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Doesn’t the thought of eating turkey and mashed potatoes this Thanksgiving make you feel a little traditional? I feel as though it’s time to step out of the box and think non-traditional this year. That’s why I’m letting you know about several different non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner ideas that will have you smacking your lips.
#1. Chinese Food
I’ve always thought this would be a great idea for a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Who says you need to have a table full of turkey, pasta, and potatoes? I’m thinking along the lines of Chinese Food this year. It tastes delicious and I know everyone will love it.
#2. Healthier Versions
I am frankly tired of gaining weight over the holidays and that’s why I’ve thought about just being completely healthy about Thanksgiving this year as well. Instead of mashed potatoes, I like the idea of sweet potato crisps. Don’t worry about the #1 in this post though because Chinese food is naturally healthy and those calories don’t count (insert wink here).
#3. Sensational Seafood
I do love a good turkey dinner but I wouldn’t mind trying a bunch of various seafood options either. If I were going to think outside of the box for a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner I would go the route of seafood. There’s something scrumptious about trying new types of shrimp, fish, and even crab legs.
#4. Fondue Fountain
Who says you need to have food at all? One of my favorite versions of a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal is chocolate fondue creation. You can go all out and even add a healthier touch to the fondue with fruit. My favorite is dipping strawberries in chocolate. What’s yours?
#5. PIZZA!
If you don’t feel like cooking and you just want to enjoy your family this Thanksgiving, then it’s time to whip out the pizza. Don’t just order out, but instead make your pizza from scratch and allow everyone to create their own pizza style. This is a great way to involve kids in the Thanksgiving feast as well.
No matter which Thanksgiving version you choose, traditional or not, just remember to enjoy the season and embrace the time together you have as a family.
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you have a great bunch of foodie ideas, mommy :)…I’ll go with seafood although the fondue fountain sounds very tempting :)…have a great Thanksgiving for you and your family 🙂
Oh, my boys would be totally with you on #4 and #5!! Just get right to the chocolate fountain! 🙂 Ryan loves to dip pretzels.
This would not go over well with me hosting this year, but if we were having just my family anything would go.
We might do Chinese food this year too – due to some family circumstances – that might be the way to go! I hardly have it anyway so it sounds good. 🙂
Some great ideas here, but admit Kevin had to have his turkey and trimmings so definitely wouldn’t let me do this unfortunately.
I think Chinese would be a lot easier than taking hours out of my day to cook a ginormous meal.
Chinese would be easier, but for us it is something we’d eat any day.
I wanted to go non-traditional this year, but my inlaws are being sticks in the mud 🙂 I’m still not sure who’s hosting though!!!
Great ideas! My kids love Chinese, that would be a lot of fun for Thanksgiving. But this year we are going to have two Thanksgivings, both with Turkey and all the trimmings. On Thanksgiving Day we will have Thanksgiving with my husband’s parents and my brother is hosting Thanksgiving for my family on the following Saturday.
These are great ideas. We did a Chinese buffet one year 🙂
mom is italian so we have traditional italian and t.giving dishes…food for weeks!
Fun ideas, but we are sticking with traditional. It’s the only time of the year I allow myself to not limit the calories and eat as much turkey and pie as I want lol.
Def fun ideas.. but I like my usual.. LOL hard to break old habits. I do know people that have done Italian or Mexican for Thanksgiving instead.
Great ideas. I am thinking of doing something different this year.
I served fish one year as my other protein and people loved it because it was different. I like these ideas- I was thinking maybe Indian food because we like it spicy!
Those sound like great ideas!! Chinese would be fun!!
Everything looks perfect for family gathering dinner 😀 We love Chinese food.
My family did duck one year….. Not gunna lie though…. I love my traditional turkey and mashed potatoes 😉
I love the idea of Chinese Food for thanksgiving and pizza. My family is very traditional so they always cook like this big meal and sometimes i’m not in the mood at all.
I want a fondue fountain! That would be extra yum. 🙂
I can remember the first time my mother decided to make me cook Thanksgiving dinner. She was furious when I made hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill. She took over for many years after that, lol. I am all for non-traditional foods from time to time!
I kind of like the traditional, but we do serve up some non-traditional sides with turkey and taters. It would be fun to try an completely change things up, i wonder if my family would go for it.
These are all great ideas. I can’t have Thanksgiving without my turkey, but I’m thinking maybe this year a seafood stuffing. Yum!
I’d like if we would go the healthier option. That’s part of why I’ve been bringing a veggie tray to our family pot lucks.
Another great tip is to make cauliflower mashed potatoes. You just cook up a head of cauliflower and use a potato ricer. It’s awesome.
These are great ideas. My in-laws have always done chili and cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving.
I like all your ideas. Frankly, if it wasn’t for my husband who loves to cook for the holidays, I totally would not mind just getting take out. Turkey isn’t my favorite meat to eat but we’ve been frying it the past 2 years and it definitely cuts down on the cooking time.
We love fondue! What a fun idea for Thanksgiving.
For some reason I can’t get around pizza- all of our pizza places are closed on thanksgiving- so it would have to be a homemade kind of thing, and I’m not sure our oven could handle the number we’d need to make. Chinese food, on the other hand, is available and we have done it! It’s nice to have backups in case something goes horrible wrong cooking!
I do love traditional Thanksgiving foods. However, I’ve always thought having Chinese takeout food would be super fun during the holidays. At least once.
Non-traditional can be good. Chinese would make my family happy too…though we’ll prolly do turkey just because my husband loves it so much. 🙂
I could totally go for Chinese or seafood on Thanksgiving. I would still eat my turkey on another day of the week.
I love the idea of a non-traditional Thanksgiving, especially with baby #2 on the way I really don’t want to have to deal with cooking and all that fun stuff. The suggestion of chinese food sounds perfect!
I am all for the Chinese idea! I am addicted to our local chinese buffet, could eat there often if it were not so expensive!
I am all for a non traditional turkey dinner! Trying to navigate a Thanksgiving dinner with different parents and family members who do other things and a kiddo who has to share her time between her mom and dad (hubs.) The holidays are getting more and more difficult and stressful with each passing year.
Chinese food- YES!!! I’m not a huge fan of turkey (gasp) so I usually make a tenderloin too,
These are such fun ideas! I never thought about having a non-traditional Thanksgiving, but fondue sounds delish!!!
Definitely up for pizza for thanksgiving or even chinese. I am not one to stick to the I dare say ‘american’ type of thanksgiving I just eat whatever lol
My dad used to make prime rib every Thanksgiving!! It was so good and made a perfect different family tradition!
You’ve inspired me to break out of my comfort zone this Thanksgiving. Maybe I’ll do a nice Cajun inspired stuffing with some Andoui sausage and shrimp.
These are great ideas, but I don’t think I could switch out my Thanksgiving Favorites for anything else. Thanksgiving usually is the only time of year we have a full Turkey.
We always have our traditional turkey and or ham dinner with all the fixin’s. At times I would love to go with an easier meal but I would miss my favorite foods. It just wouldn’t be the same!
Great Ideas if you are tired of having the same dinner but I love having all of the traditional food. I do agree though that I gain weight because of it and could do without that.
I don’t eat turkey, so my thanksgiving has always been all about the side dishes!
I’m glad to see there’s someone else out there who does something a little different for Thanksgiving. My family does the whole turkey thing, but we also cook some traditional Latin foods as well. It’s a great time.
Chocolate fondue fountain sounds like a really good idea! you actually sparked another idea I’d like to try – after dinner s’mores bonfire. I’d love to do something like that..
I’d love to do a seafood Thanksgiving! Portions are much easier to control that way.
These are all great alternatives to a traditional thanks giving dinner. I would go for the Chinese food.
we just got invited to a friends house so I will be doing less cooking thanks for the tips
My father is having hip replacement the week before Thanksgiving so we might be doing pizza! I am not sure any of us will be up to a full meal preparation.
I love the Chinese food idea. That is what my leftovers turn into eventually, anyway, so why not just start out with what I want!
We did pizza for Christmas Eve one year. It was a nice change up
I love the chinese food idea. I’m the type of person who is always excited to see chinese food being served.
This is the first year that I’ll be hosting! What a fun idea to have a non traditional Thanksgiving! Digging the Fondue idea!
Chinese food and Pizza! My faves. Great ideas I would love to do any! It can be a lot of work but I do love my turkey and trimmings!
These are great ideas! I so agree with making the holiday your own and not buying into having to have it a certain way. My husband and I and our sons live a long way from our families and many years we have made the holidays are own and served non traditional meals.
If you are having the fondue fountain I want to be invited. I love your take on nontraditional meals.
Hmm… Let’s see. Turkey and all the trimmings followed by a fondue fountain for dessert. I like it!
Chinese food’s a good option for Thanksgiving. I’m crazy for Asian cuisine.
We like changing it up sometimes, still having the traditional turkey but making ribs sometimes is good. Great list!! It’s fun to think outside of the box sometimes for Thanksgiving.
These are great ideas! I do love the traditional turkey but these are fun ideas!
I love these ideas. I’m thinking thanksgiving pizza. You could do gravy for the sauce and top it with crumbled dressing, turkey, cranberry sauce, and dried fruits. Yum!
we have done lasagna many years instead of a turkey. I say whatever works for you and your family.
What pizza is not a traditional meal for Thanksgiving. HA cute list. We have had dennys a time or two.
These are all great options. The last couple years we went out to eat and didn’t have the traditional dinner.
I think I could go for the Chinese! lol.
My sister-in-law is from Ecuador. And when she came into our family; we now always have her special rice for Thanksgiving. It’s family tradition now. And i love it.
Great ideas… I remember eating Chinese at my Gma’s one year and it was so much fun
Love these ideas.. So much better than a traditional Thanksgiving!
My mother would lose her religion at some of these suggestions – especially if we dare execute them. Oh, she doesn’t mind if we go nontraditional – but only to a point. We can do steak, or even grill or deep fry a turkey; but there has to be some semblance of thanksgiving.
Definitely different Thanksgiving meals. We have always had turkey and ham.
We always have unconventional dinners for Thanksgiving. I am from Jamaica and our dishes are way better than turkey. Lol. Now that i eat raw mostly it is way different
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give up traditional Thanksgiving dishes on turkey day.
There is no way that I can ever get out of cooking Thanksgiving turkey at all. See I have this recipie that I been using for years where I soak the turkey in sea salt over night and then I brine the turkey and it’s perfect. yep I would love to do a pizza for dinner but I am forever doomed the turkey maker
My family always has homecooked Chinese for Thanksgiving. So yummy!
Pizza! Seriously considering that this year since my due date is teh day after Thanksgiving 🙂
Great ideas!! I don’t know if I could do anything besides the normal meal! However Chinese on black Friday sounds amazing!
We do fondue on New Years. My kids love it, so much fun!
Interesting ideas! I’d love a fondue fountain for Thanksgiving!
I am very traditional. If I have a big crowd I sometimes add in something untraditional like lasagna, but I like my turkey and sides.
We had salmon one year for Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite memories! So fun to shake it up a little!
Pizza is all time fave so to me, it’s tradition.
Honestly, I could eat pizza for every meal of every day! We do turkey for Thanksgiving, pizza for Christmas and Chinese for New Years.
Since I moved away from my family traditional Thanksgiving meal is a must, though I tweak it to make it my own, the tradition, the feeling the memories I really enjoy it. I love the ideas you have! I think I will do it for Christmas, ha funny I can’t change Thanksgiving but can Christmas
Wow! I have never thought Chinese food can be served in a Thanksgiving party! It’s my favorite. 🙂
Seafood for me! Yumm… We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in SA but Christmas is always a variety for us.
Oooo – I am all for a Fondue Fountain. I think that would make a really nice grande finale for Thanksgiving dinner.
You won me over with the fondue fountain. You can do fun seasonal variations like minty white chocolate or s’mores milk chocolate. Yum!!
I love some of these ideas, and if I was in charge of cooking, would definitely be doing some of them. Thankfully, my mom still cook’s Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family.
We did pasta for a number of years. I love having comfort food
These are really cool ideas! One non traditional thing we do some years is make tamales, which is usually a Christmas tradition in my family, but we’re impatient lol!
We actually do this for Christmas dinner every year. We choose something new each year. The first year we did it we had Chinese and then the next, Pizza.=)
What a fun idea, I’m so stuck in my ways LOL and tradition
PIzza would definitely win in our house hands down. My kids are pizza fanatics.
This is an awesome idea. It really doesn’t have to be the same old thing. It just has to be the family together being thankful. Thanks for sharing. The pizza idea I love by the way. 🙂
Take out it is! 🙂 Thanks for giving the okay, though I do miss some of the “favs” since i”m living abroad now.
We are doing a traditional family dinner. We’re going to substitute some of the sides for healthier versions!
My Thanksgiving is the same every year *knock on wood* with the same exact dishes and always at the same place. But let me tell ya, if there was ever a year that changed, I’m going with Chinese food!!!!! Perfect idea!
I’m loving the pizza idea! It would be so easy to order out! 🙂
i would consider these non traditional things for dinner, but i need my full table spread for lunch!
Love these! What about Salmon? Ya know like they did on Everybody Loves Raymond? LOL
Growing up we didn’t do thanksgiving dinner because my mom couldn’t cook. I love Thanksgiving now because it’s a special day instead of just another night that we eat pizza.
We have been thinking about having something alternative for Thanksgiving this year as we have all become mostly vegetarian in this household. So, it’s cool to read that other people like to try something besides the traditional turkey, too.
Great suggestions! I think I like that Fondue fountain idea the most.
Great list! Pizza is my favorite at any time of the day/year/hour !
Chinese food for Thanksgiving sounds good to me.
I like traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I would not complain about some new additions like Fondue though, that would be delish!
I love the idea of having a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Although if I had to choose I would for sure go with traditional! Haven’t had a nice turkey in such a long time =(
These are great ideas, it’s so time consuming to cook a huge Thanksgiving dinner.
These are great alternatives to traditional thanksgiving food. Thanks for the ideas, great for something different!
Chinese food sounds good to me! Although I’m a stickler for traditional meals.
Pizza sounds good to me. Let’s do this!
I think there would be a full-scale riot at my house if we tried anything non-traditional for Thanksgiving! Ha!
I love the idea of a non-traditional Thanksgiving. I know of several that would love Chinese food for Thanksgiving, but personally, I hate Chinese food (except for fortune cookies and fried rice). Starting last Thanksgiving, I’ve started eating healthier during the holidays.
HilLesha
Haha! Since we don’t usually have any thanksgiving dinner (only so rarely) here I am thinking it would be so awesome to have turkey all the time lol!
I’m not a big “thanksgiving food” person so I would definitely be down for the Chinese food! Love these non-traditional ideas.
Great suggestion for those who are not into traditions. I cook a big meal only on Thanksgiving and go the nontraditional way for Christmas, since the kids don’t come home for this holiday.
These are all great ideas. I think that as long as you are together, it doesn’t matter what you share.
My son would love #4 and #5 lol, I remember on Thanksgiving last year he had oatmeal. He is definitely not traditional.
We will definitely having a non-traditional Thanksgiving this year! My dad’s girlfriend’s family is visiting from China, so we’ll have a mix of traditional American and Chinese foods!