Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes for Families: Clean Ingredient Swaps for a Nourishing Holiday

Gratitude, togetherness, and food that truly nourishes.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite times of the year. The crisp air, the smell of cinnamon and roasted vegetables wafting through the house, the sounds of laughter and music — it’s one of those moments that reminds me how much I love creating memories around food.

But for a long time, Thanksgiving also came with stress.

When my kids were little, I used to do what everyone else did: make all the traditional dishes just as I remembered them growing up — green bean casserole from a can, store-bought pie, sugar-laden cranberry sauce, marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes. I told myself it was “just one day,” but deep down I didn’t like how I felt after that kind of meal, and I really didn’t like how my kids felt, either.

After dinner, they’d crash hard — tired, emotional, complaining of tummy aches, or begging for more dessert. I remember one year, my youngest melted down halfway through family game night because he’d eaten too much sugar. That’s when it clicked for me: I didn’t want Thanksgiving to feel like that. I wanted my kids to look forward to the day, not the sugar high.

So a few years ago, we started doing things differently — the Nourished Knights way.

Rethinking the Feast

Instead of focusing on “cutting things out,” I started asking: how can we make Thanksgiving feel just as special, but more nourishing?

That’s when I discovered that all those comforting flavors — the creamy mashed potatoes, the roasted veggies, the sweet cranberry sauce — could be recreated with real ingredients. Once I made the swap to clean, whole foods, it was a complete game changer.

The kids didn’t notice the difference (in fact, they liked it better), and everyone felt so much better afterward.

  Clean Ingredient Swaps

• Mashed Potatoes: Real butter or ghee, a splash of full-fat milk or coconut milk, and sea salt — no margarine or powdered mixes.

• Gravy: Homemade with turkey drippings and bone broth instead of canned soup.

• Stuffing: Sprouted or sourdough bread, sautéed veggies, herbs, and real butter.

• Cranberry Chutney: Fresh cranberries simmered with red pears, green apples, cinnamon sticks, orange zest and honey.

• Green Beans: Fresh green beans sautéed with fresh thyme, lemon zest and garlic.

These small changes didn’t take away from tradition — they brought it back to life. The food tasted richer, the flavors were fresher, and everyone left the table feeling full but not foggy.

Nourished Knights–Approved Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes for Families

Here are some of our family’s favorite clean, cozy Thanksgiving dishes — the ones that make our home smell like love and feel like gratitude.

Maple Roasted Carrots with Thyme

Ingredients:

• 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced

• 1 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss carrots with oil, maple syrup, and thyme. Roast 25–30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil and Herbs

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter

• ½ cup milk or broth (adjust for texture)

• 2 cloves garlic, roasted or sautéed

• Sea salt, pepper, and fresh herbs

Instructions:

Boil potatoes until tender, drain, and mash with remaining ingredients. Adjust texture with milk or broth.

Apple Crumble Pie

(our fave is from Paleo Running Momma)

Ingredients:

• 1 homemade pie crust

• 5-6 large apples (a little over 2 lb - I used honey crisp and Granny Smith) peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4” slices.

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 tsp cinnamon 

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg


• 1/4 tsp ginger

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp maple sugar or coconut sugar 

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 Tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot

Crumble:

• 6 Tbsp pure maple sugar or coconut sugar

• 1/2 cup blanched almond flour

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/3 cup ghee or grass fed butter, or coconut oil, solid

• 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts chopped

• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt

Instructions:

https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/apple-crumble-pie-paleo-gluten-free/

A Parent-to-Parent Reminder

I used to stress so much about having everything look “just right.” The perfect table setting, the perfect pie, the perfect house. But my kids don’t remember any of that.

They remember the smell of cinnamon, the laughter of games, watching football and the feeling of being together. They remember that they had a day with family, that they ate some of their cherished Turkey day foods, and that Thanksgiving felt like love — not a sugar crash.

Celebrating Thanksgiving the Nourished Knights way isn’t about giving up tradition. It’s about redefining it. It’s about slowing down, nourishing your family, and creating the kind of memories that last far longer than leftovers.

So this year, light a candle, say your prayers, play your favorite playlist or tune into the football game, and fill your home with the smells of real food and the sound of real laughter. That’s what your kids will carry with them — and that’s what truly nourishes them.