Recipes for a Healthy Thanksgiving

Walking Recipe Number One: Put the turkey in the oven and lace up your walking shoes. Grab any willing relative or friend and go for a walk on Thanksgiving morning. The idea is to pre-burn some of the calories you are going to be enjoying at the feast. Even if it's cold and wet outside, that will make it just so much cozier when you return home. My tradition is to join friends for a two-hour walk.

Walking Recipe Number Two: After you have stuffed yourself at the feast, do a reality check with the Thanksgiving Calorie Calculator and round up anybody not in a food coma to go for a walk with you. You'll probably be strolling a lot slower, but a nice easy walk is good for the digestion. And the time together will be well spent in conversation.

Holiday Dish Recipes

• Rum-Whipped Sweet Potatoes: my family begs for these.
• Healthier Stuffing : The first time I made stuffing from a recipe in a cookbook, I was shocked at how much butter the recipe called for. I use my mom's stuffing recipe that is much lighter.
• Brining Your Turkey: As far as I'm concerned, this is the only way to prepare a turkey. My birds have turned out juicy and delicious since I started using our BBQ Guide's brining technique.

Photo © Wendy Bumgardner