A Sugar-Free Holiday

Our eating habits have changed drastically over the year as we have cut back the amount of sugar and starch we consume. Although we don't remove carbohydrates completely from our diet, they mostly come in the form of nut butters, veggies, and the occasional whole wheat products. You can see how that would make Thanksgiving a bit of a challenge. Sugar doesn't keep her carb counts as low as I do (I max out at 20 a day) but I am worried that the drastic increase in junk will throw her on a glucose rollercoaster and leave behind tummy troubles. With her recently fighting a pretty nasty cold, I didn't want to take any chances.

The Bird. I have the huge twenty pound turkey defrosting as I type. My husband is planning on smoking it this year. I didn't argue since everything he grills/smokes is delicious. It didn't hurt that it was one less thing that had to go in my tiny oven.

Deviled Eggs. They are on the menu no matter the occasion. (Yay! and already low carb!) The recipe came from my mother-in-law and is the same one that she and her mother used to make. They include bacon - and are addictively awesome. I usually make several dozen and the plate is always clean.

Mac and cheese. This one is a bit more tricky given the macaroni required for the "mac" part. Luckily, I found a pretty amazing Cauli-"mac" and cheese recipe from the boards over at Low Carb Friends. We have eaten it several times over the past months and the kids love it. I plan to dress it up with a good sharp cheddar, gruyere, and fontina cheeses.

String Bean Stacks.  Green beans. Wrapped in bacon. Yum!

Brussels and walnuts.  Yummy 'sprouts roasted in (sf) maple syrup and walnuts. These are so easy and so good!

The Stuffing.  This is actually the first year that I have made stuffing. Usually it is my much beloved dressing and while there are low carb cornbread variations available that we've tried (and really liked!) I wasn't sure how the almond flour would soak up. Instead we are making a sausage based stuffing with low-carb bread that I found on Youtube.  Review to follow.

Pumpkin Pie. This will be the real deal on special request from the hubs and Tater. I will probably remove some of the sweetener and make it a tad lower in carbs in case Sugar decides she wants a piece.

Almond Crusted  Carmel Cheesecake. The coup de gras. This is my favorite. I had to make a practice one a couple of weeks ago just to make sure that I got it right :) . A large slice with a cup of coffee will end our feast.

Those are the bones of our meal! It is considerably smaller this year since it will mostly be immediate family and my mother-in-law. I may even change my mind about using real dishes and go for the paper plates... It would make getting to the hot chocolate and Christmas tree decorating a lot easier!