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Cranberry Spinach Salad {Thanksgiving Recipe}

November 12, 2014 By Hollie 2 Comments

It is hard to believe in two weeks we will be rushing to the store to grab everything we need for our Thanskgiving meals.  We have all seen a million different statistics about holiday weight gain, and you don’t need me to repeat them to you.  When it comes to holiday eating, I like to stay balanced.  I load my plate with the healthy items and save some room for a few of my favorite treats, which at Thanksgiving usually means anything with pumpkin.

When asked to bring something to Thanksgiving dinner I always volunteer for a healthier dish so I know there will be at least one healthy option (and there are usually more).

Growing up I loved the overnight salad my aunt used to make.  I used to load my plate up with it and then go back for everything else.  I thought I was eating healthy because it was salad… until I learned more about nutrition.  This salad was loaded with mayonnaise and sugar as the dressing.  I then knew I needed to come up with a different salad to take to Thanksgiving.

I adapted this Cranberry Spinach salad from a recipe a friend gave me to make it a Thanksgiving dish.

Cranberry Spinach Salad
Serves 4-6

Salad: In a large salad bowl combine the following ingredients.
10 cups of spinach
1 cup of fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups of roasted sweet potatoes
1 container of crumbled goat cheese
1 cup of walnuts

Dressing: whisk together the following ingredients.
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste

Pour dressing over salad and mix together!

A few notes about this recipe:

  • I base how many this serves on everyone using a small wooden salad bowl to eat their salad (about 2- 2.5 cups per person).
  • Fresh cranberries are the healthiest option here.  However, for some, they can be extremely tart.  You could substitute craisins in this salad, but it will increase the amount of sugar.
  • Right now I cannot eat dairy and this recipe is still good without the cheese.  Although the goat cheese does make it fantastic.
  • For my sweet potatoes, I use in a recipe earlier in the week for dinner and make extra.  Cut them in cubes, coat with olive oil and salt, bake at 400 degree for 20-25 minutes.  They crispier the better in this recipe.
  • Walnuts are my favorite, but pecans would be good too.

Enjoy!

Your turn- tell me:
What is your favorite salad to eat at Thanksgiving?
How do you ensure you are staying balanced at your Thanksgiving feast?
Or do you completely indulge?

Filed Under: Food, Holiday Cooking, Recipes Tagged With: Clean Eating, Recipes, salad, thanksgiving

Comments

  1. [email protected] says

    November 13, 2014 at 5:40 am

    I like you always sign up to bring a healthy dish :) then I know I can balance myself a bit more and help to try and encourage family (though it is a struggle with my hubby’s side!) to eat healthier. I usually pick one thing from the spread to indulge on and take a small portion of it up – then I don’t go nuts and I truly truly savor each bite!!

    Reply
    • Hollie says

      November 13, 2014 at 7:16 am

      Yes, encouraging family can be tough, but with time it will get better. My in-laws have turned a corner on healthy eating and it is great…. only took 6 years!

      Reply

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