Thanksgiving

Plant-Based Thanksgiving Menu

November 21, 2016 by Holly Leave a Comment

In years past, I would start planning for Thanksgiving weeks ahead of the holiday. I would plan my menu, my shop days and when each recipe would be started and finished. I even planned what dishes I would need so that I would make sure to have everything ready. I wrote a rather long post about it years ago.

Thanksgiving Planning

I’d like to say I’m much more laid back now but that isn’t really the case. You see, I make the same recipes every year. A few years ago I wrote the Healthy Holiday Meal Plan and Cookbook and shared all my recipes and tips. Now I just follow the plan, adapting it each year based on our plans and what we will bring to dinner.

We usually start cooking a few days ahead of time. Some years we start cooking on Monday but this year it will be Tuesday or Wednesday. We are getting together with a few other families and everyone is bringing a few dishes. I’m bringing my Sweet Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, a few desserts and drinks.

Dividing up the cooking makes it so much easier. I still remember when I used to cook EVERYTHING for Thanksgiving and wear my self out. This year I’ll make a few dishes, enjoy spending time with family and friends, then relax (and prep for Gilmore Girls).

Whether you are making a dish or two or taking on the whole meal by yourself I have a meal plan that will help. My Healthy Holiday Meal Plan and Cookbook makes planning for Thanksgiving much easier.

The Healthy Holiday Meal Plan & Cookbook

The Healthy Holiday Meal Plan & Cookbook contains 20 plant-based recipes that are meat, dairy, and gluten-free! The top 6* recipes also come with a detailed shopping list and your choice of 3 different planning guides that show you how to prepare the top 6 recipes ahead of time (or all on the same day) and have your food on the table as efficiently as possible.

Recipes include:

Thanksgiving Sage Dressing*
Gluten-Free Cornbread for Dressing
Perfectly Whipped Mashed Potatoes*
Sweet Potato Casserole with optional Pecan Glaze*
Thanksgiving Mushroom Gravy*
Green Bean Casserole*
Creamy Crustless Pumpkin Pie*
Dry Veggie Broth Mix
Cranberry Sauce
Holiday Lentil Loaf
Cheezy Potatoes (Vegan Scalloped Potatoes)
Faux Cheese Sauce
Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad with Oil-Free Cranberry Dressing
Oil-Free Cranberry Salad Dressing
Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Veggie Pot Pie (this recipe contains gluten but can be made GF using the GF Pie Crust Recipe)
Recipe for Easy All Purpose Sauce for Veggie Pot Pie
Roasted Asparagus
Maple Glazed Carrots
Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Apple Pie
Creamy Apple Pie Bars

Order your PDF download of A Healthy Holiday Meal Plan & Cookbook for only $4.99. This is also available on at Amazon on Kindle. Please note that the PDF and Amazon versions have different covers but the content inside is the same. If you’ve used the Healthy Holiday Meal Plan and Cookbook please consider leaving a review on Amazon. You’re honest review will help other people make an informed purchase.

If you have any Thanksgiving meal prep plans feel free to send them my way. I’ll be watching for emails with Thanksgiving in the subject line. I try to make myself available for those last minute questions on Thanksgiving Day too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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5 Tips to Save Thanksgiving and Your Sanity

November 23, 2015 by Holly Leave a Comment

Are you stressed out about Thanksgiving? I’m not. Don’t hate me but it’s Monday, there is plenty of time left to prepare and ROCK Thanksgiving!

It’s all about preparation. I’m a planning guru, especially when it comes to events. Thanksgiving is an event.

That means I won’t be cooking a lot of dinners this week so I can reserve plenty of room in the fridge for Thanksgiving food.

I’m skipping the meal plan, instead giving you some Thanksgiving tips so you can stop stressing too. [Read more…] about 5 Tips to Save Thanksgiving and Your Sanity

Plant-Based Thanksgiving

October 30, 2015 by Holly 1 Comment

Thanksgiving is already on my mind! I know it is still October, but just barely. We’ve already made plans to host this year and we will be joined by two other families that we’ve spent most of the last 4 Thanksgivings with.

Favorite Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes

I know some people worry and fret about what to make for Thanksgiving but I never do. I usually make the same things every year. In my mind there are six must-haves when it comes to Thanksgiving.

Dressing (this is similar but different that stuffing)
Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving Gravy
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Pumpkin Pie

I’ve been eating these things every Thanksgiving for my whole life. In 2012 I gave them a healthy makeover for a plant-based Thanksgiving that is also oil-free and gluten-free.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and “Thanksgiving food” is my favorite food. Even though we don’t live near any of our extended family when we gather with friends and enjoy these traditional Thanksgiving foods it feels like it did when I was a kid.

More Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes

I’ve gathered all of my favorite recipes and have them available in a Holiday Meal Plan and Cook Book. In addition to the six recipes mentioned above this also contains the following recipes.

Cranberry Sauce
Holiday Lentil Loaf
Cheezy Potatoes (Vegan Scalloped Potatoes)
Faux Cheese Sauce
Dry Veggie Broth Mix
Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad with Oil-Free Cranberry Dressing
Oil-Free Cranberry Salad Dressing
Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Veggie Pot Pie (this recipe contains gluten but can be made GF using the GF Pie Crust Recipe)
Recipe for Easy All Purpose Sauce for Veggie Pot Pie
Roasted Asparagus
Maple Glazed Carrots
Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Apple Pie
Creamy Apple Pie Bars

With the exception of Veggie Pot Pie every recipe is gluten-free.

I know that choosing the recipes isn’t even the most stressful part. It’s the planning.

The Planning Guide

The planning guide will give you several different options to get my six favorite recipes ready at the right time. For example if you need to cook everything on Thanksgiving Day it will tell you what time to start. If you can start a few days early the planning guide will tell you what to cook early and what to cook on Thanksgiving Day. It includes lots of other helpful tips too.

Shopping List

I almost forgot to mention that I include a shopping list for the first six recipes mentioned above. Basically, I assume you want to make those because they ARE Thanksgiving (to me anyway) and put them all on a well-organized shopping list. You can add additional ingredients if you are going to make more of the recipes or cross ingredients off if you are going to skip something. Easy Peasy!

When Anne got her copy she said, “Thanks for making my thanksgiving so much easier.” That is exactly the point! I want to make Thanksgiving a fun, stress free holiday that you actually enjoy!

These recipes are just limited to Thanksgiving, it’s my Christmas dinner recipe too. If we decide to make a big Easter dinner I use these recipes! I told you, this is my favorite kind of food.

Get Your Copy

I went a step further to give you two purchasing options. You can buy this on Amazon for kindle or download a PDF to print. I prefer my recipes printed out so I can make notes but I know a lot of you like to keep them on your phone or iPad. That is why I have two options.

You won’t be disappointed with this Healthy Holiday Meal Plan and Cook Book. It makes preparing a big holiday meal so much easier.

Purchase on Amazon for Kindle or the downloadable and printable PDF! After you’ve used this I’d really appreciate if you would leave a review on Amazon!

Attention Bloggers: If you are a blogger you can become an affiliate and earn money! Send me an email to myplantbasedfamilyATgmailDOTcom with AFFILIATE in the subject line for details!

This page contains affiliate links.

Plant-Based Thanksgiving Day Meal Plan

November 21, 2013 by Holly 8 Comments

Today may be your lucky day! If you are stressed about Thanksgiving I have a solution for you. My Plant-Based Thanksgiving Day Meal Plan is now on sale for only $3.99.

This Meal Plan features 15 recipes, a step by step planning guide, time-saving tips to de-stress your holiday and a Shopping List for the Top 6 Recipes. Many of the recipes have never been published online like the Mushroom Gravy, Green Bean Casserole and Corn Bread Dressing. Every recipe is Gluten-Free (or has a GF version), Vegan and delicious!

Recipes Include:

Sage Cornbread Dressing
Gluten-Free Corn Bread for Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole with optional glaze
Thanksgiving Mushroom Gravy
Green Bean Casserole
Creamy Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Dry Veggie Broth Mix
Cranberry Sauce
Lentil Loaf
Cheezy Potato Casserole
Faux Cheese Sauce for Cheezy Potato Casserole
Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad with Oil-Free Cranberry Salad Dressing
Shepherd’s Pie
Veggie Pot Pie

This Plant-Based Thanksgiving Day Meal Plan is 23 pages long. There are even a few recipes that are perfect for small Thanksgiving Day gatherings. There is a recipe for a Thanksgiving Loaf but you could always buy a Tofurky Roast if that’s more your style.

This Meal Plan is perfect for those will allergies to wheat/gluten, dairy and eggs.

Do you know what you are making for Thanksgiving? Don’t worry, I have you covered! This may be the best $3.99 you have ever spent.

Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes with Julieanna Hever

November 19, 2013 by Holly Leave a Comment

One of the first plant-based books I bought was The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition by written by Julieanna Hever. It answered all of my questions and became my go to reference guide as a waded through the plant-based waters.

Now Julieanna has her own show called “What Would Julieanna Do?” which airs on Veria Living TV. If you haven’t seen it yet be sure to check it out.

I’m honored to be able to feature 3 of Julieanna’s Plant-Based Thanksgiving recipes today. The first is Kale Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing, this was inspired by Chef AJs House Dressing. You can watch a video of Julianna making this salad at Viera Living TV. I’m also sharing recipes for Julieanna’s Fall Harvest Chowder and Stuffed Acorn Squash

Kale Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

1 [15-oz.] can cannellini beans, rinsed

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup stone-ground mustard

3 TB. Braggs Amino Acids (or wheat-free tamari or low-sodium soy sauce)

2 TB. 100% pure maple syrup

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1/2 cup water

1. Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.

2. Serve over kale salad or any salad, vegetables, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, etc.

Serves 4

Fall Harvest Chowder

6 cups vegetable broth or water

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2 small zucchini, diced

1 (16-oz.) package frozen corn

2 small garnet yams, peeled and diced

4 bay leaves

2 tsp. dried thyme

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

1. Over medium-high heat, sauté onion, carrot, and celery in [1/2] cup vegetable broth until slightly browned, approximately 5-10 minutes.

2. Add remaining vegetables, broth or water, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30-40 minutes.

3. Remove bay leaves from soup and blend with immersion blender until mostly pureed. Add spinach leaves and turn off heat. Serve hot.

Serves 8

Stuffed Acorn Squash

4 medium-sized acorn squash, halved and seeded

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 medium celery stalks, diced

4 medium carrots, diced

1/4 cup plus 3 3/4 water or vegetable broth

3/4 cup wild rice, cooked

3/4 cup brown rice, cooked

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp. dried sage

Ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

1 cup raw walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Place squash halves, cut side down, on 1 or 2 deep baking sheets filled with an inch of water. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. When done, remove from oven, remove the water, and flip the squash so it is cut-side- up.

3. In a medium pot, sauté onions, carrots, and celery in 1/4 cup water or vegetable broth until slightly browned, approximately 5 minutes. Add wild rice, brown rice, mushrooms, poultry seasoning, sage, black pepper, and remaining water or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and then simmer on medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Add parsley and walnuts and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Spoon rice mixture into each squash. Cover in foil and return to oven. Bake

for 20-25 additional minutes, or until squash is tender. Serve warm.

Serves 4

If you are planning a Thanksgiving Dinner I hope you consider Julieanna’s Plant-Based Thanksgiving recipes but leave some room, I’ll be sharing more Thanksgiving recipes and tips this week.

Tips for Planning Holiday Meals/Parties: A Manifesto

November 17, 2012 by Holly 9 Comments

A note: This is really long but not really a manifesto. I have a tendency to want to share EVERYTHING. Since Thanksgiving is coming up so quickly I just couldn’t bring myself to leave anything out.

With Thanksgiving less than a week away I thought it was only fitting to offer some tips for planning a big meal or hosting a party. This is not an all-inclusive list so please leave a comment with your favorite tips. I’ve hosted Thanksgiving 5 out of the last 6 years, this year I’m not hosting but will do a good deal of cooking. Since moving to Arizona we have also hosted an annual Christmas party for friends and neighbors. Although I have a lot of experience hosting events I don’t do it perfectly and that is ok with me. I try to do better each year, not bigger, not more expensive, not fancier, sometimes I just have a better attitude through the planning and preparing process.

Make Lists

Being organized will make everything much easier. Make a list for everything! I make all kinds of lists and they vary depending on the party. Almost every party has a food list and a house list.

Food List

I make these lists in layout format and start with the finished product. For example, on my food list I may write mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, etc. Next to the mashed potatoes I’ll write peel potatoes, cook potatoes, mash potatoes; then on the far right hand side of the paper I write all of the ingredients I need like potatoes, rice milk, nutritional yeast. This makes an easy grocery list.

After I have the whole list organized this way I’ll go back and assign a day for each task. Mashed Potatoes keep and reheat well so these can be made a few days ahead of time. Some food like dressing/stuffing are best done on multiple days, one day I’ll make the corn bread, another day I can chop the onion and celery, and bake a different day. You can also assign someone a task by telling them to do everything circled in yellow. I’m sure you know that each food item will need to be put in a serving dish but we don’t alway plan for that, especially when making a lot of food. Under each dish write how it will be served so it is clean and ready to go, for example Mashed Potatoes- Long Oval Bowl or Sweet Potatoes- Rectangle Pan. The last time I hosted Thanksgiving I also wrote a loose schedule of when each dish would need to be in the oven. I can only cook 1-2 items at a time or I can keep 2-4 warm. If someone else is bringing food make sure to ask if it needs to be heated when they arrive.

House List

I arrange the house list similarly. Each room is listed on the left side of the paper, then chores separately. For example next to Living Room I’d write vacuum, dust, clean furniture, etc. if I need to purchase anything to accomplish those tasks I write that on the far right side of the of the paper a.k.a. the grocery list side. Many of these tasks can also be completed days before the party day. If you’re like me and have small children in the house this may be really difficult, but do the best you can. Having everything written out makes it easier to realize how much work you have to do, you can prioritize and delegate as needed.

To-Do List

Sometimes I’ll have a Special Project List. For my Healthy Cravings groups it might have item’s listed like, name tags, check RSVPs, borrow chairs, drinks, disposable plates, forks, cue up video clip, etc. Items that need to be bought are also written on the right side. If you are hosting for a holiday dinner you may need to plan out decorations, seating, safe places for kids to play, do you have enough toilet paper, coffee creamer, clean out fridge, etc.

A few more tips…

Don’t wait until the last-minute to do your shopping. Shop as early as possible for supplies so you can make one last trip for the perishable items.

Know your limits and ask for help. If you can’t do it all ask someone to help with cleaning, food, shopping, or even watch the kids while you check things off your list.

Get a head count and ask about allergies. You want your guest to be comfortable, that will be difficult if their isn’t enough space, seating, or food. For parties this isn’t always possible. When we host our Christmas party it is always open house style with a few seating areas but chairs removed from food areas so guest can walk up “buffet style” and stand to visit or go to the seating area in the other room. One year we didn’t get the chairs moved out in time and all the parents put their kids at the table, which is perfectly reasonable, and the kids continued to stick their hands in the food on the table. Ewww! If you’re hosting a dinner where everyone will sit having enough table and chair space is crucial.

Plan time to get yourself ready. After a long day or cooking and cleaning I sometimes forget what I look like. I try to run up to shower at least an hour before anyone else is going to arrive. That is enough time for me but I’m kind of plain and don’t take a lot of time to primp.

Focus on the reason for the get together more than getting everything done. On too many occasions (ok usually every time) I’m still working on getting things done when people arrive. There is always something else to be done. 🙂 I try to keep an eye on refilling the veggie tray or hummus but mostly I want to enjoy my guests. I want to have conversations that matter with people who matter. I even leave a few extra towels out by the drinks because spill are going to happen and people feel bad for making messes.

Let’s hear it. What is your best tip or tips for hosting a shindig?

Thanksgiving

Plant-Based Thanksgiving Menu

Thanksgiving Planning