This year might have been my most successful Thanksgiving ever. For the first time, probably ever in my life, I didn’t overeat and it was amazing! It also left me wanting more. Usually I’m all Thanksgiving-food’ed out after we have our 2 dinners, but this year I feel like I could eat Thanksgiving dinner a few more times.
One of the biggest tips I’ve always heard on not overeating is to eat all of your meals as you would normally. So that’s what I attempted to do.
[Breakfast]
Tina from Carrots ‘N’ Cake said it perfectly..
“…a good breakfast sets the tone for my day.”
Since I’ve tried her Sweet Breakfast Scramble, I haven’t turned back. It’s amazing.. my favorites are with spaghetti squash and pumpkin, topped with 1 tbsp peanut butter. Usually two different kinds of peanut butter to mix it up 🙂
[Lunch]
Peanut butter cup protein shake.
[Snacks]
Carrots and an apple.
[Dinner]
Thank goodness for Thanksgiving! I loved the menu this year; of course we had our staples, but some new side dishes popped up too.
- Deep fried turkey
- Sausage stuffing (secret recipe!)
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Roasted broccoli
- Roasted asparagus
- Winter panzanella salad
- Cranberry relish
Check out my plate above.. I definitely had a little extra of a few things, but I couldn’t believe I walked away with white space on my plate!
This year I jumped at the opportunity to make a few items for the night, partially in an attempt to have a few healthier items on the table.
I brought one of my favorite winter salads; winter panzanella from smitten kitchen. I also wanted to bring a healthy dessert so I made my Kind Apple Crisp. And then the healthy options ended. My homemade peanut butter cups are an absolute must ever year. I’ve been making them since I was a kid and have perfected them in the last few years. Nathan said they were the best this year, but I think he tells me that every year! I’ll keep him around.. 😉
Mom slicing the turkey!
My brother deep fries the turkeys outside and as soon as they come in, everyone starts swarming the kitchen.
“Oh, this piece is going to fall off. I should grab it before it falls..”
And as soon as my mom starts slicing, you’d think we were a bunch of vultures that hadn’t eaten in days! Who knows, maybe some of us haven’t eaten in days in preparation? It’s well worth the wait!
[Dessert]
Along with my peanut butter cups and apple crisp, there was also a deconstructed pumpkin pie in the cutest little cups, chocolate chip banana bread courtesy of my brother’s girlfriend, and a pumpkin roll. My aunt makes this roll special for Nathan every year, so you can imagine our panic when we saw her facebook status in the early afternoon..
“First attempt at pumpkin roll a failure and dumped in trash. Helper off to the Giant for more sugar. I know Nathan is counting on me!”
I’m pleased to report that her second attempt was a success! Luckily, I convinced Nathan ahead of time to split the desserts with me so I was able to try a little bit of everything. And boy can my family bake! Seriously. We’re good!
What a great holiday! I’m so thankful for my wonderful family, especially since they’re such great cooks and bakers 😉
Food for Thought
What are you thankful for this year?
Barr & Table 