Healthy holiday recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas season

Stuffing, cranberry sauce, dried fruits– sometimes it feels like the holiday season is just full of temptations. When you simply can’t resist a sugar-loaded holiday treat, make sure you brush your teeth right after. But if you’re looking to turn things around this year and are in search of tasty teeth-friendly recipes of foods for the holidays, you’ve come to the right place. Add any of these great holiday recipes to your Thanksgiving and Christmas season menus and (hopefully) you may just usher in the New Year with no new cavity.

Herb-Roasted Turkey

We’re starting off our list of healthy food recipes with the star of most Thanksgiving American dinner tables: the turkey. This tasty bird is packed with proteins and a good brushing and flossing session right afterward will take care of any meat fibers stuck in the tight spaces between the teeth.

Ingredients

One thawed 12- to 14-lb turkey, rinsed well and patted dry

2 large onions, quartered

2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

8 sprigs of fresh sage, finely chopped

2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ stick of unsalted butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Mix the sage, parsley, and thyme herbs in a food processor until smooth. Add the stick of butter and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Fill the cavity of the turkey with half of the carrots, celery, and onions. Rub the turkey with the herb butter processed mixture.
4. Place the turkey and the rest of the carrots, celery, and onions in a large roasting pan.
5. Roast for 2 ½ hours to 3 hours or until the thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey’s thigh registers 165°F.

Butter-Glazed Rainbow Carrots

Now this colorful glazed carrot recipe may just have your kids asking for seconds and (hopefully) eating less of the sweets in their Christmas stocking.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb of slender rainbow carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 tablespoons of butter, melted

1 lemon, freshly squeezed

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Mix the carrots with the melted butter and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet.
4. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until they’re tender and browned.
5. Drizzle the carrots with the freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Lentil meatloaf

It may be the season to be jolly, but that doesn’t mean we can only make merry serving meat. Check out this delicious holiday meal option that family and friends can enjoy, even if they don’t follow a meatless lifestyle.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup brown lentils, cooked

1 cup of whole-grain oats

1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped

2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds

2 tablespoons of tamari

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Using medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to a large skillet. Stir occasionally for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the carrots soften.
3. Use a food processor to mix the tender vegetables with the cooked lentils, oats, walnuts, flax seeds, tamari, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Stop once the mixture starts to stick together. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan. Press firmly to pack everything together.
5. Bake uncovered at 375ºF for 30 minutes.

Sugar-free pumpkin pie

Of all the desserts served during the holiday, pumpkin pie should top the list. And its sugar-free alternative is even better for your teeth… ask a dentist.

Ingredients

1lb pumpkin

2 eggs

¾ cup of Splenda granular

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon of ginger

1⁄4 teaspoon of clove

A small can of evaporated milk

A 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 797ºF.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.
4. Bake for 15 minutes at 797ºF.
5. Reduce the heat to 662ºF. and bake for 45 minutes.
6. Let the pie cool for 10 minutes.

Cranberry-orange punch

A tasty fruity punch is perfect for any party. You can serve cranberry orange punch on its own for a fun mocktail that will please kids and adults alike.

Ingredients

2 bottles of chilled sugar-free cranberry juice

6 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice

1 small orange, thinly sliced for garnish

A handful of fresh cranberries for garnish

Directions

1. Mix the cranberry and orange juice in a large punch bowl.
2. Once ready to serve, add the fresh cranberries and orange slices to float in the punch.

Have a Merry Holiday Season (And A Great New Year)

Whatever foods you decide to make your family during the holiday season, we hope you have a wonderful, jolly time. If you’d like to schedule a quick checkup before the festivities begin, you can do so right here on our website. Happy Holidays from the team at Dr. Lang’s office. We wish you and your family joy this upcoming new year.