This year my MIL is coming to our house for Thanksgiving. As I have reported before, she has some of the strictest dietary restrictions of anyone I know. She is both a diabetic and on a 1000mg sodium restriction. In the past year, hubby has worked very hard to see her menus are more varied than lettuce.
So, when she accepted our Thanksgiving invitation, he knew he’d have his work cut out for him.
Below is what we decided to have. This is clearly NOT a stockpile recipe of any sort even though I am categorizing it as such. We had to go out and shop for quite a few items, and I had to order an all natural, fresh, no solution turkey. The 1000mg is much more difficult than the diabetic restrictions. Basically anything I am listing below is having the salt removed, and if it has sugar Splenda is being substituted.
This is what our menu looks like:
• Roasted Turkey
• Turkey Gravy
• Wild Rice Dressing
• Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Chestnuts – uncured bacon has far less sodium than traditional bacon – and she’ll still be restricted!
• Caprese Salad
• Lettuce Salad
• Baked Yams
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Feta Pie – we actually did a trial run on this one yesterday as I had to substitute the pastry. The Pepperidge Farms pastry shells were the winners, and they has the lowest sodium. The feta needed to be packed in water as the is much lower in sodium than regular packaged feta.
• Faux Sourdough Bread
• Butternut Squash Pie – I’ve made this before and actually mix several types of squash together rather than just use butternut
• Diabetic Cheery Cobbler – Cherries are low on the glycemic index, but the canned cherries are lower than frozen cherries… by quite a bit!
What are you doing/having for Thanksgiving? Any recipes you would like to share?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
The fact that you’re going to all this trouble and taking all this time to accommodate your MIL makes you a front runner for DIL of the year! I work for a very health conscious insurance provider so am passing along your information for general distribution. Hope you don’t mind!
Not at all Terri!
Honestly this is all hubby. He’s had to educate himself on her menus for the last year+. She was carrying 40 pound of water and that needed to come off and with what her docs were telling her it was not happening. IMO she’s alive today because of all the work he has put into her health care (you should see he plan that the home health care folks have to follow) and her diet.
I’ve been encouraging him to start a blog and post about this. I’ve learned diabetic diet is easy, low sodium diet is workable, but the combo is reeeeaaaallly difficult. I think he could do a great service for those in the same position.
Ann
My diabetic mom just had a heart procedure done last week and is on a low (no) sugar/low fat/low sodium diet. I had to totally redo our Thanksgiving menu. I know the frustrations, but those recipes are out there!
We’re having turkey, sweet potatoes mashed with OJ & sprinkled with cinnamon, green bean almondine instead of green bean casserole, layer salad, homemade oat dinner rolls and apple butter, crustless pumpkin pie, and cherry pie and pumpkin cake roll for those that aren’t on restrictions.
HA!! I want to come to YOUR house for Thanksgiving I’ve give lots of thanks.
What a wonderful son your hubby is.. Wonderful sons usually make wonder mates.
I think he should blog too.. I’d read it!
Well.. here is what I think we’re having I’ve been known to throw a few more things in and toss a thing or two out though this is the basic pared down version.
Roast Turkey
Honey Baked Ham
steamed asparagus
Mashed tators
corn
Green bean casserole
Sweet Potato casserole
candied patatoes & a few baked sw. potatoes (everyone likes something different)
Yankee Stuffing ala doctored StoveTop
Southern Cornbread Dressing <3
Gibblet Gravy
Garden salad & maybe broccoli salad-kids might kill me if I dont make it this year.
deviled eggs & an olive tray & dinner rolls
We'll have pumpkin pie & pecan pie and Im thinking about trying to make a pumpkin roll.. We'll see.. not sure about that yet. We also have Schwans ice cream cups & topping stuff for those who arent into any of the pies.
I think thats about it.. Unless I see something else between now & then that I think I MUST try.. LOL
Also cutting out salt and making a sugar free dessert for my wonderful sis in law. Just found out she is type 1 diabetic even though she works out and watches her diet. Only 43. Very rare, but has to do with a thyroid problem. My husband was a diabetic since age 16-17, so I have always made dishes for him and his brother (also juv. diabetic) My husband got a kidney and pancreas transplant on August 4th, he is no longer a diabetic, though he still checks his blood sugar at least 2 or 3 times a day. He is still eating like a diabetic because one of the anti-rejection drugs can cause type 2 diabetes.
I probably told you all this already, but your post reminded me how terrible this disease is.
We are now poor but very blessed and all your coupon tips help so so very much! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Happy Thanksgiving to you & your family too Karr.. Wishing you & yours the very best, always!!
Kim
Ann’s DH, YOU ROCK!!!!! Your such a good son!!!! Those recipes sounds phenomenal!!!!
For the first time in 12 yrs I’m not hosting.
However, I have to bring my “famous this and my famous that” according to my nephew & niece-in-law.
I can only tell you what I’m bringing…
Bake ahead mashed potatoe casserole
)
Cranberry/apple chutney
Pigs in a blanket
Apple/Caramel Cheesecake
Cheese & Crackers
Twilight sauteed squash (basically w/ spices & sugar carmelized onions, no big deal, it just sounds complicated
Then, on Saturday, I’ve already taken out the turkey and I will make stuffing and the rest for another Thanksgiving at home, lol!!!