To wrap up our Thanksgiving week, we’re going to share a few ideas for a menu plan for your Thanksgiving planning.
Each menu includes an appetizer, main dish, 3 side dishes, a bread, and two dessert options, plus free printable name cards and/or other printables to jazz up your dinner. Enjoy!
Menu #1 – A Little Elegant
Menu #2 – Kid Friendly
Menu #3 – Healthy
Menu #4 – Gluten Free
Menu #5 – Feeding a Crowd
Thanks for joining us this week! We are at the end of the meal – desserts. Oh, I’ve got some good ones to share.
This German Apple Cake is a new favorite at our house, and I love how easy it is to make. It’s literally a 1-bowl dessert (less dishes too!).
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls make a fun dessert that is healthy too! These would be perfect for a dessert “pot luck”.
This cream-cheese based Easy Apple Danish makes a great breakfast too!
Gingersnap Cheesecake with a Rhubarb Glaze is an old favorite of mine; I love the rhubarb and gingersnap combination. Delicious!
Apple Pie Ice Cream combines the pie and ice cream into a delicious dessert. You can make this one ahead of time too.
Molasses Crinkles are a family favorite! They need no explanation and are down right amazing.
This Caramel Apple Cheesecake Crumble is outstanding and surprisingly healthy for you too.
While I don’t usually use cake mixes, this Pumpkin Cobbler is an easy and tasty dessert. A dump cake of sorts, this cobbler is easy enough your kids can make it.
Like a mini apple pie, these Apple Pockets are a fun way to serve dessert.
My personal favorite Thanksgiving dessert is a Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust & Spiced Whipped Cream. Oh, yes, it was the winner of a National Pie Competition too!
I also recommend:
As much as I like turkey, the side dishes to me make Thanksgiving. I don’t know why I don’t make more of these side dishes during the year, but I don’t. I guess that helps me look forward to Thanksgiving so much.
A family favorite recipe that you will find on our dinner table every year is my mom’s Wild Rice Stuffing. Whole wheat bread mixed with wild rice, mushrooms, celery and onions compliments the turkey so well.
Sweet potatoes are a must for us as well, and this sweet potato casserole is delightful. It’s so tasty, I might even have some for dessert.
Green Bean Casserole adorns many tables, but if you’ve never made it with fresh green beans and your own cream of mushroom soup, give that a go this year. You can even make it in the crockpot to give yourself more oven space on Thanksgiving day.
Roast up a butternut or buttercup squash and keep it warm in your crockpot. Toss in some butter and brown sugar and you will certainly enjoy a fall favorite.
Grandma’s Mashed Potatoes are always a hit in our family; creamy and delicious, they go great with gravy.
Roasted Vegetables bring out delightful flavors in your side dishes. We recommend carrots & asparagus, or mushrooms & green beans.
In addition, I recommend these recipes from some of my favorite bloggers:
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes with you that are healthy and easy to make for your upcoming holiday.
Dinner Roll Recipes
Everyone loves crescent rolls, right? Forget the little blue can, and surprise your guests with these white whole wheat crescent rolls. They are outstanding.
If you have a gluten-free friend joining your Thanksgiving celebration, make these Sweet Potato Corn Bread Squares. The texture is delightful, with just a hint of spice and the sweet potatoes make this cornbread nice and moist.
In addition, I recommend a few recipes from some of my favorite food bloggers:
Bread Recipes
A holiday at our house is not complete without my Grandmother’s Cinnamon Sugar Bread. It is delightful and always spells holiday to me.
Wild rice is a traditional Thanksgiving ingredient, and wrapped inside a whole wheat bread, you’ll have a great wild rice bread for dinner and leftovers.
A sweet bread that would be great for breakfast on Thanksgiving day is this Apple Raisin Cinnamon Pumpkin Spice Bread. Filling and quite festive too!
To save time on Thanksgiving, make your bread ahead of time – you can use this tip to keep your bread fresh until Thanksgiving day.
A few other bread recipes I recommend:
Be sure to join us tomorrow – side dishes.
1. All of you; this blog wouldn’t be nearly as fun without all of you! Getting to know you has been a treat and I am humbled by the opportunity I have to help you find JOY in your kitchen.
2. Food. Seriously – so many people don’t have access to good, healthy foods, and we have an abundance and are able to make choices, even, about what we eat. That is a blessing that I thank God for.
3. God. Without Him, my life would be meaningless & death would have the final say. Praise Jesus that He bore the cross and paid for my sins.
4. Family. Both near & far are a blessing, and I’m thankful that God chose me for them, and them for me!
5. Friends. I’m so thankful we don’t walk this road alone, rather, that God has given us friends to share the journey and spur us on toward Christ.
6. Frog Prince. Every day with him is a blessing, and I take none for granted. He is an amazing man of God, and I am so thankful I get to do life with him. He selflessly serves our family, works hard & diligently to provide for us, and chooses to love me every day.
7. Students. God has blessed me with an incredible group of Christ-followers to teach, mentor and love-on this fall; I could not be more thankful for them this year.
8. Colleagues. I love working day in and day out with colleagues who listen, care, do everything to the glory of God and most of all, who love the Lord.
9. Sister. My sister is an amazing gift to me and I am thankful that she and I were chosen to have a bond that no other can understand.
10. Bible study friends. These men & women of God are incredible, and I find it hard to believe that two years ago, we were just beginning our friendship. I’m so thankful for their encouragement and willingness to do life together.
11. Sunshine. The beautiful burning star in the sky, that can make a grey day seem like a thing of the past.
12. God’s creation. The world God made is incredible, the intricacies, the stunning beauty and the way it reveals Him to the nations is fascinating. Beyond that, I’m thankful I get to study it and teach others about it as my calling in life.
13. Long walks. There is nothing better than a long walk with my honey.
14. Snowflakes. We saw a few snowflakes this month, and I am always amazed at the beauty a blanket of white can bring to a brown landscape. Not only that, but seeing those unique snowflakes reminds me of God’s thoughtfulness.
15. Colored leaves. Stunning. Fall displays some of God’s coolest colors spread across the horizon; it’s a season I look forward to each year. I’m thankful I live in a place where I have the chance to see the seasons change & the leaves change color.
16. Warm temperatures. The weather this week has been amazing, and I so appreciate warmer temperatures that allow me to walk along the lake at lunch, or in our neighborhood after work.
17. Photosynthesis. What can I say, without it, we could not live. Praise God for how He uses little plant cells to create glucose from nothing more than CO2, sunlight and water. Amazing.
18. Shelter. And, not only shelter, but a beautiful place to call home.
19. Heat. That when it’s cold, we can turn on our furnace; something so many others are not able to do.
10. Provision. We have more than we could ever need, and all our basic needs are meet. Praise God.
21. Blessings. Above and beyond what we need, God pours out His richest blessings – they may be material things, or people, words spoken or words on a page; regardless, I am thankful for all the blessings.
22. God’s guidance & purpose for my life. As I look back over my life, it is clear to me that God has been guiding me every step of the way; the experiences I’ve had, the joys and the sorrows, all prepared me for where I am right now. I am so thankful for God’s guidance.
Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll be back next week with more fun recipes. Until then – have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving holiday.
Changing leftovers into additional yummy meals doesn’t take a lot – and you can stretch that turkey for days!
If you made the turkey, be sure to save the bones; make broth! Then, use that broth to make an amazing turkey soup with homemade noodles.
Other Soup Recipes:
Cheddar Turkey & Rice
Wildrice Soup
Turkey & Pepper Stew
White Turkey Chili
You can also toss leftover turkey is some yummy casserole dishes, like my favorite broccoli hotdish. The leftover stuffing goes great on the top of this hotdish!
Turkey Tetrazzini is another fun one for leftovers!
But we love Kentucky Hot Browns. A once a year tradition in our house… yum-o.
Or, try:
Turkey Pot Pie
Baked Turkey Tortillas
Spinach Pasta Skillet
Cheddar Turkey & Pasta Bake
For all those potatoes – here are a couple of fun recipes we love:
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What are your favorite ways to use leftovers?
Best Breads for Thanksgiving
Best Side Dishes for Thanksgiving
Best Turkey Recipes
Best Dessert Recipes
Breakfast Thanksgiving morning can be tough because of all the work being done in the kitchen.
With these easy make-ahead breakfasts, you can serve a yummy start to the day without a lot of work.
Overnight Apple Cinnamon French Toast
Overnight Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Cake
Overnight Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
What are your favorite holiday breakfasts?
If you missed last week – check out these Thanksgiving recipes:
Best Breads for Thanksgiving
Best Side Dishes for Thanksgiving
Best Turkey Recipes
Best Dessert Recipes
I know earlier this week I said the side dishes are my favorite part of Thanksgiving. But, now seeing all these desserts, I think I’d like to change my answer.
Our favorite desserts, that make an appearance every year, go to:
Award-Winning
Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust & Spiced Whipped Cream
Classic Apple Pie with No-Fail Crust
We also highly recommend:
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
{with 58% less fat, 46% fewer calories than the original!}
Slab Apple Pie with Crumble Topping
Apple Pockets
{Who can resist these cute mini pies?!}
Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake
Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
Other yummy desserts for you include:
Don’t forget to join us for the rest of the week --
Monday – Best Breads for Thanksgiving
Tuesday – Best Side Dishes for Thanksgiving
Wednesday – Best Turkey Recipes
Thursday – Best Dessert Recipes
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