I often spend time on Sunday evenings planning out the next week’s meals. I used to cook up food ahead or prepare freezer meals for the slow cooker on this day. However, meal planning has become very simple these past four months, after switching to a plant based diet. My meals are planned around fruits and veggies and a few staples, like brown rice.
But this week is Thanksgiving, and my family will be gathering at my son and daughter-in-law’s home. I enjoyed the perfect-for-me Sunday evening, sipping on hot tea, munching on raw apple slices and browsing through recipes for plant based holiday sides and desserts.
Everyone is contributing to the meal. My sweet daughter-in-law Megan has offered to include some plant based options, which I appreciate. I also want to try out several new recipes that I can eat, and that the rest of the family might want to sample along with their traditional turkey and sides.
Here’s what I came up with tonight, as strong possibilities for Thursday:
Raw Cranberry Relish from Life Changing Foods by Anthony William.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Baked Beans from kitchentreaty.com
Caramelized Brussel Sprouts from runningonrealfood.com
Sweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Oat & Pecan Topping from inspiringcooks.com
Potato & Portobello Mushroom Gratin from epicurious.com
And for dessert, the roasted pears and apples I made last week, from Life Changing Foods and…
Pumpkin Pie from a Holiday Pies printout from Anthony William.
I also found a Pumpkin Spice Cupcake, fully raw, from Kristina on YouTube that looks amazing.
One of the things I discovered tonight is that I have to carefully look through the ingredients list. Not all vegan recipes meet my dietary restrictions. Some had sugar or flour in them. The recipes I selected are either fully compatible or very adaptable. For example, I can substitute raw organic honey for maple syrup in one of the recipes.
I’m excited to share Thanksgiving dinner with my family this week. Being with my loved ones is my greatest blessing. Savoring healthy and flavorful foods is a great blessing to me as well. I am grateful for this opportunity to try new foods while remaining faithful to a plant based diet and my body’s health needs.
I am also excited to try out my new food processor! I’ve never owned one before. Greg gave me this one over the weekend as an early Christmas present and I’ll be using it this week.
I’ll update as I experiment with the recipes I choose to make and I will be sharing the results. It’s going to be a gratitude filled week!
Going Beyond 