Whether your traditions are Norman Rockwell like, with family gathered around a perfectly browned bird, a beautiful floral centerpiece and using your best china, or more like mine where we’ve outgrown the dining room and graduated to the swept and heated garage filled with tables and our best chinette plates, Thanksgiving is a holiday about food, family and traditions. This can be tricky ground as you work to incorporate healthy food changes that may upset family expectations. Here are a few real food ideas for your holiday that you will feel good about and will still keep the traditionalists in your crowd happy.
- Replace the corn-syrup filled cranberry sauce with this amazing probiotic filled Fermented Cranberry Chutney
- Make dressing from your homemade or natural yeast bread and use nourishing bone broth instead of canned chicken stock.
- Sweeten yams with a little maple syrup and cinnamon instead of brown sugar and marshmallows (or if you must use marshmallows, use homemade)
- Add a veggie tray (google for tons of fun ideas for arranging these to look like a turkey) and some homemade yogurt cheese or milk kefir cheese dip
- Kiss Marie Calender goodbye and make your own whole wheat pie crust
- Use better for you pie fillings like this chocolate cream pie, banana cream pie, apple pie or the berry pie or pumpkin pie filling from the online classes.
- Use real whipping cream or whipped coconut cream with your pies.
- Buy an organic turkey if your budget allows.
Most of all, rejoice in the many options we have for good food and the joy of reconnecting with food and each other as we work to prepare a wonderful meal. Food is such a gift with the power to bring true nourishment and joy into our lives! Happy Thanksgiving!
Mellonee and Angie
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