Cornbread Dressing is an old-school Thanksgiving favorite. This recipe for Healthy Cornbread Dressing is based on whole-grain buttermilk cornbread. It’s built on traditional flavors yet has less fat and calories than many recipes. (Shh! Don’t tell!)
You can feel better about a heaping helping of this Healthy Cornbread Dressing — with Turkey Gravy, of course.
The holidays are stressful. We’re out of our norms and routines. Volatile conversations between blue, red, and purple teams are the acid indigestion sprinkles on top. It’s easy to stress eat, blow up your healthy eating habits, and lose your cool.
This Good and Good for You™ includes news you can use.
This issue shares
- The Best Life Living Tip: How to Keep on Track with Healthy Eating During the Holidays 🦃
- The Self-Care Technique: How to Manage Politics During the Holidays ❌
- Ideas and Inspiration: Playtime and Cultivating a Sense of Awe 🎨
Read on for more — including recipes for Whole Grain Buttermilk Cornbread and this Healthy Cornbread Dressing.
photo by Angie Mosier
Best Life Living Tip
Keeping on track with healthy eating during the Holidays is not easy, but it’s not impossible. First, give yourself grace. Two scoops of healthy cornbread dressing or a slice of Mama’s Pound Cake should not be enough to send you on a downward spiral of gluttony and self-sabotage.
How to Keep on Track with Healthy Eating During the Holidays
- Make Smart Choices. Stress eat with low-cal snacks like grape tomatoes, blueberries, or grapes.
- Buffet Reconnaissance. Scope out the full buffet and choose highlights instead of piling it all on.
- Veg Out. Fill up on vegetables.
- Keep Your Distance. Don’t stand next to the buffet or the bar.
- Eat before You Go. Have a healthy snack before the big feast.
- Watch the Booze. Alcohol lowers resistance to temptations plus it’s high in calories.
- Avoid Alcohol on an Empty Stomach. We all know this is The. Best. Advice.
- Give it a Minute. It takes time for the “I’m full” signal to get to your brain. Give it a beat before seconds of healthy cornbread dressing
- Walk it Off. Take a walk before and after the feast. It will help your mental health, too.
- Pay Attention to What Matters. Focus on family and friends. Remember it’s okay to indulge once in a while.
Want to learn ways to keep on track with healthy eating during the Holidays? Check out what Harvard Health has to say. You can do it!
photo by Jakob Owens
Self-Care Technique
For many, the holidays are already tense. The country is intensely divided. If you and your family members are on opposite sides of the political spectrum the holidays might be looking extra tough.
How to Manage Politics During the Holidays
- Only you can decide if you want to or “have to” attend.
- If you are hosting, prep guests ahead of time to steer clear of politics.
- Be the person you want to be, not the person who reacts to someone.
- Ignore any chatter and change the subject.
- Prepare exit strategies like “I need to go check on the kids.”
- If someone says something directly, conflict expert Jefferson Fisher suggests saying, “I agree that’s an issue.” (It’s neutral and neither agrees nor disagrees.) I am a big fan of “good to know.”
- Remember, it will end. It’s one day, one afternoon. You can do it.
Check out Psychology Today and this great piece on NPR for more tips on keeping your peace.
Lastly, it’s not your job to convince anyone of anything. It’s your job to protect your mental health.
Ideas and Inspiration
We are what we consume. Consumption is more than what we eat and drink. It’s what we read, watch, listen to, touch, and allow in our consciousness. To improve your consumption in all areas aim for more play, crafting, and art.
Give @ShapedNature a follow for inspiring viewing. The artist, Laurence Winram creates playful art and encourages cultivating a sense of awe in nature.
Playtime is not just for kids. Playtime for adults is important because it can:
- improve mental and physical well-being by relieving stress
- boost creativity
- enhance brain function
- strengthen relationships
- contribute to a more positive mood and overall quality of life.
Check out what Henry Ford Health has to say about the importance of playtime with adults. So, this holiday season when you are feeling overwhelmed and ill-equipped take a walk! Get out and play in nature.
Freshly ground cornmeal from Baker’s Creek Mill at The Hambidge Center for Arts and Sciences
Point it Out
This healthy whole-grain buttermilk cornbread dressing recipe has less than 300 calories per serving. (All the better to top with this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy as seen in my Good and Good for You™ in the AJC.)
Want more info on cornmeal? Check out my piece Ground Corn 101: Cornmeal and Grits
Thanks so much for reading. Please give me a follow on IG @virginiawillis for more best life tips, self-care techniques, ideas and inspiration, and healthy recipes.
As long as you’re doing what’s Good and Good for You™ more often than not, you’re on the right track. 🙌🏻
You can do it!
Bon Appétit Y’all!
Virginia Willis
If you found this recipe on social media or the link was forwarded to you, please join the thousands of readers who subscribe to the Good and Good for You™ newsletter.
Healthy Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 recipe Buttermilk Cornbread, crumbled (see below)
- 2 tablespoons pure olive oil
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mixed herbs such as sage parsley, chives, and thyme
- 2 cups chicken stock or low-fat reduced-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven temperature to 350°F. Spray an ovenproof gratin or casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the crumbled cornbread in a large bowl. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bread mixture. Pour over the stock and add the eggs and herbs. The mixture should be soupy; if not, add additional stock.
- Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the baking dish. Bake until heated through, puffed, and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition
photo by Angie Mosier
Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups white or yellow cornmeal, not cornmeal mix or self-rising cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, bacon grease, canola, or olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°Place the butter in a 101/2-inch cast-iron skillet or ovenproof baking dish and heat in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
- Remove the heated skillet from the oven and pour the melted butter into the batter. Stir to combine, then pour the batter back into the hot skillet. If desired, season the top heartily with freshly ground black pepper. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Variation: Instead of baking in a skillet, this batter may be prepared as muffins. Preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C). In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.Pour the melted butter into the batter. Stir to combine, then spoon the batter into a 12-cup standard muffin tin, filling each cup no more than two-thirds full. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Good and Good for You with Virginia Willis is a lifestyle brand that shares health and wellness content through digital channels, events, and print media. For more information visit virginiawillis.com
Interested in an event or working together? Contact assistant@virginiawillis.com and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
Please be nice. Unauthorized use or duplication is prohibited. All photos and content are copyright-protected. If you wish to republish this recipe, please link back to this recipe on virginiawillis.com. Thanks so much!
