Turkey Day Inspiration

Or Turk-spo. You know, like the whole “fitspo” craze on Pinterest where women pin pictures of abs and motivational quotes….followed immediately by pictures of cake and other baked goods. Come on, you know you do it too.

Anyways, back to the turkey. I love Thanksgiving food. And I’ve been known to put out quite the spread when I’m entertaining at home. Here’s a few throwback pictures to get you in the Turkey Day mood.

I love a good centerpiece, but for a cozy gathering of family it’s best to keep things low on the table so everyone can see each other. I absolutely LOVED how this one turned out a couple of years back when I used cabbage and turnips as vases.

I mean please, I’m dying. It’s so stinkin’ cute.

I’m not 100% sure of our plans for this year, but we are hoping to have my brother and his girlfriend over for a small dinner. They both work in hospitality so they have to work most of the day. I’ve been thinking about cutting the menu down and keeping things simple, but really is it Thanksgiving without allofthefood?? I do really want to keep it semi-clean paleo ish though (ugh, I know, but it’s a lifestyle decision I am committed to), so here’s what I’m thinking:

Turkey  – duh. I always always always always BRINE THE TURKEY. Use Alton Brown’s recipe. Please.

Potatoes – I’ll probably go ahead and do white potatoes here, mashed. Sweet potatoes TBD…casserole, maybe? I’m not a huge fan of that marshmallow topped business. But I did make some goat cheese whipped sweet potatoes one year that rocked.

Cranberries – another duh moment here…there are plenty of paleo versions I’ve seen online. I think I made more of a relish last time with some nuts. So we’ll see what I can come up with. I do love a homemade cranberry sauce, but really the only thing stopping me from eating the crap out of the jellied canned stuff is the sugar in it. It’s like crack. Fresh really does taste better, though. It makes me sad that you only see cranberries in the store around this time of year. I would totally eat them year round.

Green beans – I love green bean casserole, and I’m sure there is a paleo version but I might make an exception for French’s fried onions. Obviously. I usually make it from scratch though (no condensed soup or canned beans).

Stuffing – I may try my hand at a paleo stuffing involving cubing up a paleo bread. I have a few good bread-like recipes I could use, and I’m sure by the time you add all the seasonings it’s gotta be at least as good as those stale crouton-y mixes, right??? I love to add chopped apples to mine and make it into muffins because it’s cute and great for serving!!

Dessert – No comment

Ok in reality, I’m still leaning towards something paleo. But it doesn’t hurt to look right? What are you planning?? What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving?