Recipe Week: Top 8 Free Cranberry Sauce from My Family

Cranberry sauce = awesome in my book! I have loved it since I was little.  I remember helping my mom open the can of sauce for our Thanksgiving meal when I was younger.  That crazy can-shaped red sauce would slide out in one big piece and we would make round slices for everyone to share.   A few years ago, when I made my first Thanksgiving meal, I attempted to make my own cranberry sauce.  We have not touched a can since!

This recipe is so simple to make, and so much better than the canned version.  And, the best part, it is free of the top 8 allergens! Enjoy!

What is one of your family's favorite and safe Thanksgiving recipes?

Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
1/3 c water
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Juice of half an orange (or about a 1/4 cup of orange juice)

Directions:
In a sauce pan add cranberries, water and sugar.  Mix well and cook on medium high heat for 7-8 minutes (the water should be bubbling).  Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg, turn the heat down slightly and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally- and get ready to hear some of those beautiful berries pop!  As I stir, I  also smash a few of the berries.  Remove from the heat and add in the orange juice.  (Fresh orange tastes amazing but if you are like me, I forget to buy the orange so I use orange juice all of the time!).  Let the sauce completely cool and refrigerate for a few hours (although we have been known to eat it hot!!).

What is one stay safe strategy that you and your family

 implement during Thanksgiving?

I have loved all of the stay safe tips our families have shared this week.  I would reinforce the need to plan early.  Whether you are hosting or you need to work with your host to outline your plan start doing that now.  Decide what your food plan will be (eat ahead, take safe dishes, coordinate cooking safe items with your host, etc.) and start to activate that plan.  Give yourself (and your host) enough time to think through what needs to be done and time to prepare any special dishes, search for special ingredients, or set expectations around what you will and will not eat at the meal.  Planning and having those conversations early helps to minimize stress and feel good about going into the holiday with a food and emergency plan in place.

What is one pice of advice you would offer to other 

families with food allergies during Thanksgiving?

Many of you have heard me say it, because it is the mantra in our house and my best advice for celebrating safely: Focus On Family, Friends and Fun- Not Food.  Yes, Thanksgiving is a food focussed holiday, but there are ways to also find a non-food focus.  Our family has a tradition of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade every year (no food involved there).  We also have a great tradition, thanks to my mom and her disdain for anything Christmas before Thanksgiving, where we listen to our first Christmas carols after we have eaten our Thanksgiving meal.  The girls so look forward to that time after dinner.  It officially kicks off the Christmas season for us.  Yes, we eat (we love the meal) but we also find ways to make the day about other things too.

A special thanks to all of the awesome food allergy families who shared their recipes and advice with us this week!  Stay connected for more tips on how to Thrive On this holiday season! And, may your Thanksgiving be filled with family, friends and fun!  Thrive On!




Learn more about Tami and her company, Thrive On Consulting, which provides food allergy coaching and training.  You can also follow her on Facebook for tips to Thrive On with food allergies.