Pulling Off an Easy, Delicious, and Healthy (Enough) Thanksgiving Dinner for 6...for only $100!

I love Thanksgiving. Back when I was about 15 years old, I decided to go all out and make a big, gourmet Thanksgiving dinner. At the time, I didn't have any experience cooking. It was a blast and a learning experience at the same time, and afterward cooking became one of my main hobbies for many years to come.

But now I'm a mom and a new business owner, and while I enjoy making delicious, nutritious meals for my family, cooking is no longer a top priority or even the way I prefer to spend my time. Our family arrives on Thanksgiving Day, and I don't want to be stuck in the kitchen upon their arrival; I want to enjoy their company and relax! We also happen to be on a budget at the moment. Going all out just doesn't make sense this year. At the same time, I want to serve an amazing meal to my loved ones. 

Fortunately, my desire for an easy, delicious, creative, healthy, and affordable spread isn't as impossible as it might sound. I set - and met - my budget at $100 for the main meal. I also chose to add in appetizers and dessert for a grand total of $150. 

Here's the plan:

DRY-BRINED TURKEY ($40)

Get started on your turkey, stat! Hopefully that bad boy is already thawing in your fridge, but if not, here's info on how to properly thaw a turkey. Seriously though - delicious turkey starts with planning and preparation. Once your turkey is thawed (or at least close), get your dry brine going. Plan to brine the turkey for at least one full day for maximum flavor. If you haven't started yet: buy that turkey, thaw it quickly and safely, and start the brine tomorrow. I opted for a free-range turkey for a slightly higher price tag ($2.25/lb), but in my book it is worth it.

To be honest, I've never done a "wet" brine. It just seems like too much work, and word on the street (err...the internet) is that dry brine is where it's at. I have made more complicated recipes as well, but at the end of the day, I want a juicy turkey that can mingle well with the varying flavors of the other holiday dishes. 

I'm referring to The Kitchn's guide to How to Dry-Brine a Turkey and using a homemade salt & herb mixture of 1-2 tablespoons each of the following: basil, marjoram, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, rosemary, coarse salt, freshly-ground pepper, lemon zest. Feel free to swap dried herbs for fresh and get creative with your combinations. This will suit turkeys up to 12 pounds; scale up for very large birds.

The night before Thanksgiving, pat the turkey dry and then return it to the refrigerator for an additional 4-12 hours to help dry the skin (resulting in a crispier skin upon cooking...yum!).

On Thanksgiving day:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Rub down the turkey with grassfed butter or ghee, including a bit under the skin and extra by the breasts. 
3. Stuff the turkey (if desired) with carrots, onions, garlic, lemon quarters, and celery, placing some veggies and bay leaves around the turkey in the pan.
4. Pour about 2 cups of liquid (broth, apple cider, wine, etc.) into the pan. 
5. Cook for 40 minutes, breast-side up, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Baste the turkey, and continue to do so every 15-30 minutes or so. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, which should take an additional 2 hours +/-. Cover the breasts with foil if they start to dry out.
6. Let turkey rest on a cutting board for 30 minutes prior to carving and serving.

MUSHROOM GRAVY ($5)

I pulled this recipe from the @whole30recipes account on Instagram, which regularly features various food bloggers who 'gram their Whole 30-compliant recipes. This recipe was from @pretend_its_a_donut. Check out the recipe here! I haven't made it yet, but it sounds simple, flavorful, and just a tad different than the usual gravy. 

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE ($15)

This is one of "my" classic Thanksgiving dishes. I actually did not grow up eating green bean casserole at the holidays, but now I love it. This version is a grown-up variation that features a few other vegetables and a healthier sauce. Confession: I usually use French-cut canned green beans. This year, though, I was craving something a bit lighter and fresher, so I opted for raw green beans. I won't judge if you go comfort food-style, though. ;) I'll also be honest in that I lost the damn recipe. Not even kidding! So, truth be told, this is how I intend to make the casserole this year, and it won't be a far cry from the original. Bonus: This dish is vegan!

• 2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and halved (or 3 cans French-cut green beans)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (or butter)
• 1/3 cup each, chopped: baby bella or cremini mushrooms, carrot, celery
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• To taste: herbes de provence, salt, pepper
• 1 carton Imagine cream of portobello mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos or coconut aminos
• 1-2 cartons french-fried onions

1. Bring a large pot of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Add the green beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Sautee the chopped vegetables and garlic until soft. Stir in the seasonings. Lower the heat.
4. Add the soup, nutritional yeast, and aminos to the pan. If needed, thicken with a bit of flour mixed with water.
5. Grease a baking dish, and add the green beans. Pour the sauce mixture over the green beans and toss to coat. If you like a lot of french-fried onions (like me!), mix half of a carton into the green bean mixture. Otherwise, just use one and top the dish with a nice, thick layer.
6. Cook at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve immediately.

* Pro Tip * Prep the casserole in advance, and simply pop it into the oven after the turkey comes out! This allows the casserole to be piping hot, and the turkey needs to rest before carving. Plus, no crowding in the oven!

ROASTED RAINBOW CARROTS ($5)

• 2 lb bag organic rainbow carrots 
• olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Scrub the carrots. No cutting needed - we are going to leave these babies whole.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean-up. 
3. Toss the carrots in olive oil, salt, and pepper by hand, making sure they are evenly coated. Place the carrots on the baking sheet, leaving room for them to "breathe." This allows the carrots to roast, whereas crowding them will encourage steaming. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness, so space them out nicely.
4. Roast for ~ 30 minutes, or until soft and caramelized. Can be served warm or chilled.

WILD RICE, POMEGRANATE & KALE SALAD ($15)

• 1 cup dry wild rice blend
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (sub vegetable broth for a vegan dish)
• 1 pomegranate, seeds only
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional: toast lightly)
• 1 head of kale, washed and torn into pieces
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 lemons, juice only (if desired, save some peel for decorating the salad)
• olive or avocado oil
• 1.5 tsp dried tarragon
• pink salt, to taste
• lemon pepper, to taste
• 1 lemon, sliced (for serving)

1. Combine wild rice blend with chicken broth in a pot. Bring stove to high, until it reaches a boil; reduce heat to low. Cook for ~18 minutes, or until tender but still chewy. Let sit.
2. Mix the shallots, lemon juice, tarragon, some pink salt and lemon pepper in a bowl. While stirring, drizzle in your choice of oil until you have a vinaigrette consistency.
3. Combine the dressing with the cooked wild rice blend, then add the chopped walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and torn kale. Toss lightly. Adjust flavorings as needed. Ideally, this will sit for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to marry. Serve with lemon slices.

* Pro Tip * Remove the seeds from the pomegranate in advance; they can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container. While it is never easy for me, here's my recommended method. For even more advance preparation, you can prepare most parts of this salad leading up to Thanksgiving Day, and can even assemble it the night before.

GARLICKY SMASHED POTATOES ($10)

• 5 lbs organic red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
• 1 head garlic
• olive oil
• Kerrygold butter or ghee
• pink salt
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the end off a head of garlic and rub the open part with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Roast the garlic at 400 degrees for roughly an hour, or until soft. Let cool, then squeeze out the garlic into a bowl; set aside.
2. Place potatoes into a big pot and cover with water. Turn heat on high until water begins to boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low.
3. Let potatoes simmer for ~ 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain well and transfer to a bowl or return to the same pot. (I'm all about cutting down on dishes!)
4. Add the roasted garlic to the potatoes, along with the butter/ghee, salt, and pepper to taste. How much butter you use is up to you; I would start with 3 Tbsp.
5. Using a potato masher, mash it all up together! I really love leaving some chunks in my smashed potatoes, but you can also use an immersion blender to a creamy, smooth variation.

* Pro Tip * If you must, you can peel the potatoes, but I don't ever bother. I think the peel is extra delicious in this variation, plus most of the nutrients are in there. And it is one less thing to do. Want to get ahead? Roast your garlic in advance!

HONEY BUTTER ($5)

• 1/2 Tbsp local honey
• 1/4 cup Kerrygold butter

1. Mix it up!
2. Let it chill. 
3. Serve with your favorite roll or bread. I chose Whole Foods' Seeduction Rolls ($5).

Appetizers ($30) & desserts ($15) & DRINKS ($5)

Since I like to do a late afternoon/early evening Thanksgiving meal, I make sure to have satisfying but light snacks available throughout the day. To keep cooking to a minimum, I bought the following prepared items to nosh on:

• crudites: sweet peppers, cucumbers, and broccoli
• 3 types of cheese
• fancy crackers
• hummus
• assorted olives
• salame

I also opted to buy dessert this year. I went with:

• Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream (a Texas classic!)
• Pumpkin pie from Whole Foods

Our guests will be bringing beer and wine, so I am keeping drinks super-easy by buying a 12-pack of La Croix. That's it!

Tips & Tricks for Staying Sane on Thanksgiving

• Choose one (or more) things to buy, rather than make from scratch. Pick your battles! This year, I opted to buy my rolls and dessert from Whole Foods. I simply didn't feel like baking, and taking these off my list of things to do keeps it streamlined. And no need to feel any guilt for not making it 100% from scratch - this is all about finding a balance between making a loving meal and enjoying quality family time, while also taking the opportunity reflect. Give yourself some grace. #progressnotperfection

• Buy your ingredients ASAP! Quality and availability drops considerably in the last couple days before Thanksgiving. Plus, it is so stressful to cram it in at the last minute (along with everyone else running around the store doing the same thing). 

• For all that is good and holy, don't forget to thaw that turkey in advance! And if you're dry-brining, plan ahead for that as well. 

• Buy your herbs and spices in the bulk section of the grocery store, if available. This allows you to buy only the amount you need, cutting down on overall costs. I find this especially helpful for seasonings that I really only use around Thanksgiving, such as rubbed sage or pumpkin pie spice. I tend to use a wide variety of dried herbs in my holiday cooking, so spending 30-50 cents each (compared to $3-5 per bottle) is big savings. This also applies to grains, beans, nutritional yeast, nuts, dried fruit, other dry goods, and in some cases even oils and vinegars.

• Make sure you plan ahead which meals will be cooked in which dish, and when everything will be on the stovetop or in the oven. I learned my first year of Thanksgiving dinner that you actually can't cook 4 different things at the same time at different temperatures (oops...). It is usually helpful to have at least 1-2 dishes assembled and ready to go on the day of, as well.

• When drafting your shopping list, consider everyday essentials like olive oil, butter, salt, eggs, and garlic. Do you have enough? This is invariably what I wish I'd bought more of.

• For most families, 1.5 lbs of turkey per guest is a safe estimate, and leaves some (but not too many) leftovers. Scale up or down based on your family's appetite and your meal plans.

• What time do you plan to serve dinner? Add 30 minutes and give that as your actual dinner time. Trust me. ;)

Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous, vibrant day of gratitude!