Class #275 Thanksgiving Preparation Tips & Eliminating Social Media Conflict
Protective Diet Class #275 Notes:
Thanksgiving Preparation Tips & Eliminating Social Media Conflict
This class shows what to prep on Wednesday for an effortless celebration on Thursday enjoyed by one or twenty-one. With so many festive choices, the hardest part of planning a Protective Diet Thanksgiving feast is deciding what not to make. From the outside looking in people may think we are sacrificing…until we have them over for dinner. Your guests will think you are a kitchen wizard.
Announcements
- Engage in our support group, Protective Diet Living (PDL). Get inspired with guilt-free holiday meal ideas, love and support.
- Shop www.protectivediet.com/bulk for many PD staples in bulk at low prices.
Vocabulary
Fresh Restock | Set Up For Success (SUS) | Oxidative Stress | Anthocyanin |
Stocked Pantry | Herb Box Storage Technique | Anti-oxidant | Deprivation vs Privilege |
Action Steps For a PD Thanksgiving Feast
- Make a Plan & Set Up For Success

Plan 1. List the items to serve – Plan by cooking method: Stovetop 1-2 items Oven 1 item Instant Pot 1-2 items Slowcooker 1 item – Go starter heavy to get veggies in & eliminate the need to double entrees – Create a party feel with a self-serve beverage bar – 1 to 2 Desserts 2. Designate each item as: – Wednesday prep – Thursday AM or PM – When guests arrive Fresh Restock w/seasonal: – Navel Oranges – Cranberries – Pomegranates – Persimmons – Cinnamon sticks – Poultry Seasoning Set Up for Success (SUS): – Make yogurt – Strain yogurt 4-5 days – Blend Flours – Make cracker mix – Clean pomegranates – Clean & store kale | Timeline Tuesday Blend Nice Cream batter French Onion Dip Cranberry Sauce Wednesday Quarantine Crackers Chopped Nutz Cream Cheeze Frosting Sweet Potato Pie Nice Cream scoop/store Finger Salad veggies cut Stuffin Muffin dry mix Stuffin Muffin veggies cut Onion for gravy cut Beverages brewed Thursday AM: – Corn Tortillas & Chips – Chill water – Pipe frosting onto pie PM: – Warm Mulled Wine – Holiday Cheeze Ball – Hot Mushroom Gravy – Dry Steamed Greens Just before guests arrive: – Strain cold beverages – Slice fresh fruit – Set out starters – Move Nice Cream scoops to fridge 40 min before dinner: – Start potatoes in IP – Bake Stuffin Muffins – Creamed Corn 10 min before dinner – Mash potatoes |
- Feast on the Light Hearted Side of Social Media
- Find your tribe–like-minded people that you engage with in real life, on the phone and on social media.
- When controversial comments cause stress, dissolve feelings of conflict–write your response, DO NOT HIT SEND.
- Do something to change your thoughts (take a shower or a walk, hula hoop, cook, or listen to a song), go back and delete it.
- Lead with love. Nothing good ever came from anger. You are always in control of your reaction. Quit the stupid “job” (that you are uncompensated for) of trying to educate people to understand what you understand. It’s not worth losing friends and family over social media posts.
Cooking Tips
- Thanksgiving Eve meal idea: Red Lentil Dahl as a Pro Bowl with Classic Cranberry Sauce, Ruby Raw Kraut and Probiotic Onions.
- Clean as you go with the goal of touching each item only once: use it, rinse it, and load it in the dishwasher or reuse.
- Given the choice between the free or premium version of a recipe, go with the premium version for the most current content.
- Make cooking notes for yourself so you don’t have to look up and read recipes while interacting with guests.
- Invest in a Danish Dough Whisk. It works so great in a round bottom bowl and mixes everything from Dahl to dough.
Beverages
- Mulled Wine—if simmering all day, cut the clove measurement in half. Serve with orange slices and cinnamon sticks.
- Cold Brewed Teas–Label cold beverage pitchers. Strain out the tea leaves to prevent mold. Serve with lemon wedges.
- Get a 2nd ladle: 1 for the beverage bar and 1 for hot gravy on the buffet. Look for pretty plastic pitchers & platters in summer.
Starters
- Strain yogurt Saturday or earlier. Double line Greek Yogurt Strainer to prevent losing yogurt. Blend dips as early as Tuesday.
- Add something different or unique to the finger salad platter for fun (persimmon, yellow beets, radishes).
- Quarantine Crackers—each time you make a batch, measure twice and make a dry mix for a fast future batch. Label salt/no salt.
Main
- Stuffin Muffins—make a dry mix. Label with wet ingredients and cooking time and temp. Pre-chop veggies finely.
- ¼ cup parsley packed = parsley sprigs with stems packed into a measuring cup. Measure before chopping.
- Measure flour by scooping the measuring cup directly into flour bag or canister. Never spoon the flour into the measuring cup.
- Put a towel under plastic cutting boards while chopping to preserve knife blade. Find a knife sharpener in your area.
- Bake Stuffin Muffins fresh as guests arrive to create a Thanksgiving “aroma therapy” you cannot buy anywhere.
- Plan enough time for muffins to cool so they retract from the muffin pan and come out easily. A ceramic pan is recommended.
- Instruct guests to break Stuffin Muffins up, like traditional stuffing, and pour hot gravy over them. Plan on 2 muffins per person.
- Mashed Potatoes—do not over mash, or potatoes will be gummy. Potatoes will stay warm in the IP until time to serve.
- Gravy–Serve hot in a slowcooker on the buffet or gravy boat on table. Guests can cover cooler potatoes, etc. with hot gravy.
- If you are hosting a larger gathering and you don’t want to double everything, add Thanksgiving Rice Pilaf to the menu.
Dessert
- Strain yogurt for frosting 5 days in advance. Strain in a nut bag over a 2 qt. jar (takes up less room in the fridge and dishwasher).
- Make frosting a day in advance so it can chill. Blend sweetener component first (on prep day) while blender is very dry.
Encouragement
- I can’t even believe we are doing this and we are so slim, trim, energetic and healthy with no sugar crash, no upset stomach, no remorse, and no guilt.
“Thanksgiving is a high holiday for us. It’s a time to give thanks for our education, our practice of a Protective Diet, our understanding that this is not a sacrifice, this is a privilege to know what we know and to make the choices that we make.”
Recommended Recipes
Recommended Classes
#236 Weeknight Set Up (SUS) | #195 Navigating Holiday Dinners | #193 Co-Cooking a Taste of Thanksgiving |
#117 Fresh Restock | #056 Protective Diet & the Holidays | #266 Homemade Tortillas & Perfect Chips |
This class shows what to prep on Wednesday for an effortless celebration on Thursday enjoyed by one or twenty-one. With so many festive choices, the hardest part of planning a Protective Diet Thanksgiving feast is deciding what NOT to make. From the outside looking in people may think we are sacrificing…until we have them over for dinner. Your guests will think you are a kitchen wizard.
Tagged with: Anthocyanin • Anti-oxidant • Deprivation vs Privilege • Fresh Restock • Herb Box Storage Technique • Oxidative Stress • Set Up for Success • Stocked Pantry • SUSClass URL: https://protectivediet.com/courses/protective-diet-education/lessons/class-275-thanksgiving-preparation-tips-eliminating-social-media-conflict/
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