Happy Thanksgiving

As I write this, the day isn’t over but I hope yall have enjoyed your day so far. We woke up at 6:30 this morning and have been going non-stop since then! We ran to the grocery store to get a couple things we forgot, picked up our Christmas decorations from storage and did a family “thanksgiving hell” WOD in our garage gym (my brother came over early) before the indulging began. My parents came over and we hosted Thanksgiving. Sometimes, it’s tough being the only one with food allergies but over the years, we have learned to manage it!

We split up exactly what I was going to make vs. what they made.

My parents who have no food allergies brought:

• Garlic Mashed Potatoes (made with whole milk, butter)
• Stuffing (made with butter and wheat/gluten)
• Cheese potatoes (milk, cheese)
• Sausage cheese balls (cheese)
• Flan (a Spanish custard that my mom makes SO WELL, contains milk. I weep)
• Peanut butter pie (my dad’s delicacy)

I had to get creative in light of alllllll the “unsafe” foods. I have learned that it is easier for me to just prepare the food that I am going to eat. I like it that way anyways 🙂

I prepared:

• Sweet potato casserole (no dairy, no gluten)
• Fresh green beans (no butter)
• Homemade cranberry sauce (egg free, nut free, dairy free, gluten free, soy free)

Mike fried the turkey in peanut oil with a homemade brine that was SO GOOD.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

We have an iPad in the kitchen that is so convenient to have when cooking straight from an online recipe. The recipe I framed  the sweet potato casserole after can be found here: Meaningful Eats Sweet Potato Casserole I used this as a guide but didn’t follow it to the T.

Some of the changes I made: no cooked pecan topping. I put raw pecans on top of the sweet potato and drizzled a little local honey on it. I did not use the amount of sugar that was prescribed in the recipe. To me, sweet potatoes are sweet enough. Thank you to the creator of the recipe. It was SO GOOD. It is gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, soy-free, refined-sugar free. It contains tree nuts and egg. 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce & Green Beans

I changed up my cranberry sauce this year and tried something new. Usually I prepare it with something simple like honey and orange juice. This time, I added some cinnamon and organic raw apple cider vinegar and it really spiced it up – I got this idea from Joy Food and Sunshine Cranberry Sauce (thank you to whoever posted this). I stay away from processed foods as much as I possibly can with the exceptional splurge here and there – corn chips at a Mexican restaurant LOL. So cranberry sauce from a can is no option for me. Plus it’s absolutely disgusting haha. I feel the same way about green beans. I love fresh green beans – first I slightly steamed them and then sautéed them with olive oil, cracked pepper, garlic and Himalayan pink salt. SO GOOD.

Easy Substitutions

Whether you are hosting a friendsgiving or having family over, there are plenty of ways to cook food allergy friendly dishes. Some simple substitutions can be:

Butter : coconut oil 

Dairy milk : coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, oat milk

Gluten/Flour : almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour (nut free option), potato flour (nut free option)

Thankful….

I am thankful for all of you. Thank you for your continued support and interest in my content. I hope it helps make your life a little brighter and easier. Stay tuned for some exciting stuff.

xo

Your Food Allergy Guide