Holiday Sides Mash Up

Holidays are here and of course, that means a huge dinner with all the fixings and carbs galore. My advice when it comes to handling your meal? Mix things up when it comes to side dishes.

Healthy replacements for holiday side dishes

Add a salad to the mix - a big, green, veggie-filled salad with EVOO vinaigrette on the side.

Speaking of veggies - forget the breadcrumbs, canned mushroom soup that many in the U.S. use to make their green bean casserole. Instead, stir-fry fresh green beans and mushrooms in EVOO, garlic, and top with your favorite spices.

Forgo the shredded carrot mayo salad and make this recipe for spicy baked carrots. SO GOOD.

Forget about sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows and loaded with sugar. Instead, serve the sweet potatoes mashed with a splash of real maple syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, or better yet, serve them up savory style. Mashup sweet potatoes and drizzle in minced garlic sautéed in EVOO, and sea salt and pepper to taste.

Consider a cauliflower mashed potato mash-up instead of plain white potatoes or (and this is one of my favorites) consider mixing and mashing rutabagas in with your spuds. Rutabagas are low in carbs and higher in fiber and mixing them in with your Idaho potatoes cuts back on the carbs! I grew up eating mashed rutabagas and potatoes and I LOVE THEM. Mashed turnips and potatoes are even better the next day sautéed in a pan and served with eggs for breakfast!

Stuffing: I was never much of a stuffing fan, (my older sister is) but there’s a great, low-carb recipe for stuffing here.

Skip the dinner rolls and bread altogether, but make sure to have whole grain bread on hand to make a leftover turkey sandwich the next day!