Entertaining

Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving Super Foods Recipes

Thanksgiving Table Setting on MarlaMeridith.com

You guys pop over here to create healthy, delicious, whole food recipes. Simple recipes with bold flavors and great for you ingredients. Here is a list of  Thanksgiving recipes for your holiday table. If you are anything like me then you are still shopping and won’t be doing much cooking until the day before and day of.

If you have been crawling my recipe page then hopefully you have all ready found what you are looking for. To make things convenient, here is everything you should need in one place.

From our home to yours we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter and lots and lots of healthy, joyful food.

Thanksgiving Table Setting on MarlaMeridith.com

I know the word super foods is kinda kitchy and implies food that flies around wearing capes. It is a word that has come to mean healthy, whole foods that are energizing and disease preventative. I am not stating any claims other than the fact that this is how we always like to eat around here.

I hope this little pinecone turkey makes you smile. I was tickled when my daughter brought him home from school…

What should we name him? He needs a name.

Thanksgiving Table Setting on MarlaMeridith.com

No matter what time of year it is we try to stick to the freshest, organic ingredients we can find. When you source the best, the flavors are sure to shine….

Holidays or any other days of the year. The quality of your ingredients should be amazing.

Thanksgiving Table Setting on MarlaMeridith.com

My friend Angie met me for coffee the other day with a huge bag of fall leaves. She handed them to me with a big smile on her face. She knew they would make me happy. Thank you friend. They sure do look pretty in photos.

Let’s begin the feast & the holiday celebration shall we?

Pinecone Turkeys for your Thanksgiving table top | MarlaMeridith.com

Lets start with some quick appetizer ideas.

Stuffed Mushrooms and Grilled Cheese Bruschetta are two great options.

Healthy Holiday Appetizers on MarlaMeridith.com

A few more appetizers:

Now let’s work on Seasonal Salads. Here are a few you could try…

Great Holiday Salads on MarlaMeridith.com

Soup can be a nice warming starter…

Healthy Holiday Soups on MarlaMeridith.com

Side dishes always seem to tie with dessert as everyone’s favorite holiday foods.

Here are our favorite Browned Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut. Just two tablespoons of browned butter can add a whole bunch of great flavor to 3 pounds of sweet potatoes. Trust me, you will want a lot of this recipe for leftovers. More on that in my next post…

Healthy Holiday Side Dishes on MarlaMeridith.com

Green Beans with Leeks and Feta are the perfect alternative to the typical green bean casserole. Sweet Potatoes & Edamame with Fall Spices is delicious too.

Healthy Holiday Side Dishes on MarlaMeridith.com

How about a Spaghetti Squash with Bacon Casserole? Nutty Gruyere cheese with smoky bacon is a dreamy combo.

Bacon and Cheese Spaghetti Squash Casserole Recipe on MarlaMeridith.com

Lets not forget the cranberry sauce. Never ever forget that.

Mine is flavored with citrus, pear and pomegranate seeds. Those fruity flavors balance the tart cranberries really nicely. I also love to use it in yogurt parfaits after the big feast.

Delicious Cranberry Sauce Recipe on MarlaMeridith.com

Turkey or some other protein is essential.

This year I will make a full bird for the 4 of us. I like to rub melted butter all over the skin and season with fresh herbs, spices and citrus. Quite similar to this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis.

I am not opposed to cooking up smaller pieces of protein. Quick Pan Seared Turkey Cutlets and Spinach Ricotta Turkey Roulade with Pomegranate are two great options. My turkey roulade recipe is featured on the City of Hope Facebook page as being part of their “Super Foods For Super Health” series. Thanks guys!

Quick and Easy Turkey for the holidays on MarlaMeridith.com

Gravy……I do not have a recipe on my blog for that yet but here are a few I will consider making.

My daughter wants one with a slight sweetness. For that, I love the sound of A Spicy Perspective’s Apple Cider Turkey Gravy. Here is an interesting Vegan Gravy at What Would Cathy Eat.

Stuffing. I think stuffing is everyone’s favorite holiday carb. Mine has more….sweet potatoes! I love to use organic sprouted grain Ezekiel Bread in our stuffing recipe. I toast the bread first & the flavor is wonderful!

Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Stuffing recipe on MarlaMeridith.com

Dessert. No holiday feast is complete without dessert. This year I will be baking up a few of our favorite Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Tarts.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Tarts with Almond Crust on MarlaMeridith.com

A few more healthy desserts that you can whip up in a pinch:

Don’t ever for get to….
Thanksgiving Pinecone Turkey Table Setting on MarlaMeridith.com
Thanksgiving Around the Web

~ Marla Meridith

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65 thoughts on “Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving Super Foods Recipes

    1. Lisa, actually the cute turkey would be the fine craft works brought home by my 8 year old daughter. I was so surprised when that little guy came home from school. He is a keeper that I will proudly display with the rest of my prop collection. He is gonna need to make a reappearance each Thanksgiving. You and I always LOVE our healthy food options no matter what time of year it is! Have a great Thanksgiving. XO

  1. Love that pine cone turkey – will definitely be creating our own – Minty’s guinea pig is called Pine Cone – so perhaps that’s his/her name?

    1. Thanks Carrie, my daughter gets all the credit for those. That turkey was perfect for staging a table. We need lots more for a full house 😉

  2. Oh I love all those photos! I am so happy you used all those beautiful fall leaves on the table. Thank you for mentioning little old me.
    Healthy, delicious ideas and recipes. I am so thankful for you and our friendship and all the inspiration for healthy living at FFC! xo

  3. Marla~ I can’t take it!
    This food looks so good!
    That’s the cutest pinecone turkey I ever did see!
    If that’s your Thanksgiving table set up I’m headed down to CA to spend Thanksgiving with you!
    CUTEST table EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
    You have the haPPiest house!
    Your family is so blessed to experience your SPIRIT and CHEER each day!
    HaPPy Thanksgiving to you and your adorable family!
    What a crack~up you featured my TURKEY video.
    It’s about as SOUTHERN as you can get.
    xxoxoxoxoxox
    Hugs and kisses and LOVE from Bainbridge!

    1. Teresa, how could I not feature you & that video?! I love a great does of southern charm & you guys know how to cook up a storm! Love that you spend such special moments with your nephew & when you are apart you can maintain such strong bond. I can’t wait to toss those fall leaves all over our dining table tomorrow. The kids will love it! I hope you have and AMAZING Thanksgiving my friend 🙂 xxoo

    1. Jennifer, you are correct. The phrase “comfort food” does not have to mean heavy & rich. For me it simply means recipes filled with vitality & energy. Things that keep us going at full speed ahead. Around here we get all of those comfort food flavors paired with great, healthy ingredients.

  4. Marla- what great recipes and beautiful pictures! I am busy doing my tables today and finishing the shopping. Boy is there ever a lot of shopping involved!
    What a nice friend to bring you those leaves. It just reminded me to clear the phone books where the kids and I pressed some a couple of weeks ago. thanks!

    1. Heather, I am so in love with the holiday table tops you created on your blog. People need to see how beautiful they can decorate the Thanksgiving table. You are always a wonderful inspiration for party planning & amazing recipes. Love the kids table you made too. Isn’t it funny when we turn over those big books to find all the leaves & flowers that we forgot we pressed?! A magical moment indeed…life’s little treasures.

  5. Amazing roundup of recipes..and I love the pine cone turkey. In all your ‘spare time’ you’re finding time for not only cooking, photography and your kids…but making DIY craft projects. My hat is off to you!

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and the fam!

    1. Averie, girl I cannot take the credit for that cute pine cone turkey. He came home with my daughter from school. They made them in art club. Thank goodness for crafty kids…no time for me & that stuff. Though I do feel inspired by that little bird. I have a few little crafty things up my sleeve for Christmas posts…maybe. If I can’t get to them I will dream about them.

    1. Heather, citrus and cranberries are such a great flavor pairing. Once I start making cranberry sauce I tend to make batch after batch for months at a time. Can’t get enough of it! Apple cider is a great addition too 🙂

  6. I am all about having a superfoods thanksgiving..I just wish my family felt the same! It’s okay…I only plan on eating what I prepare since I know it will be chock full of good-for-me ingredients! And I’m loving all of these recipe ideas. Proof that eating healthy is NEVER boring!

    1. Joanne, amen sister! Healthy eating is never boring and it bums me out that so many folks think it is. You & I need to Thanksgiving together…now there is a FUN idea! Have a great one my friend and I would also want to bring my own food if I knew a disaster was waiting 😉

  7. Love it!!! Happy pictures! Happy post! Happy Thanksgiving!

    There are a few recipes that I forgot about. Thanks for reposting spaghetti squash, mini polenta cakes, and your cranberry sauce. Yum!

    Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving week. xoxo, Andrea

    1. Andrea..it is funny looking back at some of those recipes I posted a year, two years ago. They taste really good, but my older photography is a funny to look at. Good thing for lots and lots of practice!
      Happy you have been stopping by my blog since day one. You have seen it all my friend. We need to get you back to the OC soon. I miss you bunches!
      Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your sweet family. XXOO

    1. Chris, glad to hear you are preparing Thanksgiving your way this year. I am sure it will be fantastic. Bet your kids will want to help too. Mine have been enjoying the process of choosing the menu, shopping for ingredients, prepping and cooking….
      Happy Thanksgiving my friend, take time to enjoy that sweet family of yours 🙂

  8. Your food looks absolutely wonderful (as always!), but I just want to say, that little pine cone turkey gave me a big smile.
    I loved arts and crafts as a kid and would make similar things with my parents. Half the time, the crafts would turn out to be a big globby mess of glue, but it was “beautiful” and “had to be the center piece”. Good memories 🙂
    Happy Thanksgiving!

  9. Oh it all looks too delicious to even eat- almost too delicious but then again I am a hungry girl and nothing can stop me from my stuffing and pies! Great selections and might just be adding a few to my list for thanksgiving or even christmas!

  10. This is a great roundup, Marla. I love all of the great recipes floating around, especially the ones that treat our bodies well. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

  11. my mom would cringe but we are having a small family, healthy, gluten free thanksgiving. green beans with shallots, turkey, garlic red potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, grape salad and an indulgent coconut chocolate pie (the crust is coconut!) i am so excited!

    1. Kelly, your Thanksgiving sounds like it will be wonderful. Enjoy every bite and all of those leftovers too (hopefully you will have some 🙂

  12. There are a lot of great looking recipes in that batch. Mostly great looking recipes. Wish I had been celebrating the big day today…guess I’ll have to wait until next year! Lovely, Marla!

    1. Thanks Mike. I wish you and your wife lived closer, would have had you join us. Can’t wait to meet you one day. Hopefully sooner than later.

    1. Well hi Anne! Thanks so much for your super sweet comment. I am just relaxing after the big day & this was so lovely to read 🙂 I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too.