FAMILY blog
How to Be a Vegetarian
During the Turkey Holidays
“W hen I was fourteen, I bravely walked up
to my parents and declared that I was
becoming a vegetarian. As most parents would,
they smiled and replied, “Sure sweetie, whatever
you say.” Thus started the very long and tedious
transition to vegetarianism. Whoever says becoming
a vegetarian is easy; they’re lying. Especially when
you’re younger and doing it all on your own. I
wrestled with food for months before figuring out
the right vegetarian diet. Even now, ten years later;
I’m still learning.

When it comes to the holidays, lavish family dinners
can be a bit tricky for vegetarians. Through trial and
error, I have learned what works and what doesn’t.

Over the years, I have discovered some great
Thanksgiving meat alternatives, such as vegetarian
gravy. My favorite is Simply Organic Vegetarian
Brown Gravy, which is 100% vegetarian-friendly
and can be found in your local grocery store! This
is the perfect boost of flavor to add for the mashed
potatoes and all of the other fixings. My Mom makes
roasted garlic mashed potatoes that are heavenly.

She also adds extra marshmallows to the sweet pota-
toes. No turkey means you can double the potatoes!
My Dad becomes my superhero because he makes
his famous stuffing just for me! Another dish that
I can’t help but to overeat is my Mom’s green bean
casserole. Besides the sweet potatoes, it’s the only
My typical Thanksgiving dinner plate usually
contains green bean casserole, meat-free stuffing,
sweet potatoes with extra marshmallows and tons of
mashed potatoes with vegetarian gravy!
colorful food on my plate. Even though I don’t eat
I have two main jobs on Thanksgiving Day: The ap-
petizer and the dessert. Cheese is my favorite food
and almost none of the traditional Thanksgiving
recipes include cheese as one of the ingredients. I
pick out a couple different types of cheeses, jams,
crackers and grapes and lay it out on a very nice
spread that everyone snacks on throughout the day
while we cook. It’s the perfect combination to keep
you fueled without filling you up.

version of Thanksgiving. It’s the time spent with
For dessert, my family loves to indulge in apple pie,
and making it from scratch together makes us love it
even more. Homemade apple pie is actually easier to
make than it sounds. Plus, the smell of fresh apple
pie baking in the oven will make you want to save
some room for dessert.

6 November 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com
turkey for Thanksgiving, there are a lot of great
alternatives. So yes, my plates are filled with carbs; but it’s my
loved ones cooking, baking and enjoying it all to-
gether that makes Thanksgiving so special; not just
what you eat. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
Michele Katsaris
Production Coordinator
Washington FAMILY Magazine
mkatsaris@thefamilymagazine.com



&
present M anassas B allet t heatre
in with
The Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra
December 14-23
Twelve shows to choose from
Group tickets starting at only $25
Information on ticket discounts, MBT,
and the affiliated Academy: 703-257-1811
10960 George Mason Circle
Manassas, VA 20110
manassasballet.org www.hyltoncenter.org
(888) 945-2468
@manassasballettheatre MBT is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Virginia Commission of the Arts, Prince William County, and the City of Manassas
Photo by David Halloway
A world premiere
kennedy center commission
Adapted by Andy Mitton,
Patrick McDonnell, and Aaron Posner
Music and lyrics by Andy Mitton
Based on the book Me...Jane
by Patrick McDonnell
Choreographed by christopher d’Amboise
Directed by Aaron Posner
Dr. Jane goodall
In this brand new musical adaptation, join a young
Dr. Jane Goodall and her special toy chimpanzee Jubilee
as they learn about the world around them and the
importance of protecting all living species.

november 18–December 10
Family theater
The Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. performance is sensory-friendly.

Age 6+
kenneDy-centeR.oRg | (202) 467-4600
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.

Me...Jane illustrations 2011 Patrick McDonnell. Used by permission of Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales
Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

Funding for Access and Accommodation Programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

A PART OF
Major support for education programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein
through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Bank of America is the Presenting Sponsor
of Performances for Young Audiences.

Additional support for Me...Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of
Young Jane Goodall is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation;
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation;
and the U.S. Department of Education.

Support for JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy is provided by Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley,
Chevron,The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Northern Trust, and Target.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of
the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

washingtonFAMILY.com November 2017 7