Being A Little Health Conscious This Thanksgiving

This year, how will you celebrate Thanksgiving? It's the time of year to think of others. And while we aim to Give Back year round, Thanksgiving is the ultimate time to think about all we have to be grateful for and find ways to help others.

National Lifestyle expert Jim Morelli comes to the rescue. He will discuss everything from ways to be grateful and give back to foods and recipe ideas and some thanks-filled activates.

Hey Jim, how are you today?

I'm great. How are you?

I'm just wonderful. So with Thanksgiving right around the corner, many of us want to create the

perfect meal while also making sure we are keeping it fairly healthy. What are some tips that you have for keeping Thanksgiving healthy this year?

I think that this Thanksgiving and the Holidays, we want to make sure that we are doing something that is special for everybody. That doesn't mean that it doesn't have to be easy for us at the same time. One of the best choices and something with lots of possibilities is pork. I have a beautiful herb-crusted pork recipe here with cauliflower. It's easy to prepare. You just rub herbs on it and then just stick it in the oven for about 90 minutes. It's very impressive and beautiful for you to put on your table or even a great way to show thanks by bringing it to someone else's house. Another option and this is something you can make in a batch.

It's Chorizo Meatballs with Manchengo Cheese. What I like about these is that you can make a large amount and have them for your holiday parties. You could also pack these up and give them to people in your community who do the things that we really don't think about to much. Those people who manage the food pantry, the senior center, the community center, the police department, etc. It's a great way to say thank you to them and also give back. The Pork Board calls this year Porks-giving and you can find out more recipes at porklyinspired.com/porksgiving.

I love the idea of making a dish to be able to package and giving to many people who work to help make our communities better. It's really what this time of year is really about. You want to make sure that while you and your family are enjoying the holidays that those who are less fortunate do have the opportunity to do the same.

Absolutely. I think that many people are giving people and we want to find a way to contribute to our community, but a lot of us don't have a way to do that at least that we know about. Now if you can make it easy then people will tend to do it. For instance, my soccer team just had a big food drive and we just suggested for everyone to bring one or two non-perishable items to donate to the Food Pantry. Everyone was able to bring something. They all just needed the mechanism to do it. People are good-hearted you just have to give them the source of where to give to get it started.

Another way on your Thanksgiving table that you can give back is actually with the wine you are drinking. I have something called Casa Rojo Nature wine and it's made from organic grapes and uses recycled bottles and recycled labels. The best part though is that they donate to an organization called weleanforward.org. It's an organization that helps disable people. The bottle costs under $10 and comes in both red and white wines. That's just another way in the food and drink you're serving that you can give back.

So you can really take any element that you might enjoy on Thanksgiving and give back. Now let's talk about those people who maybe don't consider themselves the best cooks, are these recipes something they could easily follow?

They are so easy! What I love about the pork roast is that it looks very impressive and delicious. It is so simple to make. The herbs are just salt, pepper, and thyme that are rubbed on the roast. You put it in the oven for about 90 minutes. Then you let it rest for a little bit when it comes out. You can then pair it with roasted cauliflower, some cranberries, and you can impress all of your family and friends with what you accomplished. Easy is the goal here. You don't want to feel cooped in the kitchen all day. We all want to do something special but are so limited on time, and that's part of why people push off giving to the community around this time of year. They don't think they have time. If you make it easy, then people will do it.

And you're right not many people want to be spending the holidays stuck in the kitchen. They want to be with their loved ones before the meal, after the meal, and during the meal.

That's right. You know we should be with our families all the time and grateful to be with them, but this time of year is when we all tend to get together and who wants to be stuck in the kitchen as the cook while everyone else is relaxed and enjoying themselves. You want to have things you can prepare beforehand that are also easy.

Now do you have any more tipsjust to make this Thanksgiving a little bit more easier?

Of course. So first, I love butter but if you are using it then minimize it. You can actually trying eliminating it and replacing it with chicken stock instead in things like mashed sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes. You will still get the flavor without the fat and the calories. Another thing is to roast your veggies in olive oil. Olive oil is fantastic for us and roasting really brings out the best in vegetables like brussel sprouts. For people who don't eat brussel sprouts will usually eat them if you roast them because they taste that much better. Also look for ways to cook, even spices, that are alternatives to the fattiness. Then keep in mind to load your plate up with small amounts first. Then if you really need seconds, go ahead and get them. Don't just put a bunch of food on your plate that you may not finish. After all most of the time our eyes are much bigger than our stomachs.

And I loved the idea about roasting the vegetables in olive oil because sometimes using butter can upset your stomach or take away from the natural flavor of the vegetable.

Yes absolutely. Roasting just tends to bring out whatever sweetness there is in that vegetable so that it almost doesn't taste like what we always imagined. You want to make sure it's healthy, it tastes good, and also keep in mind what vegetables are fresh this time of year.

Then you don't have to worry about regretting everything that you chose to eat or eating to much because you know you pick healthy options and stuck to a moderate portion.

Right, you need to remember that if you are anywhere close to 40 or over 40 that if you gain a little weight that it will take a while to get it back off. You really want to try to avoid gaining weight during the holiday season even if there is a lot of drinking going on. Try spacing it out with a glass of some sparkling water. Also make sure to keep your exercise program going even if all you can do is just go for a walk. Then come winter time you don't have to be carting around the extra 10-15 pounds which are going to be even harder in that time to get off.

And I love the point you made about the workout routine. As busy as this time is for a lot of people, it's not the time to slack off on those workout routines. It's the time to really prioritize them as one of the top things to do in your day.

I agree, and people like me get a little depressed with the light going away and one of the greatest ways to boost your mood is exercise. Yes, it's sometimes hard to slog it off to the gym when it's cold, but the benefits are so huge. Not just for your body, but your mind as well. Now if you can only get to the gym three days a week, then that fine. It's better than not going at all. You want to try to exercise at least 3-5 days a week. Whether it's just walking for an hour or an intense workout, you will feel so much better.

Oh and you definitely will. Where can people go to learn more about everything we talked about today?

You can go to www.porklyinspired.com/porksgiving and also www.weleanforward.org.