Thanksgiving

#1

Well, it’s our first Thanksgiving as Keto people (Keto since July). We’re having a house full of guests, to include soldiers from the local Army post that we normally sponsor. Our plan is to cook more traditional sides for the guests - mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, gravy, stuffing, etc. I’m smoking a pork loin and baking a large (20+ pound) turkey. My wife and I will have mashed cauliflower and green beens as sides, with whipped cream and fruit for dessert. I plan on labeling the food that’s low carb to bring attention to it.

What Keto sides are you folks planning on making? Care to share the recipes?

(Rachel Rees) #2

I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving (I’m Welsh) but do celebrate Christmas so will follow this post for ideas. I am going to stuff our turkey with Keto bread stuffing, that’s as far as I’ve got along with roasted butternut squash instead of potatoes and the cauli mash, tried it for the first time last night and absolutely loved it

(Vicki Stroud) #3

Well I am making our traditional Meat Stuffing, and just putting even less than the regular 1 cup of pepperidge Farm Stuffing mix into it. I just looked at the package 3/4 of a cup is 32 net carbs (it makes a good sized batch), so, if I just use a small spoonful I will be ok and be able to keep my carb level below my goal of 20 per day which I have been easily staying under. I am also going to make deviled eggs, and a small plate with meats, and cheeses, with some sort of “mayo/butter” spread. I would think that most low carb stuff people who don’t eat low carb would like it anyway. Mashed Cauliflower is so good, you may find out everyone else wants it if it is left out “regular” I am not making a whole bunch of different things because it is just my husband and I and the two dogs. We are in the process of laying ceramic tile, so, we just will eat whenever it is ready and be working on our project in between.

(Sophie) #4

I do braised brussel sprouts with bacon, onion & thyme, loaded cauliflower (which my non-keto friend always requests!), deviled eggs, keto stuffing and I’ll probably saute some green beans. I just got some glucomannan powder so I’m going to test that this weekend for a keto giblet gravy. Oh, and turkey of course! I want to do total Keto this year. Wish me luck. lol

(Crippie) #5

That is a great idea! I unfortunately will not be keto on Thanksgiving, for my wife and I we pretty much agreed on 5 days out of the entire year that we would not be keto (unfortunately most are bunched up at end of the year) Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday, and 1 floating day. We came up with it when we started and it has really helped my wife stick to keto knowing she will have those days to enjoy things she misses like mashed potatoes. And its really only like 1% of the year that we are not keto so it works out. :slight_smile:

Maybe one day we will have a full keto Thanksgiving but not yet. Major props to you and all the keto thanksgiving-ers!

(Hillary ) #6

I’m going to make a low carb pumpkin cheesecake mousse and a low carb broccoli casserole.

(Shayne) #7

We’re going to smoke the turkey thighs on the grill, with low carb “cornbread” (made with almond flour) dressing and mashed cauliflower with bacon and cheddar. My daughter is going to make the cinnamon swirl cheesecake from Jimmy Moore and Maria Emmerich’s ketogenic cookbook for dessert.

(Mike W.) #8

Have any of these “cheat days” occurred yet? I just don’t get it. If you feel good on Keto why would you jeopardize that?

(Sophie) #9

This is do-able! 1 cup of liquid to 3/4 tsp glucomannan thickened up nicely if anyone is interested.

(Jen ) #10

My mom is cooking Thanksgiving dinner. She is making all of the usual non-Keto dishes, I am bringing bacon wrapped asparagus, something with cauliflower (the loaded cauliflower above sounds fabulous), and a Keto dessert. I will miss bread stuffing, but I know if I stray once, I won’t do well long term.

(Crippie) #11

Yup have had 2. One floating one for a friends wedding and halloween.

I guess its more a mental thing. I will say it is true after each one I have felt like total garbage, and honestly it helps me stay keto the rest of the time. I KCKO like normal but after some time I miss things and want to just have a little thing here and there, but tell myself no and save it for one of those days. Then after I have that day and eat way too much, I see that the things I missed don’t actually taste as good as I remember and on top of that I feel like crap. Then those feelings that I miss things go away.

It is also a lot easier social for those big family things like the holidays. I know its a bit of a cop out and we could easily stay keto for it, but we would just rather not worry about it and enjoy the holiday(We may not enjoy the next few days of feeling like crap but we accept that)

And finally it really started to help my wife stay on it as she is not good with the mentality of “I loved mashed potatoes and now i will NEVER eat them again” once that mind set comes in she just has a mental push back and it breaks down quickly. So now its “I loved mashed potatoes, I will get those on thanksgiving but that is it” and that works for her. I admit I am a little bit in the same mindset just not as easily pushed.

I do have to say there needs to be a balance to it. My first day I had just 1 cheat meal at the dinner for my friends wedding and felt crappy for a day or so. It wasn’t bad and will probably keep to that sort of 1 meal type deal with a fast and exercise to help burn it off. Halloween was horrible I ended up going full boar and had WAY too much, ate so many carbs that day and honestly am just now this week recovering as I work back into my IF schedule. So I am going to avoid that full on all day eat fest and do just a cheat meal for those days from now on.

(Lauren) #12

I’m doing a turkey (injected w/butter and herbs and wrapped in bacon) and a ham. I’m also bringing my (keto) broccoli casserole, squash casserole, and just regular green beans cooked with fatback. The rest of my family is bringing the carbs (baked macNcheese, stuffing, sweet tators, rolls).

I am new enough that I am really going to miss the carby stuff, but my wedding 10 days after Thanksgiving. I can’t do that to myself.