The big day is coming right up!!! We just finished making our massive grocery list for Thanksgiving dinner. We’ve already purchased this:
I’m also going to marinate and cook some tofu, in case we don’t like the roast- we have a history of trying these vegan roasts and not loving them. We’ll also have mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, salad, cranberry sauce, gravy, and I’m making this recipe for cauliflower stuffing that I read about on Suzanne’s blog!
We’ll also be having three pies, one pecan and two pumpkin. One of the pumpkin pies is only for me, because I make it with no sugar, The rest of the family has a “normal” pumpkin pie, and my husband and son make the pecan pie.
Now, wait a minute! (you might be thinking.) Thanksgiving without turkey? Pie without sugar??? I promise you- it’s all delicious. Here’s our schedule for the week:
Tuesday: I work while everyone else lounges at home in their pajamas. After work, grocery shopping. After shopping, I’ll be making the pie crusts. I will not be cooking dinner this night! I’ll let the family sort that out.
Wednesday: No work! We’ll get our Christmas tree and set it up (but not decorate it.) Day of cooking- we’ll make all three pies, the mashed potatoes and the stuffing. My husband and son do their fair share of cooking.
THURSDAY!: Cook everything else! Eat!
Friday: Grr. I’ll be going to work while once again, the rest of the family lounges at home in their pajamas. But my Black Friday tradition is to go to work, and as soon as I get home, eat a piece of pumpkin pie. Then we’ll decorate the Christmas tree! Obviously no cooking tonight.
I think this is my favorite week of the year. The whole family is here, the kids don’t have school (and neither does my husband.) We have so much good food, and then the Christmas season begins!!!
If you celebrate Thanksgiving, how is this week for you? Do you love it?
If you don’t live in the US, I apologize for the Thanksgiving frenzy. But I hope you have an awesome week!
Header photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
26 Responses
I bought those same roasts! My mother in law and daughter are vegetarian, and really enjoyed them last year. They don’t sell them all year, so I’m going to go buy a few more after Thanksgiving to have in our freezer. I’ll be interested to hear whether you like them, please keep us posted.
We do a big potluck at my in-laws house for Thanksgiving. My contributions are: sweet potato pudding, turk’y roasts, shrimp cocktail (appetizer), Brussels sprouts, and 2 pies (pumpkin and mixed berry). I think I will also get some ice cream for the pies, and a bottle of wine. I have been vacillating between ice cream (which I think goes better with the berry) and whipped cream (which I think goes better with the pumpkin) and am leaning ice cream, because it’s what I like and if I’m the one buying, why not? I will make the shrimp cocktail and the sweet potato pudding the night before, and reheat the pudding (it’s a side, not a dessert). The only thing I will have to cook day of will be the sprouts.
Since we’re having a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie, I got both whipped cream and ice cream! Why not? I will definitely let you know how we like the roast- we got that one because my son did the research and said it was supposed to be good.
please take a pic of your food!!! i would love to see your vegan feast!
is your family all vegan?
please share the sugar free pumpkin pie.
I will definitely be posting photos of our dinner! And I’ll share the pumpkin pie recipe. My husband, son and I are all vegan and my daughter (the rebel) is vegetarian.
I want to come to your house for your vegan Thanksgiving feast! It looks like a lot of work but totally worth it!
Luckily I don’t have to cook anything, I just have to show up at my parents’ house and enjoy. I’m the only vegan in my family but my sister is dairy-free so my mom makes sure all the sides are vegan so we have something to eat. We’ve always done Thanksgiving just as an immediate family which I love because it minimizes the drama that seems to happen with big family gatherings!
Yes, we do Thanksgiving with just the four of us (although you’re welcome to join us if you want to fly out!) We just don’t have any family closeby and we don’t want to travel over Thanksgiving.
Jenny, your enthusiasm for Thanksgiving is so infectious. I love it so much! This sounds like a spectacular spread. I hope the vegan roast is delicious but it sounds like you will have some great options in case it’s a dud. Fingers crossed that the cauliflower stuffing is a hit!
I’ll let you know, Suzanne! Maybe if it’s delicious you can make it another year (when you’re actually able to host a Thanksgiving dinner, sigh.)
Yum. This is just all lovely (aside from you having to work on Friday – booooo).
I wish I was coming over for dinner and I’m not even vegan! Enjoy this week, my friend <3
Honestly, you would like it Elisabeth! You wouldn’t even miss the turkey : )
Yes.. pie with no sugar!!?? No turkey is okay as long as there is stuffing and sweet potatoes (with sugar!!).
I work on Black Friday but in previous jobs, we were closed. I don’t mind. My hubby works too and we are empty nesters, remember.
Not cooking on Thursday… just a race and then dinner at my MILs.
Your Thanksgiving sounds good- a race and no cooking. I complain about it, but I’m used to working on Black Friday so it’s not really that big a deal.
I don’t eat the turkey anyway, but I have to admit that the vegan roast does not look like the most appetizing thing to me, to be honest. I’ll be interested in hearing how it turned out.
I work Wednesday and have to figure out how to get to Costco before we leave for Iowa on Thursday. I’m making a salad, as is my usual contribution. Last year, there was very little I could eat outside of that salad, so I’m going to really try to bulk it up this year. I do have Friday off and I am not sure what our plans are, but I’d love to get the Christmas tree up and decorated, outside lights hung, Christmas ornament and cards ordered, and have time for a meet-up with a fellow blogger this weekend. Can it all be done? We’ll see!
I will definitely give you our honest opinion of the roast!
Your Black Friday plans sound really fun. I’ll be interested to hear if you get it all accomplished.
I ADORE Thanksgiving. It’s probably my favorite holiday because you eat delicious food, watch football, and that’s it. Basically I like it because there ARE NO GIFTS. yes, I realize this makes me the grinch. But I am so not a gift person. If I never received another gift in my life, that would be JUST FINE. I recognize that my kids are in a gift-loving stage. So I am trying to amp myself up for holiday shopping but I just think of all the clutter that will result… But wait, this is supposed to be a happy comment. So setting my anti-gift opinions aside, I am really excited for the next several days. We’ll be at my brother’s for Thanksgiving and will see lots of family there. On Friday we’ll go to my MIL’s after naptime and have a dinner w/ her – but not a Thanksgiving dinner. She’s making soup I think. Then Sunday I host my college friends and their kids for cookie decorating which is an annual tradition. I’m excited about all of this even though it’s kind of a lot for a weekend. Oh and Phil and Paul are going to an early Thanksgiving dinner at Phil’s cousin’s tonight. Taco and I will stay home since it will be too late of a night for him. He has school tomorrow, Paul is going to the aftercare program which provides childcare on many non-school days and Phil and I will both be at work. If it wasn’t a “school night” we’d all be going.
Wow, you have a lot going on- but it all sounds really fun (especially the cookie decorating party.). I’m laughing a little at your anti-gift stance- I like gifts, but I agree it can be stressful, and result in a lot of extra clutter.
I love TG so much! I hate turkey but I make up for it with stuffing and green bean casserole.
This year one of my in town SILs is having TG with her other inlaws, so we’re going to do a small family celebration on Thursday and then the big family feast on Saturday,
Oh, you could join us! No turkey on our table- but we also don’t do a green bean casserole. Not sure why- I’ve just never made one.
It sounds like you have it all planned out and I hope you have the best week.
We just spent an early Thanksgiving- weekend in SoCal and will be home by ourselves for the actual holiday. I like to have a low-key day.
That sounds perfect- you saw family but get to spend the actual holiday at home.
What a very full and well planned week you have ahead! I can’t wait to hear how everything turns out.
Here I am working Wednesday and Friday, so I am not going anywhere. I do like making a big meal, so we will have lots of food. One of my co-workers who is in town to work on my show is coming over. I had thought that maybe I should have invited more people from the show over since everyone essentially is stuck in town over Thanksgiving, but I’m so shy about these things. I love to have a house full of people, but I never feel comfortable inviting people over unless I know they very well.
Diane, that’s funny because in the past we’ve tried inviting people over for Thanksgiving, but when they find out we’re not having turkey they don’t want to come! Whatever- more food for us. I hope you enjoy your day!
I babysat mon, tues, and wed this week. I had very few kids and the ones I had are basically part of the family. They blend into the scenery here, so it wasn’t a huge deal but it was still different than being off.
We spent the day with my husband’s family. I brought mashed potatoes, sweet and sour green beans (made GF), and 3 loaves of pumpkin bread. My SIL is recently GF so there were more options to eat than if we ate with my side.
Thanksgiving week is one of my favorite weeks of the year! It helps that I DO have Thursday/Friday off. But I love how quiet and easy Monday-Wednesday are at work, too. I hope you enjoy your pumpkin pie today after work! And go Dolphins!
I need to try one of those vegan roasts… I’m always tempted and always turn away. I await the report.
Also, pumpkin pie recipe, for sure. Please do share! It must be so nice to share dietary preferences with the majority of your family. 🙂
It is wonderful to see all the joy Thanksgiving is bringing you and your family.