I’ve been making Thanksgiving dinner for my friends and family for over 25 years and I’ve tried lots of different stuffing recipes. My all-time favorite is made with challah bread as a base to provide a gentle sweetness and perfect texture.

You can be creative and add your favorite chopped dried fruit and nuts. And if fresh herbs are not available you can use a few sprinkles of dried seasonings instead.

Thanksgiving Challah-Day Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 Challah breads – torn apart into small pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 cloves of garlic – minced

1 medium sweet onion – chopped

2 quarts mushrooms – sliced

4 apples – cored, peeled and coarsely chopped

3/4 cup chestnuts – roasted and chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cut dried apricots – chopped

1/2 cup dried figs – chopped

1/2 cup total chopped almonds, walnuts and pecans

1/4 cup total fresh chopped parsley, thyme and Rosemary

4 eggs

16 ounce container of egg substitute

3 cups chicken broth – low sodium type

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Tear challahs into small pieces and put in a very large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until transparent, add garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.
4. Add mushrooms and continue to cook together until mushrooms are tender.
5. Add chopped apples, chestnuts, dried fruit, nuts, herbs, salt and pepper and continue to cook together for about 10 minutes. Remove from stove.
6. Add above mixture to challah bread pieces and stir. Add egg, egg substitute, and broth. Combine together.
7. Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.
8. Place mixture evenly into pan.
9. Bake covered with foil wrap for 20 minutes.
10. Remove foil and bake until top is golden brown (around 30-45 minutes.)

Yield: 25-30 servings (1/2 cup each)

Ingredients:

1 package green split peas

1 package yellow split peas

2 cans (48 oz. each) vegetable broth (less sodium type, if possible)

1 large butternut squash *

1 small onion – chopped

2 cups carrots – chopped

6 garlic cloves – chopped

1 cup Almond Breeze almondmik – original unsweetened

1 cup apple cider

Salt & Pepper to taste

Sliced almonds – for garnish, optional

Cooking Spray

*Note: If you’d like to save time, you can use canned (2- 15 ounce cans) or frozen (2 packages) of butternut squash and begin with step 4 below.

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

3.     Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and bake (cut side facing down) on cookie sheet for about 30 minutes or until fork tender. When cooled, scoop out squash from shell and cut into small pieces.

4.     While squash is baking, combine, rinse, and sort yellow and green peas.

5.     Pour broth into large (8 quart) soup pot and add split peas, squash, onion, garlic, carrots, almondmilk, apple cider and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour or until peas break apart easily. Stir regularly throughout. (Spoon off and discard any “foam” that forms during the process.)

6.     If you prefer a thinner consistency, place an immersion blender inside the pot of soup and blend briefly for no more than for 1-2 minutes (or skip this blender step altogether if you like your soup very thick). If you a prefer smoother, creamier consistency, blend until you reach the desired texture.

7.     Spoon soup into bowls and serve hot or pour into containers to refrigerate or freeze until needed.

8.     Garnish with sliced almonds if desired.

Servings per pot of soup: approximately 20   Serving size: 1 cup

Naturally sweet, family-friendly muffins made with oats, apple, carrot, and honey

Just wait until you taste these gluten-free honey muffins — they’re soft, warmly spiced, and naturally sweetened with real honey instead of refined sugar. Packed with fiber-rich oats, fresh carrots, and crisp apple, these easy muffins are perfect for breakfast, snacks, or a healthy treat any time of day. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and can easily be made nut-free by using sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of nuts. These are kid-approved, meal-prep friendly muffins my whole family loves — especially my grandkids. We enjoy them with a dollop of cottage cheese or ricotta for a balanced, protein-rich bite.

And there’s more to love: a recent study in the Journal of Food Science found that honey’s natural aroma enhances sweetness, meaning you can use about 40% less honey than sugar and still get the same sweet taste — with fewer calories and less added sugar. That makes honey one of the smartest swaps you can make in baking, and it’s exactly why this recipe is both delicious and dietitian-approved. Whether you’re looking for a refined sugar-free muffin, a healthy snack for kids, or a cozy fall muffin recipe to add to your rotation, this one is worth bookmarking.

Honey Harvest Muffins

Honey Harvest Muffins

I make cobblers year-round, but there’s something extra special about using seasonal fruits. In the summer, peaches, mangos, and cherries make this dish a family magnet. In the fall, it’s all about apples and pears, warm spices, and that irresistible oven aroma.

What makes this recipe stand out? It skips the added sugar but not the flavor. Each bite is bursting with fruit-forward sweetness, a crunchy golden topping, and all the comfort of a traditional cobbler … just a whole lot better for you.

Need to tweak it? You can easily tailor this recipe to suit your dietary needs. Use a gluten-free granola for a gluten-free cobbler, swap in vegan butter for a plant-based version, or choose your favorite fruit combo to match the season (or what’s in your fridge). It’s a flexible, feel-good dessert that’s as simple to make as it is satisfying to eat.

Crunchy Mixed Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients:

For cobbler – 

2 cups (around 4 large) fresh peaches cut into small pieces

12 cherries – pitted and cut in quarters

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup mixed unsalted nuts

Cooking spray

For topping – 

1/2 cup granola

2 tablespoons butter, melted (or 2 tablespoons avocado oil)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Spray a shallow pie dish with cooking spray and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine peaches and cherries with lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice, if desired. Stir in nuts.

4. Place fruit mixture evenly into pie dish.

5.  Melt butter.

6. In a small bowl mix the granola with melted butter.

7. Top the fruit mixture evenly with granola mixture. 

8. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown or fruit starts to bubble.

Serving suggestion – serve cobbler when warm in individual dessert bowls and top with a scoop of frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Notes:

• You can add any of your favorite fruit to this recipe. I often add sliced apples or whatever fruit is in my fridge (except citrus).
• Instead of cornstarch, you can use whole wheat flour.
• Sometimes I also add a tablespoon of chia seeds, hemp hearts or flax seeds to the fruit mixture for a little extra crunch, fiber and protein.
• For a Fall cobbler with apples or pears, you might want to add 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice.
• I prefer to use a granola that doesn’t have much added sugar (around 6 grams or less) to let the sweetness of the fruit sing.

Ever since my kids were big enough to sit up in a grocery cart, they came to the supermarket with me. Sure, it wasn’t always stress-free or efficient (especially when I had three tykes in tow), but neither is taking kids to school – and both activities, in my view, are critical for raising healthy, happy kids and, eventually, adults.

To me, the supermarket is a giant classroom in which kids can learn lessons far more important than many they’re taught in school. For example, grocery store “field trips” allowed me to show-and-tell my kids that all foods can fit into a healthy diet, as long as you know how to balance your plate. I also taught them how to compare labels, which foods excel in which areas and how to meal plan – whether that “plan” includes hectic grab-and-go foods or an elaborate dinner.

My kids ate it up: My youngest son even came up with the title of my book, “Read It Before You Eat It: Taking You From Label to Table.” And today, although my boys are grown and out from under my roof, they often call me when they shop for food to discuss what they’re buying, cooking and serving to friends and family.

To take a play from my “textbook,” start with these grocery store games. While some are better suited for younger children, others can even have an impact on teens.

1. Pick a color or shape.

Have your little ones play an “I Spy” type of game in the produce aisle by asking them to pick out colorful foods that are red, green or yellow, for example. Or, have them find foods that are circular, oval or some other shape. This game can be expanded on when you go home – just unpack and use the similarly shaped or colored purchases to create simple recipes your kids can help prepare.

2. Find produce “characters.”

Ask your kids to search for foods (especially fruits and veggies) they recognize from books they have at home. That, of course, requires you to keep books at home that have photos of healthy foods. I purposely sought out such books so I could make up fun stories about the produce “characters,” and my kids found it exciting to seek out and taste the foods that seemed familiar.

3. Create traditions.

Start a tradition like “Kids Shop Sunday” and let them choose a recipe and create the shopping list for Sunday dinners, even if you just do it once a month. You can also enlist your kids to come up with theme nights for the days of the week – think Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday or Throwback Thursday. Choose a theme and let your young sous chef play the part, including wearing an apron, oven mitts and even a little chef’s hat. Why wait until Halloween?

4. Play guessing games.

When your kids aren’t looking, buy a few foods they’ve never had before (think jicama) and that are mild-tasting (like almond butter or sunflower butter instead of peanut butter). With the help of a blindfold back at home, challenge your kids to guess the foods in question by touching, smelling and, ultimately, tasting them. Don’t give them foods you already know they “hate” because they won’t want to play with you, and volunteer to be the one guessing sometimes, too.

5. Conduct a photo shoot.

Equip your kid with a camera or phone and ask them to take pictures of individual ingredients in the supermarket. Then, create a dish or follow a simple recipe together and encourage them to take photos of the final feast. With older kids (and their permission, of course), it might even be fun to post the pictures to personal social media platforms and share likes and comments with each other.

6. Rate food labels.

Once your kids can read, compare food labels to look for sugar and sodium contents or recognizable ingredients. This is truly a life lesson that never gets old, since the thousands of foods in the store are ever-changing. Show your children how some foods are more nutritious than others, and also discuss prices and value. One day your child will be on his or her own, and a budget could play an important role in their purchasing decisions. Here, I’d point out how healthy food doesn’t have to be expensive (hello, frozen veggies!) and how to minimize food waste.

This article originally appeared on U.S. News.

Intuitive Eating

Non-Diet Dietitians

If you knew you could have stopped that balsamic vinegar from splattering on your favorite white sweater, would you have done something to prevent it from happening? And if you knew you were going to drive into a pothole, causing your tire to go flat, would you have taken a different route?

Yes, all of the above situations could have been prevented if you would have anticipated these problems in the first place, but unless you’re clairvoyant, it’s not very easy to prevent something you can’t predict. When it comes to your body, right now, as you read this story, there are accidents inside you waiting to happen: whether it’s potential damage from high blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol levels, this is the time to take charge of your health. Many of us are also fighting against our family histories.

For too many years, I’ve seen women in my practice overcome with worry and concern over their husband’s health. They know every little detail about his medical history, laboratory values, and current medications. Yet when it comes to themselves … their chief complaint is, “I hate the way I look.” It’s not until I scratch below the surface or consult with their physicians that I discover they have a soaring cholesterol level, or a family history of diabetes, or that they’re going through menopause and have a mother and grandmother suffering from osteoporosis.

These women don’t realize that they too can stand among their sisters, who together make up one scary statistic: About 300,000 women die from heart attacks each year. In fact, more women die of heart disease than of all types of cancer combined. And more than 42 million women are currently living with some form of cardiovascular disease, and many don’t even know it.

My connection to heart disease gets personal and is close to my own heart. My dad, mom, brother, and sister all had or have heart disease. That means that this silent killer could be at my doorstep … but that doesn’t mean I’m putting out a welcome mat! You may not be able to pick your parents, but you can pick what goes on your plate.

Fighting heart disease in women is not just about putting on a red dress or eating heart-healthy foods during February, which is American Heart Month. It’s about making some room on your own to-do list and trying to take small steps to promote a healthy lifestyle. As a mom of three and a grandma, my kitchen is the heart of my home. Let’s all fight together to keep our hearts safe and strong.

For more information about how you can help or get help, visit www.heart.org or www.womensheart.org.

Guac-Humm-Mole

serves 8

Ingredients

2 avocados – ripe

½ cup hummus

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoons chopped onion (or one small white onion)

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro juice of one fresh lime

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

3 plum tomatoes – cut into cubes

cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

Add avocados, hummus, Greek yogurt, garlic, onion, parsley, lime juice, salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Combine together until creamy. Cut tomatoes into cubes and add to food processor. Pulse two or three times until tomatoes are chopped… don’t over pulse. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Serve with cut up veggies or whole grain tortilla chips.

These muffins are so easy to make…my kids even make them for me on Mother’s Day!  If you happen to have any leftovers (and that’s unlikely!) just pop them in the freezer and defrost individually for a mid-week treat.

Banana Almond Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 egg whites
• ½ cup extra olive light oil or avocado oil
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup Almond Breeze almond milk*
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed well
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350◦F

Spoon flours into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.

Whisk together with the next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a large bowl.

Combine sugar, egg whites, oil, vanilla extract, yogurt and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until blended.

Add almond milk and mashed bananas, beating at a low speed until blended together.

Add flour mixture to above mixture and beat at a low speed just until combined (don’t over mix.)

Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Coat 2 loaf pans (9 X 5 inch each) or mini-muffin pans with cooking spray. (I use pans that hold 12 muffins per pan and this recipe makes around 3-4 pans of muffins.)

Spoon batter into pans and fill about 3/4 way. Sprinkle almonds evenly over batter.

Bake breads (in loaf pans) for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, or bake muffins (in muffin tins) for around 20 minutes and check as above. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

* Any type of Almond Breeze almond milk would work but I especially love Almond Breeze Blended with Real Banana for this recipe.

Yield is either 2 loaves or around 40 muffins.

The beauty of this recipe is that you don’t have to use exact measurements. If you like your topping a little sweeter, just add more syrup. If you’re the tangy type, go heavier of the vinegar. And if you’d like more kick, include more horseradish sauce.

No matter how you prefer it, this dish is a low calorie way to get lots of flavor.

Most importantly, it’s essential to check labels carefully to be sure that the products you’re using are truly gluten-free. The brand suggestions I’ve mentioned below are only a few examples of those items that are gluten-free today, but in the future, it’s best to confirm their safety with the manufacturer to be aware of any production modifications.

Salmon with Gluten-Free Tangy Mustard/Horseradish Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon mustard (French’s, Heinz, Maille Dijon Originale, Organicville)
• 1 tablespoon horseradish sauce (Boar’s Head, Heinz, Gold’s)
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave or maple syrup (100% maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (100% lemon juice)
• A pinch of garlic powder
• Ground white pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs like dill, parsley, thyme (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (any type you prefer)
• Salmon filet (2 pounds)

Directions:

Spray baking pan (15” X 10” X 1”) with cooking spray and place salmon filet atop (skin side down).  Pat salmon dry.

Combine the above ingredients in a bowl and spread mixture thinly over the top of  the salmon.

Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. If grilling, grill on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Cooking times may vary, depending upon the thickness of the filet.

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 180, Total Fat 8g, Saturated Fat 2g, Total Carbohydrate 3g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 1g, Protein 18g, Sodium 135mg