Turkey Day is coming! If you're like most of us, you usually spend Thanksgiving day stressing out and cooking frantically, when you really want to spend the day catching up with all the friends and relatives you haven't seen for so long.

Ready for a change? We'll help you get organized and do things differently this year with our expert advice and collection of light, flavorful recipes from the best healthy cooking sites around. To top it off, we've put together some tips on how to safely cook the perfect bird and a few ideas on how to burn off that drumstick before it hits your thighs.

There's nothing unhealthy about turkey, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. It's just the fat we've added that makes some of our Thanksgiving dishes a nutritional nightmare. This year, why not lighten up and create a feast for which friends and family will be truly thankful.

There's more to roasting a 20-pound bird safely than you might think - and dealing with all the leftovers. Check out our special primer on how to do it right.

Our Nutrition Toolbox can help you learn just how many calories you ate at the big feast. If the number has you alarmed, visit our Calorie Burn Calculator to find out how long you'll need to exercise to burn it all off.

Epicurious.com features five exclusive regional Thanksgiving menus from top chefs, spanning New England to the Deep South. If you don't see anything to whet your appetite, you can design your own menu out of more than 900 recipes from Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines. If you're a cooking novice, you'll find illustrated cooking guides, message boards for swapping recipes, and much more.

If you're vegetarian -- or want to try something different this year -- check out Bon Appetit's meatless menus starring stuffed pumpkin with apricot and prune dressing, lentil croquettes, and oven-baked tempeh.

If you'd like to make a classic meal that's healthy and packed with flavor, Cooking Light's menu should fit the bill perfectly, featuring lemon-sage turkey with wild mushroom gravy, roasted mashed potatoes with leeks, and loads more. Start a new holiday tradition by finishing off this year's feast with pumpkin-maple pie. The best part about this menu? The make-ahead calendar that lets you relax on Turkey Day.

First published November 15, 2000
Last updated November 30, 2007
Copyright © 2003 Consumer Health Interactive