Southwest Chili

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower Mash

Fruit Sweetened Cranberry Sauce

Published by Julie Krummenacher

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What Thanksgiving Dinner is complete without Cranberry Sauce? But what if it was actually healthy?

Healthy Fruit Sweetened Cranberry Sauce

Name: Fruit Sweetened Cranberry Sauce
Prep time: PT-472729H37M1S
Cook time: PT-472729H37M1S
Total time: PT-472729H37M1S
Cuisine: Thanksgiving
Ingredients: 12 oz bag fresh cranberries; ¼ c chopped dates; ½ c unsweetened applesauce; ¼ t salt; ¼ t cinnamon; 1 c water

You know that store bought cranberry sauce–the one with the ridges from the can? Did you know that there is 24g of ADDED sugar per serving (OceanSpray Cranberry Sauce)? That is crazy! That is the maximum amount of sugar recommended for a whole day! Then what are you going to have for dessert???

Even if you make Cranberry Sauce from fresh cranberries, most recipes add a TON of sugar! The recipe on the back of the fresh cranberry package uses 1 cup of sugar! That is not healthy!!!

I decided to make cranberry sauce sweetened with fruit–where the natural sugar is packaged with fiber. The fiber slows down how quickly you body can process the sugar so you don’t get a big blood sugar spike!

Sweetening the cranberries with fruit allows you to get the powerful antioxidants and micronutrients that make cranberries a superfood without all that ADDED sugar that causes problems.

This Fruit Sweetened Cranberry Sauce has a delicious combination of sweet and tart flavors that your family will love!

Fruit Sweetened Cranberry Sauce

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Author: Julie Krummenacher
Total Time: :25
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

A healthy cranberry sauce sweetened completely with fruit!

Ingredients

Scale

12 oz bag fresh cranberries
¼ c chopped dates
½ c unsweetened applesauce
¼ t salt
¼ t cinnamon
1 c water

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Instructions

Pour cranberries, dates, applesauce, salt, cinnamon and water in a sauce pan, bring to a simmer of medium/medium low heat
Simmer until sauce thickens and cranberries are soft, stirring occasionally
Remove from heat and chill 2 hours or overnight if serving cold

Notes

Puree if a smoother consistency is desired or if kids object to chunks

Prep Time: :05
Cook Time: :20
Category: Sweet
Method: Simmer
Cuisine: Thanksgiving

Keywords: fruit sweetened cranberry sauce, healthy cranberry sauce

Save this to your “Healthy Thanksgiving” Board!

Why this Fruit Sweetened Cranberry Sauce is HEALTHY!

No Added Sugar

This Cranberry Sauce is sweetened with dates and applesauce. There is NO added, refined or concentrated sugar!!! Added sugar spikes blood sugar and overwhelms the liver and is stored as fat.

Powerful Antioxidants

Cranberries, dates and apples have powerful anti-oxidants that neutralize free radicals and reactive oxygen species which damage cells and DNA.

Gluten Free

This Cranberry Sauce contains no gluten.

Gluten is a sticky protein that can cause Leaky Gut and promotes inflammation! Too much inflammation is like lighting your body on fire!!!

Supports a Healthy Microbiome

Our microbiome is all the good bacteria in our gut–it does amazing things like providing protection, helping to digest food, supporting our immune system and making neurotransmitters (and MUCH more!). The good bacteria LOVES fruits like cranberries, dates and applesauce!

Fiber

Fruits like cranberries, dates and apples have fiber that is so important for our digestive systems! Fiber is something we can’t digest, but it helps to clean out our gut and also provides food for our microbiome!

Micronutrients

This Cranberry Sauce contains health-promoting micronutrients. Fruits like cranberries, dates and apples are packed with micronutrients–these are more than just vitamins and minerals but powerful plant compounds that improve health!

Want to learn more about health? Check out the 7 Essentials for a Healthy Family!

How to get kids to eat this Fruit Sweetened Cranberry Sauce!

Puree it!

Just stewing the cranberries leaves the sauce a little chunky. Pureeing it will make a much smoother sauce that may be much more appealing to kiddos!

Try a lick!

Sometimes a bite is a big commitment to kids, but getting them to try a lick is manageable! This Cranberry sauce is sweet and tart which appeals to most kids’ palates, and if they take a lick and like it, then they are more likely to eat it!

Involve them!

This sauce is a great dish to let kids help with! Rinsing the cranberries, pouring them into a pot, stirring the sauce when its done, and if you decide to puree it, then letting them push the buttons on the blender. Letting kids help gives them ownership over the dish and if they made it, they are more likely to try it!

Pharmacist, Chef, and Mother of Twins!

Hi! I’m Julie! When I’m not chasing my twins around, I am creating simple, healthy meals that busy moms and kids will love!

I’m here to help! If you are feeling overwhelmed about changing your diet, tired of scouring the internet for recipes that you think your family will eat, and stressed out from all the meal prep– I can help you!

You don’t have to do it alone! What if you had a Chef and Mother holding your hand as you took baby steps making healthy changes???

YES! I want help!