Your Thanksgiving Menu - Healthy Eats! - Lively Life

A full Thanksgiving menu of mains and sides, anchored by make-ahead stuffing – all tested. I’m grateful for you.

If you read my Make-Ahead Healthy Stuffing post, you already know how I feel about Thanksgiving – it’s my favorite holiday. Great food, the people I love around one or more tables (I have a large immediate family!), nothing to unwrap, just genuine gratitude. So I wanted to pull healthy eats together in one place to create a real Thanksgiving spread, with mains and sides that have all actually been tested at my own table. And if you’re here for the naturally sweetened Healthy Treats, head over to my Thanksgiving Desserts roundup for the full lineup of pies, cookies, and treats.

Your Protein

How to Brine a Turkey, Chicken, Pork Tenderloin, and Cornish Hen — whichever protein is on your table, a good brine takes it from fine to memorable.
Alaskan Crab Legs, Can Cooker Style — a fun way to switch things up from the traditional bird entirely.
Easy Gluten-Free Meatloaf without Breadcrumbs — a cozy, simpler alternative if a big roast isn’t in the cards this year.

How to Brine a Turkey, Chicken, Pork Tenderloin, and Cornish Hen

Easy Gluten-Free Meatloaf without Breadcrumbs

Your Appetizers

Baked Brie, Two Ways — a warm, festive starter while the mains finish up.
Middle Eastern Za’atar Sauce or Dip — a bright, herby dip for the appetizer spread.
For more look through Healthy Eats!

Baked Brie – Two Ways!

Green Bean Casserole

Your Sides (Pictures above and below)

Make-Ahead Healthy Stuffing — sourdough or whole grain bread, mushrooms, onions, celery, and fresh herbs, with nearly all the work done two to three days ahead.
Baked Green Bean Casserole – the classic, made healthy and done right.
Buttered Sage Eggplant – savory, buttery, and a lovely way to work more vegetables onto the table.
Greek Salad with Simple Red Wine Vinaigrette – a bright, fresh contrast to all the rich dishes around it.
Butternut Squash Salad – pure fall flavor, and a great make-ahead option.
Roasted Root Vegetables with Cilantro Yogurt Dip – warm, earthy, and genuinely festive.
Beet Garden Salad – a gorgeous pop of color on a table full of browns and golds.
Pan-Seared Lion’s Mane & Black Pearl King Oyster with Za’atar – a meaty, savory mushroom side that holds its own next to any protein.
Buttery Skillet Oyster & Chestnut Mushrooms – simple, elegant, and easy to scale up for a crowd.
Garlicky Greens: a quick, savory pile of greens that adds color and a little bite next to all the richer dishes on the table.
[Easy Vegan Biscuits](https://www.livelylife.co/easy-vegan-biscuits/)
Wasabi Oven Roasted Asparagus: roasted until tender with a little wasabi kick, a fun way to wake up the table.
Oven Roasted Asparagus: the simple, no-fuss version, easy to pop in the oven while the turkey rests.
Miso Cauliflower: savory, slightly sweet, and caramelized from the oven, a fun twist that brings a little umami to the holiday table.
Steamed Broccoli 🥦: a bright, easy green side that needs almost no effort.
Easy Vegan Biscuits: soft, plant-based biscuits to round out the table and mop up everything else on your plate.

Buttered Sage Eggplant

Roasted Root Vegetables with Cilantro yogurt dip

Beet Garden Salad

Pan-Seared Lion’s Mane & Black Pearl King Oyster with Za’atar

Buttery Skillet Oyster & Chestnut Mushrooms

Garlicky Greens

Happy Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!

Wasabi Oven Roasted Asparagus

Or Oven Roasted Asparagus

Steamed Broccoli 🥦

Easy Vegan Biscuits

Whatever your table looks like this year, big and loud with dozens of family members or friends, or small and quiet. I hope it’s full of good food and people you are genuinely grateful for. Pair this with our Healthy Treats Thanksgiving roundup for the full spread.

Happy Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!

Whatever your table looks like this year, I hope it’s full of good food and people you’re genuinely grateful for. Pair this with our Healthy Eats Thanksgiving roundup for the full spread – coming soon. Please share your experience and have a great holiday!

A Holistic Nutrition Tip

A Thanksgiving table is at its best when the plate is built the way I like: lots of colorful vegetables freshly harvested of whole-food sides, with a good protein alongside, whether that’s turkey, fish, or a hearty nutty mushroom or savory bean dish. Building your dinner around nutrient dense, real food like this tends to leave you feeling satisfied and energized rather than sluggish, so you can actually enjoy the conversation and the people around you. Let the holiday be about gratitude and enjoying your time together with family or/ and friends.