A Real Food Thanksgiving Feast (and How to Dry Brine a Turkey)

Have you been stressing about your Thanksgiving menu? Well, stress no more, because today I’m giving you a gift: A Thanksgiving menu that is healthy and completely composed of Real Food. But most importantly, it is delicious!

Let’s start with the star of the show, the turkey. We have made turkey many different ways over the years, but we have discovered our favorite way to make turkey is to use a dry brine. A dry brine is super simple, and I have never had a more juicy and tender turkey! The best part about this is that you can put it on the turkey when it is still frozen, then put it in the fridge with the brine on to defrost for a couple of days. When it’s time to cook, you rinse the brine off and you are good to go! Here is the recipe for the dry brine, and for the rub that I like to put on the turkey:

You can get a meat thermometer like the one we use right here, and a similar roasting pan is here. We also always use and recommend Redmond Real Salt.

What about the rest of the meal? Don’t worry, I can help with that, too! Here are some of my favorite, delicious Thanksgiving side dishes made with real food:

• For me, it’s not a real Thanksgiving dinner without cranberry sauce. I used to love the goop that was still in the shape of the can, but as I have gotten older and my tastes have matured, I love a good homemade sauce. This cranberry sauce is not traditional, but it is so yummy! It’s super easy to make, too, you have to give it a try.
• Again, in my younger days, there was nothing better than stuffing from a box. As we have cut processed foods from our diet, I have found that the boxed stuff tastes too artificial to me, and I have a hard time gagging it down. I was delighted to find this version of real food stuffing that uses rice instead of bread. What a great idea!
• There is definitely room for vegetables on the Thanksgiving table, especially when the vegetables are as delicious as this tasty Brussels sprouts recipe!
• The rolls are a completely necessary item for me on Thanksgiving. Of course, I recommend my delicious whole wheat dinner rolls. There is really nothing better, and it even makes a great bread for your leftover turkey and cranberry sandwiches the next day.
• You either love or you hate the goopy marshmallow-covered sweet potato dish that seems to be a Thanksgiving constant. This recipe for sweet potatoes has swapped an all-natural sweetener of maple syrup for the sugar, and a yummy pecan topping for the sticky, processed marshmallows. I adore sweet potatoes, and this recipe shows them off in a lovely way!
• I love a nice, fresh salad to brighten up my Thanksgiving plate. Besides, I can never get enough greens! This salad is so beautiful, and I love even more cranberry on my plate, yum!
• While there are a lot of things that say Thanksgiving to me, one thing that is totally necessary, even more than the turkey, is pumpkin pie! But how do you get a Real Food pumpkin pie? I found this pumpkin pie recipe that does a beautiful job, and I love that it has a grain-free crust for those who may have a problem with gluten. If you want a more traditional crust, you can always swap it out with this great recipe for the crust.

I hope this list helps relieve some of that pre-Thanksgiving stress while giving you a delicious, healthy meal!

I also want you to keep in mind that the way you eat your meal makes a big difference in both your enjoyment and how healthy it is for you!

When you pile your plate full to overflowing, and then stuff yourself to the point of discomfort, you are trying to feel satisfied by quantity versus quality.

However, if you have food made with the highest quality of ingredients possible, and take your time to savor and enjoy each bit, that’s where you find true satisfaction! It’s healthier to eat this way in both mind and body, and it helps you enjoy your meal more!