5 Simple and Flavor Full Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Tis the season for long lists, errands and hosting parties. Although Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, all that planning can be overwhelming, so I am making it my mantra this year to simplify things, giving me more time to enjoy the precious moments of family togetherness.

Here are five flavor FULL side dishes that are guaranteed to make a big impact without keeping you in the kitchen all day!

Birds Eye Flavor Full Ranch Broccoli

Ready in 6 minutes flat, Birds Eye Flavor Full Ranch Broccoli wins the prize for Easiest Side Dish with the Most Flavor. This comes in its own microwaveable steam pouch and is so tasty, even the pickiest eaters will go back for seconds. Find out where you can buy this in your area by using the Birds Eye product locator.

Here's a $1-off coupon to save a bit more dough.

Birds Eye Flavor Full Ranch Broccoli

Birds Eye Flavor Full BBQ Corn

This is one of the most versatile and flavorful side dishes to hit the frozen veggie aisle in a long time. Use it to make a wide array of delicious recipes from corn salsa to corn chowder, vegetarian sliders or completely on its own, Birds Eye Flavor Full BBQ Corn is the perfect bold accompaniment to any beautiful Thanksgiving Day spread. Simplify your holiday shopping by using the Birds Eye product locator.

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Birds Eye Flavor Full BBQ Corn

Roasted Leeks and Carrots

Peel and quarter the carrots, lengthwise. Remove the tough, fibrous outer layers of the leeks, then slice them on the diagonal, about 3 inches thick. Peel the garlic, leaving them whole. Toss everything in the olive oil and bake for about an hour. That's IT! Simple and delicious!

Perfectly Crispy Kale

Wash and dry the kale. Making sure it's dry is the key to getting it crispy! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pull or cut the leafy part of the kale from its hard spine. Break the tender leaves in to bite size pieces and place on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Pour a teaspoon of olive oil in to the palm of your clean hand and work the olive oil gently through the leaves with your fingers until all of the kale is lightly coated, then sparingly dust with sea salt. Spread the kale out so that it is just one thin even layer, not piled on top of each other and put it in the oven for about 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it because it goes from crispy to burnt very quickly! If you leave it out overnight, uncovered it will be even more crispy, perfect for a healthy morning snack!

Roasted Balsamic Beets with Goat Cheese

To roast the beets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove beet tops (the stalks and greens) and wrap the beets in aluminum foil. Place the beets in the oven for about an hour, making sure rotate them every 20 minutes. If they are really large beets, they might need more roasting time. I generally do the 'squeeze' test. If you squeeze them (with an oven mitt!) and they depress, they are ready! When the beets are done, take them out and set them on the counter and allow them to cool. When the beets are cooled, easily remove the skin with your hands or by gently rubbing them with a paper towel. Slice the beets a 1/4 inch in thickness, sprinkle a few dollops of goat cheese on top and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Enjoy!

[Food Series] Maw Maw's Totally Southern Macaroni and Cheese

This may sound a little sappy, but this dish represents so many things I am thankful for. This recipe has been passed down from my great-grandmother, to my grandmother, to my mother then, to me and it always has a place on our Thanksgiving table. This year, it is with honor, that I pass it down to your family! Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 16 oz bags of Rigatoni

4 16 oz bags of shredded Sharp Cheddar

10 eggs

1/2 gallon of Whole Milk
1 tablespoon of Ground Mustard

2 teaspoons of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

Begin by par boiling the rigatoni. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Split the pasta up evenly between two 9 by 12 by 3 baking dishes. In a large mixing bowl whisk together half of the eggs, half of the milk, half of the ground mustard and half of the Tony Chachere's, then mix in one bag of cheese. Once the cheese is fully incorporated into the mixture, pour over pan number 1 of noodles and stir it around making sure to coat all of the pasta and evenly distribute the cheese. Repeat this process for pan number 2, then put both into the oven. After 20 minutes, stir both dishes well, scrape the sides and put them back into the oven. After another 20 minutes, stir them both again and put them back into the oven for another 10 minutes, then add one bag of cheese on top of each pan and put them back into the oven until the cheese is all melted and starting to slightly brown (about 15 minutes). Slice, serve and count your blessings! Happy Thanksgiving!

[Family Volunteering Series Pt. 4] It Takes a Village To Make a Difference

For our family, Thanksgiving, and pretty much every holiday, is always about valuing the love that we have for each other and showing our appreciation for that love. It's so easy to fall into that trap of taking things for granted and I believe there's no better way to remind ourselves of how blessed we are than to put ourselves in the position to serve others who are in need.  

Volunteering is so much more than handing out or picking up things, it's about making that human connection to another person or to Mother Nature. It's about getting family together, radiating a positive and nurturing energy and taking the time to emphasize the importance of loving acts.

Planting Native Plants with Tree People

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought it would be inspiring to me, and hopefully to you, to spotlight a few other families who value how beautiful family volunteering can be. Do you have a favorite family volunteering tradition? Share it with us and let's inspire each other!

Melissa from Keeping up with the Rheinlander's

Holidays are a special time for families! However not all families can or are unable to give their children what they want/need during the holidays! That is where my family and friends like to help! During the Holidays we all get together and pitch in money to “adopt" a family every year! To ensure that at least one family in our area has a wonderful Christmas/Holiday!! I think it is a bright spot in our Holiday tradition and makes everyone feel as if they made a difference. 

As a family we donate to places, events, charities throughout the year (especially our local children's shelter). I always involve my daughter (who is now 4) because I want to teach her to give, that we share what we have with others.  I want to teach her to be a generous and loving person. 

Having worked with at-risk youth and children in Foster care I feel that I “know more” than the average person and a responsibility to GIVE. If I am able to impact the life of one child and teach my own child a valuable lesson in the process then I am doing something right! I challenge you to find a charity or local family in need and give back! You can do it alone or gather family and friends to help make someone else’s Holiday special for them!! 

Jennifer from The Good Long Road

Our family holiday volunteer tradition began when our oldest son was barely 2 and our youngest son was not quite 4 months old. 

My husband and I nurture family volunteerism by example -- showing our boys the importance of doing what we can to help others, particularly in the ways that make the most sense for us. My husband shot photos and video footage of the event (he and I are independent filmmakers). This was a talent he could give to the organizers -- quality photos they could use to promote the event and get more people involved in the future. It helps the boys understand the importance of their job, as a job that a little one can do varies quite a bit from an adult. Still, children can give back. They can also learn a great deal from seeing parents give back and having parents prioritize giving to others, both time and donations.

Since our particular family holiday volunteer tradition relates to feeding those in need, this theme often runs throughout the year for us as we try to donate items to our food pantry on a regular basis and engage in other creative ways to raise awareness about hunger and help individuals struggling with food insecurity. 

I love that my kids take joy in helping others. As they get older, I look forward to seeing what volunteer opportunities and giving activities grow out of their own interests and concerns, and we'll continue to have fun committing lots of random acts of kindness!

Amber from The Mile High Mama 

I've always had a problem with Thanksgiving. By its very definition, this holiday should be about giving thanks with those we love but has become an excuse to be over-indulgent stuffing our faces while watching football all day (can you tell I have pretty strong opinions about this? :-) So I decided my family's Thanksgiving would be about service. 

This will be our third year serving Thanksgiving dinner through Volunteers of America to a residential and support program designed to help chronically homeless women. We bring a side dish to share, we make cards for them, we play BINGO together and, most importantly, we are filled with gratitude for all that we have while realizing maybe we're not so different after all. 

Melissa From Chasqui Mom

My husband and I have been youth leaders for eight years at our local Spanish speaking church, Iglesia Esperanza Viva for Junior High and High School Students.  

Last year in addition to starting a wilderness program, we wanted to teach our youth students the value of giving back to our community.  We coordinated to have 13 students volunteer at the Telegraph Ministry Center's food pantry and it was a great opportunity for them to serve their neighbors.

Even though my own children are toddlers, it's very important to me to teach my children to serve the needs of our community.  As in all our outdoor adventures (we do everything as a family) our own children come along on volunteering activities.   I love working with teenagers whether it's teaching them  outdoor skills, spiritual lessons or volunteering alongside them in our community.