My mother made the sweetest, creamiest, most enticing sweet potato casserole ever! And the family insisted that she make it for every Thanksgiving meal. It was loaded with brown sugar and topped with zillions of marshmallows. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t a zillion marshmallows. But it was definitely not on the low sugar recipe list. So, does that mean we should ban it from the holiday meal forever?
Probably not. The family may revolt and ban you from the gathering until you repent! However, that doesn’t mean you can’t make a healthy version for yourself. And maybe, just maybe, you will be able to perfect it to where the whole family would be pleasantly surprised.
Here’s my suggestion: try out the recipe below on your own family (before you serve it to the whole gang). Then, try a few of the following hacks:
- If your family absolutely insists on marshmallows, just use less.
- Increase the coconut sugar until it satisfies their sweet tooth. You can also add a little honey.
- If you like a creamier texture, try adding some unflavored Greek yogurt or more coconut oil.
If that doesn’t work, just make the original recipe that the whole family likes and eat less of it for yourself. Or, make a little side dish that you can enjoy! Although I am a big proponent of eating healthy, I know there are certain things you just can’t mess with when it comes to family. So take it easy on them, but don’t compromise your own health.
And remember the 80/20 rule so you’re not so stressed on a big Holiday.
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1-2 tsp coconut sugar or raw unfiltered honey
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg optional
- 1/4 c english walnuts or pecans chopped
- Boil or bake the sweet potato. (See below if you need instructions for this).
- Peel and place in a bowl with the coconut oil, coconut sugar and spices.
- Mash to desired consistency. (I like a few chunks of pure sweet potato.)
- Scoop into a serving dish and top with additional coconut sugar and preferred nuts.
- Boiling Instructions: Boil 8 minutes covered in water. Baking instructions: Bake at 400 degrees about 45 minutes.
Sweet potatoes: may reduce risk of colds and flu; promote healthy skin, bone, blood cells, reduce stress, increase immune health, and help fight cancer, and although they taste sweet, they will not spike blood sugar.
Coconut oil: may aid brain health, increase good cholesterol for heart health, lubricate joints, and burns body fat.
Coconut sugar: although it contains the same amount of calories as sugar it is low on the glycemic index so may slow absorption, contains more minerals and vitamins than regular sugar, but is still not what I would call a superfood. (I eat it sparingly)
Cinnamon: may help lower blood sugar levels, fight heart disease, boost immunity, act as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
Nutmeg: may soothe indigestion, alleviate pain, stimulate the brain, and act as an antioxidant.
English walnuts: may aid in heart and brain health, reduce risk of breast cancer, fight aging, and help with weight control.
Pecans: may aid in heart, bone and skin health, fight breast cancer, and act as an anti-inflammatory
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