It’s that time of year again: Thanksgiving! Soon dining room tables across the country will be groaning under the weight of a delicious feast. Mashed potatoes, casseroles, turkey, graving, stuffing, rolls…are you drooling yet? If you’re trying to stick to paleo or any other sort of clean cleaning, that same table can be downright soul crushing. But you’re in luck! Pilgrims were basically paleo proliferators. Read on to get your paleo/cleaning eating feast on.
Appetizers
Appetizers are half the fun of Thanksgiving. All those mini-sized treats basically daring you to take just one. Don’t think you have to miss out! Look for simple-ingredient tiny treasures like bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, stuffed mushrooms eggplant, meatballs, etc. Or better yet, bring your own and share the wealth! Find 27 paleo appetizer recipes here.
Sides
Vegetables are the bomb in paleo. Superfood, super good, super easy to fill your plate and belly with. Lucky for you, veggies are basically omnipresent at Thanksgiving feasts everywhere. What’s better is you can totally eat those veggies cooked or sautéed in a healthy amount of coconut oil or butter. Skip the low-nutrition corn and go crazy with the squash, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, potatoes (extra points for yams), asparagus. Just avoid Aunt Carol’s marshmallow sweet potato casserole. Not paleo (and also, just not right).
Mains
Slow-roasted, oven warmed, melt-in-your-mouth turkey. This protein-filled decadence is a total go in paleo. Pile on the goodness and feel free to drench in paleo-approved gravy, like this super easy paleo gravy recipe.
Alcohol
Guess what? Wine. That’s what. You’re good here. While it’s not considered strict strict paleo, wine is a pretty passible way to imbibe. Just make sure you find a wine free of added sulfites. Sulfites are a nonessential preservative and may be a cause of health problems (from migraines to body swelling) because of its prevalence in processed foods. Look on the side of the bottle for a “without added sulfites” notation. You’ll often find these in organic wines.
Dessert
Here’s where it gets slightly tricky. Your conventional Thanksgiving desserts are chock full of sugar, flour and other paleo no-nos. Suggestion? Make your own paleo versions like this paleo pumpkin pie.
No time (or skill)? Cut yourself a break. Thanksgiving comes but once a year. Let yourself have the special homemade treats you love and look forward to all year. Just don’t go overboard and add a ton of toppings – i.e. chocolate chips, whipped cream and the like. Don’t worry too much! Just because you’ve had one (or three) fudge bars doesn’t mean you’ve fallen off the wagon. Get back on track the next day! Or do squats while eating them.
Don’t forget the all-important post-meal walk. Get outside and take a stroll with the fam. Take the dog out. Or at least jump on a treadmill with the game on in the background. Helps with digestion, helps keep your pants loose. Then come see us first thing in the morning to push press those pastries away.
From our family to yours, have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving! Eat, drink and be merry!