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Healthy Thanksgiving Salad

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Healthy Thanksgiving Salad is a refreshing side to your Thanksgiving menu with cranberries, pecans and an amazing homemade dressing! Serve with leftover turkey for a yummy lunch the next day!

Healthy Thanksgiving Salad

Thanksgiving Salad

Thanksgiving food is about tradition, gratitude and deliciousness!  Most families have specific foods that they have eaten for their Thanksgiving dinner for years and continue to serve those, because – tradition!  Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, rolls, and pumpkin pie are classic Thanksgiving dishes.  We like to add new colorful, fresh recipes to our menu every year and salad is definitely one of those.  A lot of Thanksgiving foods can be really heavy, which is why we always like to have a fresh green salad to lighten up the menu.   Our Healthy Thanksgiving Salad includes:

  • Spinach and Lettuce – gives a nice variety of fresh green color.
  • Red Onion – a bit in flavor and beautiful purple color.
  • Mandarin Oranges – fresh bright citrus flavor, brings sweet flavors to add to the savory.
  • Dried Cranberries – Adds sweetness and texture variety.
  • Pecans – brings a crunch to the salad, nutty sweet flavor, and protein.
  • Turkey – this is optional but we love the savory flavor and heartiness it adds.
  • Dressing – beautiful combination of tangy, savory and seasonal flavors.

These are simple ingredients because it just shouldn’t be overly complicated on a food-heavy day like Thanksgiving!

Healthy Thanksgiving Salad

Getting Kids to Eat Salad

One of the most common questions we get is “how do I get my kids to eat _______”.  Salad is one of those foods that is considered an ‘adult’ food to many people.  Admittedly, salad can be a difficult food for younger kids to eat if you don’t pay attention to the ingredients used in the salad and how it is prepared.   We have a lot of years of experience feeding our own kids salad, but also have asked all of you also!  These are a few articles that have great tips if your kids aren’t salad eaters:

Healthy Thanksgiving Salad

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Healthy Thanksgiving Salad

 

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Healthy Thanksgiving Salad

Healthy Thanksgiving Salad is a refreshing side to your Thanksgiving menu with cranberries, pecans and an amazing homemade dressing! Serve with leftover turkey for a yummy lunch the next day!
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 472kcal

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup yogurt, plain
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar, cider
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup, pure
  • 3 tablespoon pumpkin, canned
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Salad

  • 2 cup spinach
  • 4 cup lettuce, romaine
  • 1/4 medium onion, red
  • 2 cup turkey breast, cooked
  • 1 cup mandarin oranges, canned in juice
  • 1/2 cup cranberries, dried
  • 1/2 cup, chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Using a large mixing bowl, add spinach and chopped Romaine. Dice onion and turkey and add to greens along with drained mandarins, cranberries and pecans. Toss to combine.
  • Divide salad amongst 4 serving bowls; drizzle with dressing, and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 619mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 31g
Keyword : Healthy Thanksgiving Salad

www.superhealthykids.com

 

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

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9 Comments

Am I a real life or virtual friend?

And I’m thankful for you, too. Sounds like Sarah put on a great Thanksgiving. I think it’s hilarious she wouldn’t let you put wheat flour in the rolls.

That salad was so scrumptious I went back for seconds! It made me feel healthy while I overdosed on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and those wonderful Lion House Rolls. Thanks again!

I can’t find the dressing anywhere. Went to the link and got a page for the spinach salad pizza but still no place where the dressing is listed. Because I am dying to try this recipe. Yum!