Healthy Thanksgiving Menu Inspiration (and my personal feelings on Thanksgiving!)

Thanksgiving can often be a reminder of the brokenness of our food system today - prepackaged and additive-loaded food that leaves you somehow feeling both the desire to WAY overeat and also like your jeans might burst afterward. 

(If you’re brave enough to wear jeans that is. Team stretchy pants over here.)
 

But Thanksgiving can also be a beautiful reminder of how much real, whole food can be comforting, connecting, and deeply nourishing. 

For so many years, Thanksgiving felt like a big stress for me and my family – navigating time with multiple pockets of family, dealing with food sensitivities and allergies, and wanting to enjoy the experience while knowing the ingredients and menu items may be a bit questionable 😮‍💨. 

It can be hard to find that balance of letting go of a little bit of control on Thanksgiving, knowing that you may consume dishes provided by someone else that have very little real food in them, while also wanting to use it as an opportunity to remind yourself and the people you're feeding how incredibly delicious good, wholesome food is.

For many years of my life, I saw Thanksgiving as a meal I would need to “work off” with a long run and strict diet the next day.

Now, however, especially as someone who loves to do the Thanksgiving cooking, this holiday is such a precious opportunity to nourish and serve the people around me, even if it's just within the walls of my home.
 

My middle son said the other day, “Why is food just so good??!”
 

To which I responded, "We have a really kind amazing God, who did not have to make our need for food also enjoyable, but he did. Isn’t that so fun?!”
 

Whatever your Thanksgiving looks like this year, friend, I hope you can find community, nourishment, and gratefulness in even the simple things, like real food being “just SO good” 😉.
 

I’ve put together some menu inspiration for you below, to help take just a little bit of the stress out of this busy season, and to help point you to food that will leave you feeling amazing and your taste buds super happy.

My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

I 100% took the Rosemary Sausage Balls to a Friendsgiving and every crumb was gone!

These e-books are immediately downloadable so you can get your shopping list and menu ready quickly!

I guarantee these recipes will not only help create such a nourishing, delicious Thanksgiving in your home, but are the types of recipes you want in your weekly meal rotation!

Special shout-out to my Tots book that also has sour cream mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and cheesy broccoli rice casserole - any of which would be another perfect addition to your Thanksgiving spread!