Thanksgiving Calorie Calculator
Get the full calorie and nutrition breakdown of your Thanksgiving plate
| Dish | Serving | Calories | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey (white, no skin) | 4 oz | 176 | 34 |
| Turkey (dark, no skin) | 4 oz | 212 | 28 |
| Mashed Potatoes (w/butter) | 1 cup | 240 | 4 |
| Stuffing (traditional) | 0.75 cup | 350 | 7 |
| Gravy (turkey) | 0.25 cup | 122 | 2 |
| Green Bean Casserole | 0.5 cup | 130 | 4 |
| Cranberry Sauce (jellied) | 0.25 cup | 110 | 0 |
| Sweet Potato Casserole | 0.5 cup | 185 | 2 |
| Pie Type | 1 Slice (1/8 pie) | Fat (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin Pie | 316 kcal | 14 | 21 |
| Pecan Pie | 503 kcal | 24 | 36 |
| Apple Pie | 411 kcal | 19 | 22 |
| No crust (pumpkin fill.) | 109 kcal | 3 | 10 |
| Add whipped cream (2 tbsp) | +51 kcal | +4 | +3 |
| Add vanilla ice cream (0.5 cup) | +137 kcal | +7 | +14 |
Every year, United States and Canada set a day to celebrate the harvest and everything good that arrived during the last twelve months. In United States Thanksgiving happens on the fourth Thursday in November, a date that was set already in 1941. According to the calendar, it can happen already November 22nd or even the 28th.
And what happens the next Friday? That is Black Friday, that marks the start of the shopping season.
Thanksgiving: A Day of Thanks, Food and Family
In its heart, Thanksgiving truly deals about thanks. It gives a chance to value the important things, whether it deals about the folks beside you, your good health or those little personal wins, that no one else will note. What disarms about it, is that it does not depend on gifts, fancy decorations or particular religious rite.
For many folks, the day spins around football and the Macy parade, that both are just as built in as the shared meals.
The origins of the festival go very far back. It existed to express thank you because of good harvest and everything else, what the year gave. Similar events happen globally when comes the autumn.
Although Thanksgiving has clearly religious and cultural ties to history, it evolved to a party for folks of every belief. The most many cite the harvest feast of 1621 as model for the modern American Thanksgiving, but indeed there exist earlier European stories: one celebrated Thanksgiving May 27th 1578 in Newfoundland.
President Abraham Lincoln played a key role to make it an official holiday. After he proclaimed that, the custom spread quickly.
The foods are the core of the event. The turkey attends at almost every table, but many also serve ham instead or together with it. Everywhere appears stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potato, sweet potato mash, beans in mash, roasted Brussels sprouts, gravy and dinner rolls.
For desert, one chooses usually pumpkin cake or pecan cake. Even so, not each follows the traditional rules, some families prefer ribs, brisket or even deep fried turkey. Here the secret: the cranberry sauce does not stay only a side dish.
It truly surprisingly works on bread or English rolls with a strip of cream cheese.
Planning for the first time can seem overwhelming. Laying the turkey in the oven for hours does make time for other tasks truly hard. Asking that every guest bring one or two dishes removes a lot of stress.
Using good fresh bread for the stuffing gives better results than those ready cubes from the store. Crusty French bread or Italian rolls is perfect, although simple white bread works wellfor cheap money.
At the end of the day, Thanksgiving deals about gathering and shared meals. Every family has its own weird traditions and cooking customs, that makes the day uniquely its own. It also sets the tone for the next festivals.
