or a blend of light mayonnaise and fat-free sour cream, then season with pepper to taste. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture on a slice of whole-wheat bread, bun, or bagel. Top the other slice of bread with a slice of reduced-fat cheese. Place both slices on a sheet of foil and pop quickly into the toaster oven or broiler (just long enough to melt the cheese -- about a minute). Serve with raw veggies like sugar snap peas and baby carrots.

Dinner: Burgers are exactly eight minutes away when you're armed with your indoor grill. You can make and form the burgers ahead of time and keep them on a plate (covered) in the refrigerator until you're ready to grill them. Try Cajun Sirloin Burgers on toasted whole-grain buns topped with tomato slices, lettuce, and onion. Serve with a fruit salad or fruit kabobs made with in-season fruit.

Cajun Sirloin Burgers
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic members: Journal as: 1 sandwich and burger, moderate-fat meat.

1 pound ground sirloin or ground turkey with around 6% fat
3 tablespoons dry Italian bread crumbs
3 to 4 tablespoons egg substitute
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
4 slices (4 ounces) reduced-fat Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese
4 whole-grain buns
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
4 lettuce leaves
4 large tomato slices
about 12 rings of red onion

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In an 8-cup measure, blend the ground beef, bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons of egg substitute, green onions, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, and mustard by mixing with hands. Form into 4 patties by hand or using a patty press.
3. Lightly coat the grill grate with canola cooking spray, and cook the patties 5 minutes per side, or until well done. Place a slice of the cheese on each burger, and allow to melt.
4. Serve the burgers on whole-grain buns dressed with barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion.