Thanksgiving meals require plenty of advance planning. First you have to plan the menu based on the number of people coming and whether others are bringing food. Then you have to make a shopping list from all the recipes and worse, do the shopping. Hopefully, someone is helping and you are not alone in this endeavor.
Our menu as it stands today is: roasted turkey that has been brined, cornbread dressing and gravy, cranberry salad, sweet potato casserole, rolls, some sort of green vegetable and of course, pumpkin pie. I haven't decided on the green vegetable as there are several recipes I'm considering, each of which has different fans.
I want to remind everyone that you will feel less guilty about indulging a bit on Thanksgiving if you make healthy choices before (and after) the big day. We've been eating black bean soup recently and last night, we had a stir fry from several leftovers. I had lots of leftover rice from the black bean soup, half a cabbage and a few green onions. I also had about half a smoked pork tenderloin from Sunday. Remember I'm a big fan of using leftovers. I added carrots and sauteed the cabbage and onions in one pot with about 3 Tbsp. of canola oil. When the mixture was lightly browned, I added the chopped pork, seasoned it with pepper to taste and a few dashes of soy sauce. Be careful with soy sauce as it is extremely high in salt. In a separate skillet sprayed with cooking spray, I sauteed the rice with 3 Tbsp. of butter, pepper and a few dashes of soy sauce. I added three beaten eggs and stirred till the egg was cooked. I served the vegetable/meat mixture over the rice and egg mixture. Everyone loved it, it was fast and easy and I used up several leftover items, saving money.
I also hope you are keeping up with your exercise. Holiday time is hectic but this is not the time to quit exercising all together. Today is nice and sunny so I'll take the dog on a long walk. We both benefit. Plan an outdoor activity on Thanksgiving if weather permits. A walk in the park, football or even dodgeball will be fun for everyone.
About Me
- Lisa Tedder
- Arkansas
- I started this blog 4 years ago because people kept asking how my husband and I stayed so "skinny". Heart disease, stroke, Parkinson's and diabetes have all claimed victims in my family. After marrying Barry, a cardiologist, I became even more health conscientious. The birth of my children prompted me to learn more about nutrition in order to raise the healthiest kids possible. Food has always been important to my family and part of our celebrations. However, I have learned to cook in healthier ways than my parents while we still enjoy good food. Our health is largely in our own hands. I hope to inspire others that they can improve their health without a doctorate, a degree in nutrition or sports physiology. It does take a commitment to educating yourself and then following through. Disease seldom happens by chance; most often it is the result of choices we make, good or bad, like choosing to smoke or not exercising. I don't want to be sitting on the sidelines in my 60's; I want to still be dancing, still be laughing, still be in the game of life. In addition to my husband Barry, I have two children ages 14 and 17 plus 7 animals to keep me busy.