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With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I want to try to give healthier options to our favorite Thanksgiving day foods.  I promise that these options will give you the flavor and taste you want without the excess fat and calories.

Today’s food is mashed potatoes!  Now, this is my personal favorite at Thanksgiving.  I always make sure we have them.  But if you use whole milk and real butter, you’re going to end up with so many calories and a ton of unwanted fat!  Try this recipe for a healthier and DELICIOUS alternative:

Ingredients:
3 pounds russet potatoes (any potato works), peeled and cubed
6 garlic cloves, separated and peeled
1/2 cup fat-free milk 1 tablespoon trans fat-free margarine
Ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
In a large stockpot, cover the potatoes with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes thoroughly and return to the stockpot.

In a small saucepan, cover the garlic with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the garlic.

In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic and milk. Puree until smooth. Add the pureed garlic and the margarine to the potatoes. Mash to desired consistency. Season with black pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

These tasty potatoes only have 157 calories per serving and are low in sodium!  Plus, they taste great!

Another mashed potato trick is using cauliflower instead.  Now, I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t like cauliflower so this won’t work for me.”  Wrong!  I promise that you won’t even be able to taste that it’s cauliflower.  All you do is cook the cauliflower and use it in place of the potatoes in the recipe above.  It’s so good AND you’re getting your veggies in.