What to Eat Before Thanksgiving Dinner

Happy Thanksgiving eve! I have a few ideas that are just so simple that you can contribute regardless who is making your meal. If you’re not hosting and wanting to contribute be sure to check with your host. I like to make something for most meals, but this is my crazy time at work so this holiday will be low-key relaxing and I think I’ll provide the wine. I also might wear yoga pants and play with puppies all day. Forget the football games. I’m in for the parade though.

Maybe you need a bfast to start your day with something good-for-you. I suggest a smoothie!
Coconut Milk Mango Smoothie
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Maybe you need a bfast for whenever-people-are-ready to eat. I suggest the easiest pumpkin muffins ever.
2 ingredient pumpkin muffins
Pumpkin Muffin
Maybe you need that snack-before-the-meal. I suggest a light pumpkin dip with graham or apple dippers.
Fluffy Pumpkin Dip
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Maybe you need a fresh-snacky-item for everyone to nosh on. I suggest this super easy chopped veggies, feta, and salad dressing over hummus with wheat thins. This is a crowd pleaser for sure.
Greek Salad Dip over hummus
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Maybe you need the cocktail-everyone-will-like. I suggest something chilled. This is easy to serve in a pitcher.
Apple Cider Sangria
Apple Cider Sangria
Another favorite cocktail is the creamsicle. I suggest finding some good orange soda and you’re good to go.
Or Creamsicle Cocktail

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I’m excited to have Black Friday off. Work is bananas before the holiday and the long weekend makes me even more thankful than the day alone.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

A while ago I was at the grocery store and I asked a guy working the produce area if they had any tomatillos. He pointed me towards squash and said the “weird vegetables” are over there. By weird he pointed me to acorn and spaghetti squash. Not weird at all to me, but I decided to take his answer as “I don’t know”.

Anywho, I’ve been thinking about acorn squash lately and thought it would actually make a super simple weeknight dinner. It has some really great flavors and was so easy. I didn’t know if it would seem like too much of one thing but we liked it. It was like hitting all the food groups in one meal.
The Three Bite Rule - Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1 acorn squash
2 sausage links
1 cup brown rice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tbs garlic, chopped
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup wheat germ/breadcrumbs
1/3 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut squash in half and scoop out the middle (I saved the seeds).
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Roast face down in a baking dish for 20-30 minutes (or until tender when pricked with a fork).
While squash is roasting, remove the sausage from the casing and brown over medium heat with the onions.
Spoon out any grease/fat.
After 5 minutes or when the sausage is almost fully cooked, add in the rice, garlic, salt, pepper, and wheatgerm/breadcrumbs.
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When fully cooked, add in the dried cranberries and stir well to incorporate the cranberries.
Remove the squash from the oven and flip the squash halves onto their skin. Spoon the filling into them.
The Three Bite Rule - Stuffed Acorn Squash
Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
Optional: while squash are cooking rinse any seeds you saved away from the stringy part and toast in the oven.
Serve squash halves with some toasted seeds on top.
The Three Bite Rule - Stuffed Acorn Squash

I loved this. It is so easy and quick. It felt very fall to me. The cranberries honestly make it. I think it needs the sweet/tart to contrast the savory sausage and the soft squash. I used a cup of single-serve brown rice that just needed to be microwaved. This would also be a good use for any leftover rice you wanted to use up.

What I Ate: Almond Joy Yogurt Parfait

What I Ate’ is a series of posts for so-easy-this-doesn’t-need-a-recipe but I’m sharing with you for the idea or inspiration.

I was thinking about how much I love coconut and wondering how to make a smoothie out of it. Then I decided I’d just dump stuff on my yogurt. When I dump more than one topping onto yogurt it makes it a parfait. “Dump stuff” is so classy, but hey, parfait is suuuuper classy. It makes breakfast fancy! Right? Right!

The Three Bite Rule - Almond Joy Smoothie

Coconut yogurt is the best. I shared my love for it here during a smoothie coconut almond milk. More and more brands are adding coconut to their Greek yogurt repertoire. Love it.

Ingredients:

coconut yogurt (or vanilla)
1/3 cup coconut
1/4 cup almonds (not salted, slivers are good too)
(optional: mini chocolate chips)

Directions:

Put a small skillet on over medium-low heat.
Tranfer the yogurt into a bowl (you need more room than a yogurt cup).
The Three Bite Rule - Almond Joy Smoothie
Add coconut to the dry skillet. Stir regularly as it lightly browns. Watch it to ensure it doesn’t burn.
The Three Bite Rule - Almond Joy Smoothie
Chop the almonds (and toast if desired)
Add the toasted coconut to the yogurt over the top and add the almonds around the edge.
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It is so good. Toasted coconut makes me want a samoa girl scout cookie. I didn’t roast the almonds but that would be so amazing here. I seriously made this on a weekday for bfast. Toasting the coconut takes 5 minutes and is absolutely worth it. Some chocolate chips would make this legit Almond Joy but it was bfast so I decided not to go crazy.

Aren’t these guys so cute? They’re regular supporters and they felt like their cute mugs should be on the blog more often. Say hi to Windsor!
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Miss Bailee says hello too.
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Pizza with Eggplant Spread and Zucchini

I was thinking about pizza with tapenade but happened upon a Mediterranean eggplant spread.  I thought it would be a great spread on pizza or as a sauce. Pre-made jarred sauces are great pizza toppings.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza

Ingredients:

1 ball pizza dough
1 cup eggplant and garlic spread (or tapanade, or roasted red pepper spread)
8 oz shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 small zucchini
1 tbs garlic, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven and pizza stone (if using one) to 400 degrees.
Spread pizza dough out onto a pan/stone poking a few holes with a fork.
Bake for 10 minutes until lightly browned and not fully cooked.
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Spread eggplant spread onto the dough.
The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza
In a large skillet, saute zucchini and garlic over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes and then remove from the heat.
Sprinkle pizza crust with mozzarella, and spoonfuls of ricotta.

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Spoon zucchini onto the pizza as well.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza
Bake for 10-15 more minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini still has some texture.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza
Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant & Zucchini Pizza
It was really good and had some different flavors. I loooove ricotta on pizza or in calzones. It’s such a light cheese with some creaminess.

Tapenade, or pesto, blended roasted red peppers, or spreads are great for pizzas. I used some zucchini but eggplant or butternut squash would be good too. If pizza dough isn’t your thing then make this on naan, pitas, or flatbread.

What else would be a good fall pizza?

Kale Pesto over Pork Chops and Polenta

I know, right? How amazing does that sound?!? Mr. J was in charge of dinner and that is seriously what he came up with. I loved it! It was really good and actually surprisingly easy. I assisted as his sous-chef so I snapped some photos as he cooked.

This is super easy feels totally special and is such a wow meal.

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He found the pork chops with roasted kale and walnut pesto on the food network site. It was so good and definitely one to jot down. If you think you aren’t into pork chops then get a meat thermometer. If you’ve had hard-as-rock pork it isn’t pretty. The thermometer will save the day.

The pesto takes 10 minutes. Polenta takes about 5 minutes. The pork cookes quickly too.

Roasted Kale Pesto

from Food Network
Ingredients:

1 head of kale
olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tbs lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Tear the kale off the stems and spread onto a sheet pan.
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Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper.
Roast for about 5 minutes (be careful not to let it burn)
Transfer into a food processor with walnuts, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
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Blend until smooth while slowly streaming in the olive oil until you reach your desired thickness (add more olive oil if using with pasta, add less for topping on meat).
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It stores well and we froze half for a “rainy day”. This pesto would be amazing for a vegetarian dish. It is so flavorful, unique, and not overpowering at all.

For the pork chops we used were boneless but bone-in would be fine as well. Season generously with salt, pepper, and dried rosemary, on both sides.

In a pan large enough to fit all the chops, preheat it to medium-high heat.
Add the pork chops to sear on one side for about 5 minutes, then flip and cook until the center reaches 140-150 degrees on a thermometer.
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We made some polenta too. I haven’t had polenta in awhile but I forgot how quick it is. As in, 5 minutes quick. It makes dinner feel really different.
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Have leftover pesto? Spread it into a panini and dip the grilled cheese into marinara for an Italian grilled cheese. Or use it on pizza or pasta. Leftover polenta? Form into patties and fry like I did here with scallops. Polenta works well with anything spicy like chorizo or with anything earthy like duck.