TMOTH (The Man of the House) and I have finalized the menu for our Thanksgiving Feast next Friday (We have celebrated on Friday ever since the year my parents were stuck in a traffic jam for 8 hours and my father refused to drive on Thanksgiving again).  The meal will be primarily Paleo.  We will use local foods wherever possible.

This is the first holiday that we are celebrating since I have started following a Paleo lifestyle and diet.  This made menu planning a bit of a challenge.  On one hand, I don’t want to be THAT person inflicting my dietary regimen on my entire family, but on the other hand I want to serve healthy, nutritious foods to my loved ones (I also don’t want to spend hours preparing a meal that I can’t eat).  I am also trying to avoid gluten exposure and contamination.  This is important to me, but not to the other people who will be there.  With a holiday meal there is also the consideration of traditional favorite foods.

I think we have come up with a menu for a feast that everyone will enjoy.  Here’s the final cut:

• BBQ Turkey using a fresh free-range bird from a local supplier, Willie Bird
• Gravy (I have a recipe that is grain free)
• Cranberry/Orange Sauce
• Roasted Asparagus
• Roasted root vegetables
• Mushroom and sausage stuffing (no bread, so gluten-free)
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Mashed Potatoes (I do not like these so TMOTH will prepare them)
• Paleo Pumpkin Pie with nut crusts (gluten-free)
• Whipped cream
• Apple Pie (Traditional-made by TMOTH)

We went to the Farmer’s Market this morning to get a few ingredients.  We purchased a beautiful bunch of celery from Tierra Vegetables and some star thistle honey (for the pies) from Hector Alvarez of Hector’s Honey Farm.  While we were there we ran into MO (Middle offspring), DIL and OG (Oldest Grandchild).  We discussed the menu with them.  MO seemed a bit relieved when TMOTH mentioned that he was going to bake a traditional Apple Pie, in addition to the gluten-free pies.  The Offspring have eaten pumpkin pies with nut crusts before.  My dad has celiac disease and that’s what I made for him when he was still able to travel and join us.  No one seemed to have an issue with them at that time.  I don’t expect one this year.

The traditional Thanksgiving menu is already fairly Paleo.  It only took a few tweaks to make it almost entirely Paleo.  The meal is quite a bit higher in carbs than what I typically eat, but it’s a feast day so there’s nothing wrong with that.