Thanksgiving

Our very first gluten-free and dairy-free Thanksgiving was a success! It was the first time we stayed home and didn't travel to my Mama Mae's house for Thanksgiving...our first attempt at baking a whole turkey and preparing a full Thanksgiving menu. The Lord blessed mom and I with energy and wonderful, fresh, organic ingredients to prepare the meal. We had so much fun planning, shopping and preparing for the day...it was as much fun as sitting down to eat.

We watched the food network and searched online blogs for inspiration and information on preparing the turkey, which was organic. I completely forgot to take a picture of the turkey once it came out of the oven! We were ready to dig in!



Mom made cornbread for my nephew. At four years old, he was so excited to have mama, dada, Layla, Mimi, Daddy Jack and Aunt Brooke all sit around the table for a special meal. Cornbread is one of his favorite things to eat!


I found a super simple recipe for homemade cranberry sauce. Mom bought a canned sauce for back up (just in case), but we were pleasantly surprised at how delicious the homemade sauce turned out to be! We will never need to buy canned again! The sauce consisted of fresh cranberries, fresh squeezed orange juice and raw honey.


We don't generally care for a traditional sweet potato casserole, it is just too sugary for our taste preferences. We do however enjoy cinnamon sweet potatoes! I added a little coconut oil and salt to lend a buttery flavor as well. Mmm, so delicious!


A new side for us this year was mashed fauxtatoes...yes, fauxtatoes. We steamed cauliflower then tossed it into the blender with a little olive oil and salt. I think mom and I were the most impressed with this dish, it can replace mashed potatoes on my plate any day!


Cole and Chloe were super excited to hangout in the kitchen and be taste-testers!



One of our favorite dishes, sauteed kale with toasted pepitas, was a must have!



We made two dressings: one was a traditional cornbread dressing topped with chicken. It came out of the oven and went straight onto the table, so I forgot to get a quick picture of it. The other was a lighter, quinoa-based dressing with carrots, celery, mushrooms, cranberries, walnuts and herbs. Both paired nicely with the turkey and other trimmings!



We felt blessed and were thankful for all the Lord has provided.



I felt blessed and was thankful that this was my plate.


After lunch we moved on to desserts! The pumpkin chocolate chip bars were made with almond meal and maple syrup, so no flour or sugar. The "cheesecake" was made with an almond and walnut crust, a cashew-based filling and topped with mixed berries. There was no dairy or refined sugar in this dessert. We were all pleasantly surprised at the rich, delicious flavor and texture of the cheesecake!



The Lord has blessed my family beyond measure. While we enjoyed the food of the day, we also enjoyed true fellowship with one another, a time to sit, relax and enjoy each other's company. I've been focusing on thankfulness this month, and reflecting on God's grace and mercy and goodness. He is my healer, redeemer and provider of all. I am thankful that I can trust Him and know Him. He holds my hopes and fears and He leads me into the fullness of His love and peace.