🍁 THEN & NOW: A Thanksgiving Journey of Family, Food, and a Healthier Life

Thanksgiving has always been more than a meal for me.

It’s family…

It’s memories…

It’s Momma’s kitchen full of laughter, love, and enough food to feed twenty hungry people without breaking a sweat.

The old photo on the left is exactly how I grew up — surrounded by the Southern dishes my momma made better than anyone. Those were the flavors of my childhood, and those moments shaped who I became as a man, a father, and a son. When Momma and I put those recipes into a cookbook years ago, it was our way of preserving the heart of our family for everyone to enjoy.

You can still find that cookbook on my website today, and I’ll always be proud of it.

https://www.therealbigsmo.com/post/momma-smo-s-cookbook

But life looks a whole lot different for me now.

The picture on the right shows our Thanksgiving these days — cleaner ingredients, plant-forward dishes, and meals that actually uplift my body instead of weighing it down. I’m living healthier now than I have in a long time, moving with more clarity and purpose, and trying every day to honor the body God gave me.

That shift didn’t happen overnight.

It took time.

It took conviction.

And it took someone in my corner who believed I could feel better and live better.

These days, SB and I spend our holidays cooking together — finding ways to recreate the comfort foods I love in a way that aligns with the life I’m building now. And let me tell you… eating clean doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor. Our home stays full of color, seasoning, and comfort — just with ingredients that fuel the journey instead of holding it back.

If you’re curious about the dishes you see on the right — the herb-crusted tofu, the plant-based dressing, the colorful sides, the homemade mulled cider — SB put together a full Smolicious Thanksgiving guide with recipes, photos, and even a shopping list.

It’s the same spread we make in our home today.

https://www.therealbigsmo.com/post/smolicious-thanksgiving-recipes-book

Whether you stick with the classics I grew up on, try a few cleaner dishes, or mix the two together, I hope this Thanksgiving brings your home joy, gratitude, and good memories.

I’m thankful for where I came from.

I’m thankful for where I am now.

And I’m thankful for the chance to keep growing.

Happy Thanksgiving, Kinfoke.

— Smo