It wouldn’t be the holiday without the savory smells and flavors of traditional Thanksgiving dinner. But for newbie figure athletes, this time of the year creates stress on their dream of stepping on stage for the first time. Being on a figure or bikini diet doesn’t mean you have to eat the same stuff you normally eat during prep. The key to getting through the holidays is not to focus on “restriction” but make the best meal choices and preparation to stay on track to meet your 2017 competition goals.

The thing you have to remember during the holidays (and everyday) is portion control! Keep with your normal meal sizes and splurge sparingly. 

–>>Complimentary Competitor Consult<<–

Here are 5  figure and bikini friendly holiday foods with yummy recipes included!

1. Pumpkin Curried Soup.

Soups are great meal starters that help fill you up and prevent you from overeating. This one is definitely a Thanksgiving favorite and you can make it even healthier with a few adjustments. Swap the butter for olive oil to make it dairy free. You can also use 1 cup of unsweetened organic apple sauce in place of the 3 apples. This will cut down on some of the sugar and carbs.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

2. Roasted turkey, chicken or Cornish hens.

Hey, if someone in you family likes to “fry” the turkey, you need to pass on that! lol Instead, baking is the best way to keep the calories low and flavor high.  This recipe is for the breast only and serves 8 but you can adjust if you are cooking the whole turkey.

Healthy Turkey Recipe

3. Collard or Kale Greens with Smoked Turkey Necks

Here’s how I make mine 🙂

Ingredients:

1/2 pound  smoked turkey meat (neck, legs, wings)
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1/2 tablespoon hot red pepper sauce or flakes
1-2 large bunchs collard greens
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 TBS black pepper
1/2 TBS minced garlic or powder

Directions: In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add smoked meat, seasonings and hot sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour. Wash the collard greens thoroughly. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards don’t need to be stripped. Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into 1/2 to 1-inch thick slices. Place greens in pot with meat and add olive oil. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done taste and adjust seasoning. You can add a pinch of sugar to take the bite off if greens turn out bitter.

4. Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

I’ve made these several years in a row now and many of my guests who didn’t like brussel sprouts ended up tearing these up! It also helped that I had a good recipe to follow. Normally I make my figure brussel sprouts less fancy but it is Thanksgiving and flavor is key to keep you from feeling deprived.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction

5. Vegan and Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pie (shut my mouth lol)

It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that my mama’s recipe for sweet potato pie could not be altered enough to make it figure friendly (without losing the taste). So I searched high and low last year and found this wonderful alternative. My brother and I have a pie making contest every year and of course he clowns the way I make mine but I pay him no never mind! This is dessert and its sweetened with a small amount of honey. But I promise you its 1/3 the calories of traditional sweet potato pie and none of the gluten we figure girls avoid during prep. Enjoy!

Silky Sweet Potato Pie – Gluten Free

Happy Thanksgiving!

–>>Complimentary Competitor Consult<<–