Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Do you love Thanksgiving as much as I do? It’s one of my favorite holidays - not just because of the food, but because of the warm cozy feelings it brings with it. The aromas of cinnamon, sage, and rosemary give me all the feels! It’s like a big hug for the soul.

While I love Thanksgiving and all of the comfort food, Thanksgiving tends to evoke the “feast” mentality, and it’s far too easy to overload on your favorite comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie. In fact, check out these fascinating Thanksgiving facts: 

• Americans take in 3,000 to 4,500 calories at their Thanksgiving celebrations, according to estimates by the Calorie Control Council. And we all know that most of us have multiple celebrations so we could double or triple that number! That’s equivalent to eating between 4 and 8 Big Macs in one sitting

• The industrialized food industry is making bank off Thanksgiving. Campbell's makes 40% of its total sales of cream of mushroom soup for the year leading up to Thanksgiving — and much of it goes into green bean casserole.

• Americans consume 80 million pounds of cranberries during Thanksgiving, including 5,062,500 gallons of jellied cranberry — enough to fill nearly eight Olympic-sized swimming pools.

• People purchase nearly 19 million ready-made pies ahead of the holiday. 

*source: Insider

Additionally, because Thanksgiving is such a food centric holiday, it can be quite triggering for individuals with chronic illnesses and/or food sensitivities. They often aren’t able to eat what’s prepared, or if they do, they are left dealing with flare ups for days afterwards. Folks who don’t have sensitivities or allergies can still end up having erratic blood sugar levels, leaving them traveling on a mood rollercoaster.

If you have food sensitivities and/or allergies, or if you simply want to eat a bit healthier so you can feel lighter and more energetic afterwards, I’ve created a “This for That” guide. You’ll also find some additional recipes for extra yumminess!  

Appetizers: 

Trail Mix for Roasted Cinnamon Maple Pecans

Caramel Apples for Prosciutto and Rosemary Baked Apples

Main Dish:

• Rosemary Roasted Turkey

• Smoked Turkey

• Brown Sugar Glazed Ham for an Orange Glazed Ham

• Turkey or Ham for Salmon Roasted in Butter (or Ghee or Olive Oil)

• Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash

Sides: 

• Traditional Bread Stuffing for Butternut Sausage Paleo Stuffing with Apples and Cranberries or a Hearty and Savory Paleo Stuffing or this Herbed and Wild Rice Stuffing

• Candied Carrots for Honey Roasted Carrots

• No Veggies for Fall Roasted Veggies

• Green Bean Casserole made with canned products for Real Food (Real Flavor) Green Bean Casserole or this one

• Mashed Potatoes for Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash or Sweet Potato Mash or Thanksgiving Yams

• Canned Cranberry Sauce for Homemade Cranberry Sauce

• Typical Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows for this Candied Sweet Potato and Dates Casserole or this one

• Traditional Gravy for this Gluten and Processed Flour Free Gravy or this Vegan Gravy

• Boxed Scalloped Potatoes for this Wholesome Scalloped Potatoes

• Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage, Apples, Cranberries (One of my faves!)

• Pillsbury Biscuits for Paleo Biscuits or this Easy Grain Free Biscuit made by a fellow Minnesotan

 Salads:

Not all salads are boring! Jazz up your Thanksgiving meal; a meal that’s otherwise low in vegetables, with these delectable delights:

• Snickers “Salad” for Roasted Autumn Harvest Salad

• Mixed Green Salad and Pumpkin Vinaigrette

• Warm Brussel Sprout Salad

Desserts

Onto the main show - the best part of Thanksgiving, in my humble opinion. 

• Traditional Pumpkin Pie for this Classic Paleo Pumpkin Pie or this No Bake Vegan Pumpkin Tarts or this Chocolate Pumpkin Cashew Cheesecake

• Traditional Apple Pie for this Refined Carb Free Apple Pie or these Apple Pie Bars

• Traditional Pecan Pie for this Paleo Salted Caramel Pecan Pie

Excuse me while I wipe up the drool off my keyboard! Writing this blog has my mouth salivating over all this deliciousness! 😜 It IS possible to show your body some love without sacrificing the flavor. And that’s something we can be grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!🍂 🙏