A Plotsky Holiday Menu (+ 5 Healthy & Tasty Swaps!)
Dec 19, 2022Updated from December 2020
The countdown is on. It is time to plan my favourite part of the holidays – turkey dinner.
I plan and prepare our holiday meals and I love every minute of it! Over the years, I have discovered some amazing new-to-me recipes and ways to make our family favourites healthier.
In the video above, I talk a little bit about what a Plotsky Holiday Menu consists of.
To help you prepare your own meal, here are some great recipes, recipe links and tips to help you prepare and serve a healthy, delicious holiday meal for you and your loved ones.
LET’S TALK TURKEY...
I’m starting with the turkey, because let’s be honest, it’s the star of the show.
Our household enjoys turkey about three times a year so I am never hesitant to spend a little extra on a free-range turkey. The quality is outstanding and once you try it you will never question its value again. The second thing is “brining” the turkey. This is very important to ensure that it does not dry out while cooking. You must keep your turkey refrigerated during this process and only brine for 12-18 hours.
Brine Recipe:
- 4 cups of water
- 1 cup of Kosher Salt
- ¼ cup Bragg’s Soy Seasoning
- 6 cloves of garlic (peeled)
- 1 TBSP whole Peppercorns
METHOD: Bring water and salt to a boil and boil gently until salt dissolves. Let mixture cool to room temperature and add remaining ingredients. Place turkey in a cooler or a container that has a fitted cover and will fit in your fridge. Pour the brine mixture over turkey and add enough cold water to completely cover it. If using a cooler add some ice cubes.
After 12-18 hours remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with a clean towel/paper towel before placing in the roasting pan. Add enough stock to cover the bottom of the roasting pan and cook for the suggested amount of time in a 325 degree oven.
NOTE: Be sure to have enough ingredients on hand in the event that you need to double the recipe as these are the measurements for a total of four quarts of water - enough to cover an average sized turkey.
TURKEY TIP: I never stuff my turkey so I always place onion halves and stalks of celery, that have been well seasoned with salt and pepper, in the cavity of the turkey.
YUMMY GRAVY...
If you are ahead of the game and have a little bit of time between taking the turkey out of the oven and sitting for dinner, I highly recommend reducing your pan juices for more flavour. I transfer the juices from the roaster to a saucepan and try to lift up as many “bits” from the roasting pan as possible, as this is where all of the flavour comes from.
If you used the onion and celery from the tip above, add those to the pan juices as well. Bring the juices to a boil and boil gently for 45 to 60 minutes. The longer you reduce it, the richer your gravy will taste. If it over-reduces, just add some homemade or high-quality store-bought chicken or vegetable stock.
Next transfer the juices (use a strainer or slotted spoon to remove any larger bits) to a blender and add a very small amount of Xanthan Gum. I would begin with ⅛ tsp and keep adding it until you reach your desired consistency.
SAFETY TIP: Be very careful blending hot liquids as they expand in the blender. If you do not have a sizable blender in your kitchen (like a Vitamix), I would suggest only using a small amount of your pan juices in the blender. It will take a little longer to reach your desired consistency as you will need to keep adding your blended mixture back into the main pot, but it will prevent an unwanted kitchen accident.
WHEN IT COMES TO SIDES….
Here are a few of my family’s favourites:
Roasted Vegetables - Brussels sprouts add great flavour and colour to the holiday plate, but you can use any low-carb vegetables that you like (this recipe is 👍). Just remember if they do not all have the same cooking time, you should cut quicker cooking vegetables larger and have the rest cut uniform in size for even cooking. You can simply toss them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in a preheated, 425 degree oven until they are fork tender (approximately 30 to 45 minutes depending on vegetables used).
Mashed Vegetables - I have three growing, active boys so mashed potatoes are definitely offered with a holiday meal in my house. I do ensure that I am giving them the best quality of potatoes, so I only buy local and/or organic potatoes. For approximately $1.50 extra per pound, I feel it is worth it. When it isn’t a holiday, mashed potatoes are traditionally swapped out with mashed turnip or brown butter cauliflower mash. When both of these vegetables are prepared the right way, they are a welcomed alternative to mashed potatoes.
If you want something that is delicious and elegant, try these asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.
AND THEN THEY PASSED THE BREAD BASKET…
Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to avoid the bread basket at a holiday meal? Why not make these almond flour biscuits instead of having white or whole wheat dinner rolls in the basket. No time to bake biscuits? There are good quality gluten-free options available at health-focused stores like Parks and in the organic section of grocery stores.
STUFFED YET?
Cornbread stuffing, mashed potato stuffing, sausage stuffing, white bread stuffing, boxed stuffing. The “stuffing” list goes on and on and on. I would suggest aiming for a homemade stuffing using store-bought gluten-free bread if you haven’t made your own before. If you are a seasoned stuffing maker, then the next step would be to make your own grain-free bread for this stuffing recipe. The extra time and effort required is definitely worth the end product.
Or if you would prefer a ‘bread-less’ version, try this amazing Sausage & Mushroom stuffing.
THE FINALE…
Truth be told, I am not the baker in the house, but Cindy loves to create and experiment with desserts. Some of our family favourites for holiday meals include homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream or grain-free apple crisp. On very special mornings, like Christmas Day, our family enjoys these delicious grain-free cinnamon rolls. The dough can be made the day before allowing you to finish the recipe in a minimum amount of time in the morning.
Perhaps you would like to find a new grain-free, sugar-free recipe on one of our favourite websites (ruled.me, Diet Doctor, Against All Grain) and make it your family favourite.
TIP: You can “swap out” refined sugar with erythritol (1:1) in any recipe. If you want to get a little more out of your erythritol supply, try scaling it back a little and adding a few drops of stevia.
I hope that all of these recipes and suggestions have inspired you to try something new this holiday! It’s important that you remember to start from where you are. Making improvements to your health routine should not be overwhelming. It is the most subtle changes, done consistently, that bring about the most significant results.
Remember, if you do the same things over and over you get the same result. So maybe this is the year to try a few “swaps” to switch things up a little! Holiday meals can be fun to prepare and experiment with, so give it a try!