Our Thanksgiving Plans

I’m soooo excited the holidays are finally here. Florida is getting cooler and we’ve already decorated for Christmas, so we’re feeling pretty joyful in our house. Our Thanksgiving plans are a little more casual considering everything going on, but we’re still having a few of my family members stay with us for the weekend — so we’re very excited!

We’re having five extra adults plus one additional toddler stay with us so it’s going to be fun chaos! Since I’m already organizing everything, I figured I’d share our plans with ya’ll so you could get a peek into our lives and maybe get some menu inspiration for your day!

Full transparency, our Thanksgiving menu isn’t “healthy”. We like to lean into the holidays and eat until we’re full and happy and not stress about “healthy” vs. “unhealthy” foods. On Monday, we’ll get back into a routine, but for now, it’s nice to eat and spend time with family!

Breakfast

As I said, we’re having a few family members stay with us Wednesday night, so I need to feed them on Thursday morning! On Wednesday I’ll prep our favorite Breakfast Blueberry Croissant Puff and this delicious Cheesy Tater Tot Breakfast Bake. I plan to put those out with some fresh fruit so everyone can wake up and serve themselves so I can get right to work making dinner!

Tablescape

Setting the table is also something I do ahead of time. I LOVE a cute Thanksgiving tablescape. The pictures above are from last year. I’m planning on doing something similar. I’ll use one of the eucalyptus garlands I shared in my Holiday Roundup and lay it over brown craft paper then decorate with dried oranges! I also bought some new light pink linen napkins so I’m excited to see how it turns out!

Make Ahead of Time + Outsource

In order to take some items off my plate, I always look at my menu and choose the items that can be prepped Wednesday. I found delicious Green Bean Casserole and Turkey Gravy recipes that are designed to be prepped early. These stay well in the fridge and can be heated up right before serving dinner!

My mother in law makes the stuffing, so that’s something else that I can take off my list. She’s vegan, so it’s a completely vegan recipe but it’s always yummy! Let me know in the comments if you want her recipe!

I also like to order the turkey from William and Sonoma to take another items off of my grocery list. The turkey is an organic Willy Bird Turkey. It’s shipped from California and comes in a cooler pack ready to cook. I toss on this delicious turkey rub and pop it in the oven.

What I’m Making Thursday Morning

We have a few recipes I enjoy making every year but I’m always searching for new things to add to our menu! This year we’re trying a new veggie and salad recipe but sticking with our standard sweet potato and corn casserole recipe. They’re not healthy but they’re DELICIOUS!

Here are all the sides i’ll be making!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Streusel: I love to double this for leftovers.
Corn Casserole: We double this one too!
Cranberry Orange Sauce: This smells as good as it tastes.
Mashed Potatoes: A delicious classic!
Parmesan Roasted Broccoli: We always have a green veggie, so we’re trying a new recipe this year.
Fall Salad: We love to have a big green veggie salad!

Dessert

My sisters usually bring a pie or two! I’m still planning on making this Pumpkin Snack Cake that I have made before and we all really enjoyed!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving no matter how you’re celebrating. Try and enjoy the day and not stress about food. You can always get back on track on Monday!