I love Thanksgiving. It’s a day dedicated to family, food, and gratitude.
Ever since Kael and Macy were little, it’s been our family tradition to start our day with the 5-mile Turkey Trot. Not only is it a healthy way to start the day. But we feel all the more ready (and guilt-free) to consume our way into oblivion.
Another thing I love about Thanksgiving is that as a “Paleo” foodie, it’s actually a Paleo-friendly holiday! Assuming we make our food the way our grandmas did. Truly homemade. Nothing packaged.
Thanksgiving is all about homemade food, yet so much of what we grab at the grocery store is rather suited for a “convenient” Thanksgiving rather than a truly “traditional” one. How many things do we grab at the grocery store to mix into some of our favorite recipes that come out of a box or a can?
There are so many yummy Thanksgiving classics that are Paleo when made from scratch. Only a few of our favorite recipes require alternative ingredients. The simple Paleo rule is to cook REAL food. Nothing artificial. Nothing processed. And avoid gluten and sugar.
This means that we can enjoy turkey (free range of course), stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberries, pumpkin pie… Mmmmm… I’m getting hungry just thinking about them.
If you want to stick to your Paleo diet this Thanksgiving, it’s pretty easy to find the right recipes these days.
My favorite Holiday recipes come out of The Paleo Mom’s cookbook. Sarah Ballantyne (The Paleo Mom herself) is a leader in the Paleo community, a nutrition expert, and a New York Times best-selling author of multiple books, and popular blogger living the Paleo lifestyle.
I recently interviewed Sarah on my WealthyWellthy Life podcast. She was AMAZING. My advice… listen to her podcast while you’re cooking up your Thanksgiving meal.
Click here to listen to Part 1 of my podcast interview with Sarah Ballantyne.
Below are the recipes out of Sarah’s cookbook that Garry and I (let’s be honest, it’s Garry) are including in our Thanksgiving smorgasbord…
Bacon-Wrapped Spiced Pumpkin
Nothing screams Thanksgiving quite like pumpkin. If you want to enjoy a tasty pumpkin dish without making a really sugary pumpkin pie, this option is the way to go…
What You’ll Need:
1 ½ pounds of pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
¼ cup of chopped walnuts
10 ounces of bacon
Cranberry Kale Salad
Cranberries are a staple of Thanksgiving dinner. But their tart flavor can make them difficult to get right or incorporate into other dishes! Many people settle for canned cranberries, which are loaded with so many artificial products and preservatives. Using fresh cranberries in a tasty salad is a much healthier substitute…
What You’ll Need:
8 ounces of bacon
1 ½ bunches of kale, torn into pieces with the stems discarded
¾ cups of dried cranberries
⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup of finely sliced red onion
Meatball and Winter Squash Casserole
There’s no better feeling than filling up your plate with scoops of delicious casseroles on Thanksgiving. Cooks have gotten very creative with such dishes, but more often than not, they’re loaded with carbs. Rather than making a bread-filled stuffing casserole, give this hearty and seasonal alternative a try…
What You’ll Need:
3 pounds of winter squash, seeded and cut into cubes
2 tablespoons of maple sugar
2 tablespoons of fresh sage
½ cup of chopped walnuts
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of salt
Baked Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are yet another age-old staple of Thanksgiving. But over the years, people have gone a little bit overboard on the “sweet” part! It’s tempting to want to mix sweet potatoes with loads of brown sugar and marshmallows. But there are so many other ways to prepare them without simply serving them plain! This one is simple and amazing…
What You’ll Need:
3-4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into circles
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of nutmeg
Paleo Apple Crisp
It’s only fitting that the last recipe be a dessert… and there’s nothing more fitting for Thanksgiving than a good, old-fashioned apple pie. Pies are delicious, but between the crust and the sugar, they’re of course packed with carbs. This crisp is a wonderful replacement that still maintains all of that apple goodness…
What You’ll Need:
¼ cup of almond meal
¼ cup of finely shredded unsweetened coconut
¾ cup of chopped walnuts
¾ cup of chopped pecans
⅓ cup of extra virgin coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons of muscovado sugar
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
½ teaspoon of allspice
1 pinch of salt
What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes?
Click here to listen to Part 1 of my podcast interview with Sarah Ballantyne.
Happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate you. Xoxo.
Krisstina
