How To Plan A Budget Keto Thanksgiving Meal (With Recipes)

Keto Thanksgiving Dinner With All The Fixings On A Budget

Many of the best Keto Thanksgiving Recipes are not too different from your classic Thanksgiving fare.

Most people wouldn’t even know the difference between a keto dish and a regular dish that they are used to eating. No kidding.

Turkey is turkey, chicken is chicken and all of the keto side dishes and desserts are pretty amazing without extra carbs and sugar.

I honestly think people get their feathers ruffled when they hear the word, “Keto” or “Low-Carb” when it’s a simple eating plan.

Consider all of the foods you love to eat for Thanksgiving dinner and we can make it all keto-friendly by reducing carbs and sugar.

Too much sugar spikes insulin levels and the cycle of being hungry all day happens over and over.

Get rid of the sugar, control your insulin, lower your carbs and get fit.

That’s it. Nothing less, nothing more apart from talking to your doctor first.

Budget Your Thanksgiving Meal

It doesn’t matter what type of Thanksgiving fare you will be serving stocking up on holiday favourites ahead of time is key.

The great thing about vegetables such as spaghetti squash, yams, turnip, cauliflower, broccoli, etc is that you can buy them days in advance.

If you plan to make roasted cauliflower or mashed cauliflower you can easily freeze it until you need it.

Earlier this year we bought 2 large chickens for a great price specifically to make keto bone broth and for Thanksgiving.

I also bought 3 baking pumpkins at the end of the season last year, baked them, and froze the puree to make keto pumpkin desserts.

The cost was $3 for all three of my baking pumpkins which is a great price considering you’ll pay that for one small can.

How To Make Pumpkin Puree Recipe:

• 3 Small Baking Pumpkins
• Half them and clean out the seeds (dry for roasted pumpkin seeds)
• Slather butter on the inside with a bit of salt
• Turn upside down on a baking sheet
• Pre-heat oven 300 and let them bake until tender.
• Once cooled using a spoon scoop out the pure pumpkin and put it into freezer bags and store over a yeaer.

Easy..

Asparagus and broccoli are other vegetables that you can freeze if you find them on sale in advance.

Create Your Thanksgiving Dinner Meal Plan In Advance

If you plan on baking for Thanksgiving perhaps starting early when you do find the ingredients on sale is a smarter option.

For example, I will make a loaf of keto bread and freeze it this week so it’s ready when I want to make my keto stuffing.

I’ll also make our keto desserts but smaller versions than what I typically would make as it’s only the two of us eating them.

While at Zehrs two days ago the cream cheese was on reduced to $1 so I bought 10 and froze 6 of them for later use.

Since Covid-19 is limiting the number of people in our bubble we don’t have to spend as much on groceries for Thanksgiving.

Normally we would all meet up at one of the inlaws houses and bring dishes and drinks already prepared.

That’s not happening this year so it’s just our little family of three enjoying quiet family time together.

This significantly drops the costs involved with making our dinner plus our son really doesn’t eat much either.

Saving Money Buying Groceries For Thanksgiving

It’s a Keto Thanksgiving For Two and a boy who would rather eat pizza and cucumber than anything else in the world.

Personally, if you can bulk shop at Costco Canada for your keto and non-keto needs I’ve found great benefit and price savings.

I’ve done the math and know the prices and I can tell you that you WILL save money if you shop at Costco.

Almost all items you buy have long shelf lives or you can put them in the freezer for later use.

Canadian coupons don’t often cover ingredients you need to make healthy, delicious meals from scratch.

Another great way to save is to take advantage of rewards points programs at your favourite grocery stores and online savings apps.

Thanksgiving Dinner With Out Feeling Stuffed

If you hate that full feeling after eating your Thanksgiving dinner it’s likely because of the carbs, starches, and sugars you’re ingesting.

Wouldn’t it be nice to eat a Thanksgiving dinner that didn’t require a crane to remove you from the dining room table?

I know, I’ve been there and just about everyone overeats during the holidays and Thanksgiving is no exception.

The key to eating a healthy diet is balance and finding what works for you.

Keto For Weightloss

Now, you don’t need to be on a keto diet to enjoy the benefits of the amazing keto recipes that have been created.

I’m not on a keto diet but Mrs. CBB has been for 4 years and has lost over 100lbs and kept it off with extended fasting and eating keto.

There were no weighing foods, counting macros, or excessive exercise involved in the process because food is the enemy.

Working out is how you bring your body into a state of top-notch shape increasing your endurance and cardiovascular metabolism.

For the most part, Mrs. CBB has walked for the past four years and used our treadmill to keep active since she has physical restrictions.

If you do not then join sports teams a gym or even creating a budget-friendly gym space at home will work equally as well.

The point is finding a balance of foods that work for you combined with some form of exercise.

Related: Foods To Stock In Your Keto Pantry

Keto Thanksgiving Dinner

• Can you have gravy on a keto diet? YES
• Is Turkey allowed on a keto diet?  YES
• Can we make Thanksgiving stuffing keto? YES
• Is there an alternative for mashed potatoes? YES
• Can we have pumpkin desserts on a keto diet?  YES

It’s not impossible to have a keto thanksgiving stuffing whether you cook a bird or not.

Below I chose the best Keto Thanksgiving recipe ideas from Pinterest and in the end, I share with you our Keto Thanksgiving menu with recipes.

Keto Main Menu

Since our menu includes a roast chicken I thought I would look for a delicious roasted turkey recipe.

I found this Easy Roast Turkey Breast that is perfect for a smaller gathering such as ours from diethood blog.

Obviously, for a main at Thanksgiving, there are other options such as ham, meatloaf, goose, chicken, duck, and so on.

Tim from Four Score Living has this 5-minute Keto Gravy perfect for your Thanksgiving Dinner.

Keto Thanksgiving Desserts

There always have to be desserts for family gatherings and special occasions such as Thanksgiving.

One of my favourite picks was this Keto Pecan pie along with my Keto Butter Tarts.

There are few more Keto desserts below that I think you will enjoy.

Keto Pecan Pie

Kathy at Healthy Ambitions has a Keto Pecan Pie even I can’t wait to try as it looks just like the real deal and I’m sure it tastes like it to.

Pecan pie, Pumpkin recipes, and anything to do with apples are all Fall dessert recipes that are perfect for Thanksgiving.

You can even make my keto Canadian Butter Tarts as a Thanksgiving keto dessert and I promise they won’t last.

Keto Thanksgiving Sides

Keto Stuffing from It’s Simple, really is simple and similar to the one that I make so I thought it would be amazing.

She offers two versions to her readers which I think is great.

Quick version–  crumble the keto bread, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Saute chopped veggies in olive oil for a minute or two to bring out flavors. Mix with melted butter and bake again.

Quickest Version-  mix crumbled keto bread with chopped veggies and melted butter. Add to dish and bake.

Austin, Texas Blogger Jennifer has a keto savory bread you can make that would work perfectly for this keto stuffing recipe.

Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food has this delicious looking Keto Green Bean Casserole.

Keto Thanksgiving Appetizers

Garlic Roasted Mushrooms served with little toothpicks are the perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving or as a side dish.

Our Keto Thanksgiving Menu

Since I follow a Mediterranean diet I don’t have any issue with creating a keto meal plan for Mrs. CBB during celebrations.

When I make the roast chicken I will add carrots to add to my dish as well as two potatoes.

One potato is for me and the other is for our little guy but I’ll cut them into fries as that’s the only way he will eat them.

Main Thanksgiving Meal

Thanksgiving Roasted Chicken in a roasting pan, 350 degrees, rubbed with butter. In my pestle and mortar, I’ll add fennel seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, sea salt, and pepper. Crush and rub it all over the buttered chicken. Bake based on weight.

Alternate: Keto Turkey Meatloaf Stuffed With Mozzarella Cheese

Roasted Italian Sausages were purchased at Food Basics for $7.99 and I’ll BBQ them for 20 mins for our son.

How To Make Keto Stuffing For Thanksgiving

Keto Thanksgiving Stuffing is made with keto bread slices that I cut into cubes then dry in a low oven drizzled with some olive oil.

In a skillet add 2 tablespoons butter, 2 chopped stalks celery, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp sage, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or oregano, and basil, 1 leek or spring onion cleaned and chopped.

Once sauteed for 5 minutes add 1/2 cup keto bone broth and your dried bread cubes.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper pour into a casserole dish and cover with tinfoil and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes until the bone broth is soaked up and then uncovered for 5 minutes.

Some people like to add crumbled sausage or bacon to their keto stuffing and that’s perfectly fine. I stick with more of a traditional stuffing.

Keto Thanksgiving Appetizers

Rolled Proscuitto stuffed with goat cheese and slivered almonds is a lovely appetizer. Spread goat cheese on a thin slice of prosciutto top with slivered almonds and roll. You can make these ahead of time as well.

Below is a bowl of hot, piping Cream of Celery soup. All you need is a little bowl for your guests to get the party started.

Cream of Celery Soup with shredded cheddar cheese is super delicious and budget-friendly.

Sugar-free cranberry sauce is easy to make with 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar-free substitute, cinnamon (if you like), and 1/4 tsp xanthan gum to thicken it up.

Joy-Filled Eats has an easy keto cranberry sauce that you can make in minutes.

Keto Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Mira a food blogger who cooks mainly low-carb and keto has this Brussel Sprouts recipe that is creamy and cheesy.

I think this is a perfect alternative to the crispy roasted Brussel Sprout recipe that I make if you don’t fancy crispy.

How To Make Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and onions are very easy to make.

Clean, cut in half, boil until tender, dry off, add bacon and onions to a pan to start cooking then add your Brussel sprouts. Cook until crispy or browned.

You can also put this into the oven. A drizzle of sugar-free maple syrup at the end is divine.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash (cut in half, scoop out seeds and stringy bit, baste with butter, salt, pepper, and bake face down at 300 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden.

Keto Green Bean Casserole will be on our menu but just a small one for the two of us topped with crunchy parmesan crisps and garlic.

Steamed Asparagus with butter and salt is fairly straightforward. In a pan with a bit of water add asparagus with salt to steam, remove when still a bit crispy then add butter and pepper.

Garlic Butter Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Sliced cucumbers for our little guy as a vegetable

Tomato salad with green pepper, feta, and pumpkin seeds – extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice

Thanksgiving Keto Desserts

Keto Pumpkin Pie Bars

Salted Caramel Keto Cheesecake

Before and After Dinner Drinks

• Dalgona Pumpkin Spice Coffee
• Ice-cold Water
• Almond Milk
• Macadamia Milk Iced Coffee
• Milk (for our little guy or apple juice water)
• Diet Pop

Entertainment For the Night

When I went shopping I picked up 1 medium-sized pumpkin and 3 pumpkins to roast for pumpkin puree.

We plan on carving one of our pumpkins and roasting the pumpkin seeds in the oven.

How To Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Again an easy process from start to finish with a bit of patience.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees

Soak all of the pumpkin seeds in med-ium warm water to losen any strings from the pumpkin seeds.

They will eventually float to the top and you can manually pull them off.

Dry all of the pumpkin seeds on a dish or papertowel.

In a bowl add your pumpkin seeds, avocado oil or EVOO, salt, pepper and any other seasoning you like.

Mix until combined and pour on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown.

This is a delicious crunchy keto snack.

What Does Thanksgiving Mean To You?

Giving thanks for everything we have and the opportunities and the ability to give back makes us whole.

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for not only your family but for the community you live in and how you give back.

Last week we did a one-hour garbage pickup around our son’s school and put it in a shopping back to put in the trash.

It’s the little things that matter but make a big difference.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Mr. and Mrs. CBB.

Discussion: What types of dishes will you have on your Thanksgiving menu? (they don’t have to be keto)

Drop me your comments below as I’d love to read about your meal ideas.