Here are a few of the classic favorites, just healthier, homemade options! Enjoy!

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

• 12oz fresh cranberries
• 2 clementines, cut into small pieces
• 1 apple, diced
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

In a skillet over medium heat, mix in water, cranberries, clementine’s, and apples. Cook, stirring often, until cranberries start to split open. Pour in maple syrup and ground cloves. Simmer for 10mins, stirring often. Chill & Serve! If you prefer a smoother cranberry sauce, blend all the ingredients until smooth!

Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Onions (recipe by Garnish with Lemon)

• 4 medium sweet potatoes-peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2-3 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine potatoes and onion in a bowl. Add oil and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle rosemary, salt, pepper and stir to combine.

Pour mixture on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 25-30mins, flipping potatoes and onions halfway through. Keep an eye on them, depending on the size of the potatoes they may cook faster/slower.

Remove from oven and season to taste with salt and pepper if needed!

Roasted Balsamic Brussel Sprouts (this is my recipe, sorry I don’t measure anything)

• 1 bag Brussel sprouts (washed and trimmed, cut in half)
• olive/coconut oil
• Minced Garlic
• Balsamic Vinegar

Once I’ve cleaned up the sprouts, I put them in a large Ziploc bag, add oil, garlic, salt and pepper until coated. Add small amounts of balsamic vinegar in the bag, close and shake. Depending on how much you and your family love the balsamic flavor, you can add as much or as little as you like. I probably end up with around ¼ cup in mine, but we love balsamic!

Pour mixture into a baking dish, (cooks faster if you have just one layer rather than piled up in a small dish) Cook for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees, stirring often. You want the Brussel sprouts to be crispy on the edges but soft in the middle. Enjoy!

Apple Cranberry Holiday Stuffing (recipe from Autoimmune Paleo)

• 1 sweet potato, cut in 1in squares
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, cut into halves
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 4 slices bacon
• ½ onion chopped
• 4 stalks celery chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBS rosemary, minced
• 1 tablespoon solid cooking fat
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1 ½ heads of cauliflower, processed in food processor until it forms “rice sized granules”
• 1 green apple cut into 1in squares
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, combine sweet potato, cranberries, and broth in large baking dish and bake for 30 mins, stirring often to ensure even cooking
• Meanwhile, cook bacon slices in a skillet until crispy. Remove and let cool, leave grease/fat in the pan
• Add onion & celery to pan, cook for 8mins or until brown
• Add garlic & rosemary, cook for a few more minutes, remove mixture from pan and set aside in a small bowl
• Add he solid cooking fat and mushrooms to pan. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes until mushrooms are browned
• Add the cauliflower “rice” and cook for 5mins. Set aside
• When the sweet potato mixture is finished cooking, remove from oven and turn the heat up to 425 degrees. Add everything else to baking dish, including cinnamon, apple, and salt. Stir to combine and place back in oven for 10mins. Serve warm! You can also stuff your turkey with this and let it cook with the bird!

French Green Bean Casserole

• 1 ½ cup of Creamy Cashew Gravy Recipe
• 2 lbs French skinny green beans
• ½ lb (8oz)  mushrooms coarsely chopped
• 2 TBS oil of choice (olive or coconut)
• 8-10 shallots (see cooking instructions below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

• Sautee mushrooms in oil until soft
• Blanch green beans in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain.
• Mix gravy, beans, and mushrooms in a bowl
• Transfer to a casserole dish & top with crispy shallots. Bake for about 20 mins or until gravy starts to bubble

Crispy Shallots

• Peel and slice shallots into thin rings
• Heat oil in skillet over medium/low heat
• Reduce heat to low, add shallots and cook for 30-40 mins until they reach a golden brown color. Stir occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, remove shallots from oil, drain well and let cool on paper towel. Can be stored at room temperature covered for a few days.

Festive Apple Cranberry Green Salad w/ Raspberry Vinaigrette

• 2 lbs organic green salad mix
• 2 green apples (wait to slice until you are ready to serve salad)
• 1 medium sized red onion sliced into rings
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup walnuts chopped
• 1 container goat cheese crumbles

Put salad mix in a large bowl, top with cranberries, walnuts, and red onions, sprinkle ½ cup goat cheese on top, add apples and toss with raspberry dressing just before serving! Healthy, fresh, and fruity!

I just buy an organic raspberry vinaigrette from Meijer, you can make this yourself too though if you have time!

These are just a few of my new found favorites for the holiday season! All the recipes (except the Brussel sprouts and apple cranberry salad) I found on Pinterest! An amazing place to look for healthy recipes. If you have other favorites feel free to comment below! We are always looking for new, tasty, healthy options to add to our table. As always, I recommend you skip the dinner rolls, and anything loaded with sugar, butter, and cream. Stay healthy and stay happy this holiday season! From our family to yoursJ

Dr. B & Dr. Josh