Fill Your Small Holiday Celebrations with Flavor and Fun
As we move into the holiday season, celebrating safely while still enjoying ourselves is on the top of everyone’s minds. For many, traditional large family-and-friend gatherings are now scaling down to those just within the immediate household. For others, budgets are tighter, and a full holiday buffet may not be possible. While the celebrations may be smaller, they can still be meaningful. To help you scale your holiday plans, try this dinner menu using some of our favorites!
Cookie Cutter Appetizer
(Makes 1 serving)
This creamy vegetable appetizer brings the flavor and fun! Feel free to substitute with your favorite vegetables.
Garlic Herb Roasted Chicken
(Makes 7 servings)
Shake up tradition and ditch that turkey for chicken! With fresh herbs, garlic and only five steps, you can create a delicious dinner.
Maple Sweet Potatoes
& Dutch Green Beans
Sweet Potatoes: (Makes 2 servings)
Dutch Green Beans: (Makes 4 servings)
Nutritious and delicious! With just four to five ingredients for each, these side dishes are ready to enjoy in no time at all.
Peter Pumpkin Squares
& Dutch Apple Yogurt
Pumpkin Squares: (Makes 24 servings)
Dutch Apple Yogurt: (Makes 2 servings)
Sugar and spice … and everything nice! These two desserts will satisfy any sweet tooth!
Visit tafb.org/recipes for more recipe ideas.
Click here to download this Thanksgiving menu.
Even though you may not be able to enjoy time with extended family and all of the usual food and traditions, it can still be a fun day to reflect on good times and all the things we’re thankful for. Try these activities this Thanksgiving to encourage gratitude and make positive connections. They even help you get up and get moving around!
Need to get those tail feathers off the couch and get a little physical activity? Try this game on for size!
Thanksgiving Charades
Give everyone in your household a sheet of paper and a pencil. Then ask each person to write down one thing that makes them feel grateful and put it into a basket. Instead of passing the basket around, place it in a central location. Have everyone take turns drawing one and acting out what is on the paper.
Research from Stanford Medicine has found that strong social connections can lead to increased longevity, strengthen your immune system and help you recover from disease faster. The next two activities could help you build these bonds and a healthier body!
Pass the Praise, Please
Find a small bowl, cup or basket for each person. Next have everyone in your household write down one thing they are grateful for or appreciate about each person in the group on separate slips of paper. They will then fold up each paper and put it in the designated dish of the person for whom it is written. Finally, take turns reading aloud the praises left in your dish and see if you can guess who wrote it.
You are never too young to learn how to build friendships, get up, get active and practice gratitude! Here are some ideas for healthy fun for the little ones.
For the Tiny Turkeys
Give the kids their own paper and crayons and invite them to draw pictures of the things that they feel most grateful for this year.
Create a Thankful Mural. Cover a wall with a large piece of kraft paper. Give the kids their own set of crayons and ask them to draw pictures and words for those things for which they are grateful.
Food for Thought
Craving that time with friends and extended family? Arrange a phone call, setup a game that can be played over video chat or send a special handwritten letter out to tell those you care about why you’re grateful for them.
For more tips on celebrating safely, click here to read recommendations from the CDC.
