Pick Up Your Plates For Paleo Thanksgiving

On paleo Thanksgiving, it's time to clean your plate - and we don't just mean at the gym! Thanksgiving is a holiday loaded with gluten-filled dishes, but going paleo means no diary, grains, processed sugars, white potatoes, legumes, or alcohol. We taught you how to meal prep paleo with Tiffany Gaston, and now it's time to go all the way with paleo Thanksgiving.

Mashed Cauliflower

Creamy and comforting like a side of real mashed potatoes, this variety is low in both carbs and calories. Mashed cauliflower is a great addition to your paleo Thanksgiving. Cauliflower is rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C and manganese, both of which are antioxidants that contain vitamin K and omega-3 fatty acids. Extremely easy to prepare, store these leftovers in your meal management bag for easy snacking on the go. All you need to do is chop up the cauliflower, boil, and then mash. Give it that mashed potato taste by sautéing garlic in olive oil and adding it to your mashed cauliflower.

Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Thank your digestive system and treat it with gluten-free dinner rolls for your paleo Thanksgiving. (Get the scoop on how to meal prep gluten-free year-round with Chandice.) Regular dinner rolls can get up to more than 250 calories per serving. By switching out a few ingredients, you can eliminate extra calories and keep your plate clean. Look to use ingredients like tapioca flour (starch), coconut flour, and olive oil to keep your dinner rolls deliciously paleo. Gluten has been said to cause bloating and fatigue. If you're planning on stuffing yourself like a turkey, you might want to skip the gluten and fill up on gluten-free dishes instead.

Stuffing

The amount of carbs in stuffing alone can put you to sleep, but substituting paleo ingredients can keep you awake for dessert. Stuffing consists of almost 9 cups of soft breadcrumbs. Replace the grains with protein-rich items like ground pork, diced mushroom, or coconut flour. Think about replacing the dairy from butter with coconut oil or bacon fat. Coconut oil can improve blood cholesterol levels and is known to lower your risk of heart disease. Beef up your stuffing this year with paleo Thanksgiving ingredients instead.

Green Bean Casserole

When you think of the main sides for your paleo Thanksgiving feast, green bean casserole will always make an appearance. The main ingredients typically include some kind of cream-based soup and milk, both of which go against paleo protocol, but they can be easily replaced. Make your dish a vegetable casserole by keeping the green beans and replacing the offending ingredients with items like coconut oil, yellow onion, mushrooms, and garlic to bump up the flavor.

Turkey

You can't have Thanksgiving without turkey, but how do you make a paleo Thanksgiving turkey? The answer is as simple as using duck fat instead of butter! Although butter is accepted on the paleo diet, if you're looking to remove dairy, duck fat or ghee - a type of clarified butter that is a favorite alternative in the paleo world - are both better choices to cook your turkey in. To season, use garlic powder, rosemary, sage, and thyme for your turkey to marinate in a delicious mix of herbs and spices. You'll have tasty leftovers that are perfect or meal prepping.

Pumpkin Bread

If you have any room left for dessert you'll want to put your pumpkin bread through the paleo Thanksgiving treatment. Nothing says "fall" like the smell of warm pumpkin bread. Use your normal pumpkin bread recipe but replace ingredients with blanched almond flour, roasted pumpkin, and stevia for sweetener. Whether or not you choose to go paleo this Thanksgiving, you'll probably end up in a food coma after dinner. Give thanks to your body this holiday with a guilt-free Paleo Thanksgiving meal. If you're not totally paleo but still want to incorporate healthier food, check out our ideas for clean eating on Thanksgiving! However you decide to make your holiday healthier, your body will be thankful, your family will be thankful, and you'll be thankful for all of the leftovers you can put in your meal management bag for weeks to come!