This year, Thanksgiving is at my house, and I'm pretty excited about it. I really enjoy entertaining, and one of my favorite parts about hosting people for a meal is surprising them with how delicious a healthy meal can be.

Between the potatoes, the green bean casserole, the bread-laden stuffing, rolls, candied yams, and pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving, while delicious, often feels very heavy and leaves you regretful - if not for what you ate, then at least for not wearing stretchier pants. If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional dishes that are a little lighter, without sacrificing flavor, here's a menu for what this foodie will be serving. Whether you're cooking for your whole family or have been charged with bringing a dish to dinner, feel free to shop the list below.

My best advice around the holidays, to avoid the average American weight gain of 7-10 pounds, is to indulge in your single favorite dish, in the way it's traditionally made, and make substitutions for the rest.

Dry Brined Roasted Turkey - when it comes to the holidays, Martha Stewart is boss. This recipe of hers requires very little cooking time, freeing up the oven for other things (like pie!).

Thanksgiving "Stuffing" - this one might be a stretch. True to Paleo recipes, it doesn't contain a crumb of bread, and it's certainly not light on calories, as two of its main ingredients are sausage and bacon. But none of its calories are fluff - it's nutrient dense and there is so much flavor that a small helping goes a long way. And if you have someone in your life that has a gluten sensitivity, like me, you might just make their holiday by giving them a version of one of their favorite dishes that they can actually eat.

Mashed Faux-tatoes - low in calories, natural sugars, and carbohydrates, and high in nutrients, parsnips and turnips are a good alternative to mashed potatoes. You may have heard of cauliflower as a substitue for potatoes, but parsnips and turnips are a lot closer in consistency, when mashed, to the potato.

Garlicky Green Beans - instead of relying on a cream based soup for flavor, the way green bean casserole does, save the calories (and prep time and oven space) and allow whole foods to make a big impact, the way balsamic vinegar and garlic do in this recipe.

Orange Cranberry Sauce - How did cranberry sauce ever become a Thanksgiving staple when it's so gross? My guess is, it probably tasted more like this recipe, and less like the canned variety. This part of my meal has gone from being something I always wished we could skip, to being the reason I look forward to turkey. Seriously - skip the gravy and spread a little of this on your turkey. You won't be disappointed. It's already made up in my fridge and taunting me to steal a spoonful every time I see it.

Salad with Goat Cheese, Pears, Candied Pecans and Maple Vinaigrette - is it wrong if the part of your Thanksgiving meal you're most excited for is the salad? It probably is, but I am, nonetheless. I haven't tried this specific recipe yet, but the flavors are such a perfect blend for the holiday.

I've made my meal healthier and lighter, so that I can indulge in my grandmother's chocolate crust, whipped pumpkin pie. What's your favorite dish that you just can't resist? And what are you doing to make your holiday a healthier one? Please share in the comments below, or snap a picture on Instagram, using the hashtag #wiredforwellness.