Thanksgiving Cooking Planning: Start at Your Desk, NOT Your Stove
By Todd Mohr
Planning, shopping, preparing, cooking, serving, wrapping leftovers, not to mention straightening your house are worthy of your worry when you don’t have a good plan. While I can’t help you with house cleaning, I can help turn holidays cooking stress into Thanksgiving cooking success this year with a few simple tips.
First, have a written plan for your menu, grocery shopping, and preparation. Don’t just “eye-ball” it at the grocery store, checking to see if that “looks” like enough potatoes. You’ll wind up at the end of the meal forcing people to eat more for fear of it “going to waste”. If it’s not consumed, then you’ve got more time in wrapping leftovers, only to discard them a few days later anyway.
Thanksgiving cooking should start with a calculator and multiply a standard portion of 5 ounces of protein, 4 ounces of starch, 3 ounces of vegetables, by the number of people you’re serving, your shopping and cooking will be more cost effective, efficient, and less wasteful. Use any number for your portion estimates, but adhere to your plan when you start shopping.
Next, have a plan for your oven space, refrigerator space, and serving vessels and utensils. You’ll have more food stored, prepared, cooked, and served than you do the rest of the year, so proper prior planning will again save last minute indecision, wasting time and increasing your stress.
“Potatoes in Grandma’s china flower dish”, “green beans in glass casserole with serving tongs” are notes you can make next to your menu plan. Estimate what can be purchased, prepared or cooked before other items. Not all Thanksgiving cooking needs to take place on Thanksgiving. You can buy things like onions or potatoes well in advance of salad greens. Buy them and cook them ahead of time for simple re-heating.
You may also want to keep an iced-down large drink cooler in your garage for the overflow that your refrigerator may not handle. Certainly, bottles and cans can go in the cooler. Zip lock or vacuum bags of mashed potatoes or butternut squash soup can be kept on ice to save fridge space for the turkey.
Lastly, consider doing “plate-up” this year. Instead of a large buffet where people’s eyes are much larger than their plates, present everyone’s first plate to them, like a restaurant. This way, you can control the initial portion, eliminating much waste, and keeping to your original portion plan.
You can still have a buffet set for those that want second portions, but preparing the first plate will save time, food, and money. Perhaps you’ll do less Thanksgiving cooking this way.
See the entire Thanksgiving Cooking video by clicking now. Chef Todd Mohr has freed thousands of people from the frustration of written recipes with his online cooking classes. The Chef’s cooking DVD series “Burn Your Recipes” empowers people to cook with basic methods and the ingredients they desire.
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3 Non-Traditional Ways to Prepare Your Holiday Turkey
By Frank Flohr
Deep-Fryed Turkey
1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
1/4 cup Creole seasoning
1 white onion
In a large stockpot or turkey fryer, heat oil to 400 degrees F. Be sure to leave room for the turkey, or the oil will spill over.
***** Side Note *****
How to determine the amount of oil you need:
The easiest way I’ve found to determine the amount of oil you need is to place the turkey into the fryer and fill with water until the turkey is just covered. Remove turkey and allow to drain, pat dry with paper towels as well. Make note of the level of water in the fryer. Discard water and dry throughly. Fill frying vessel with oil to the level as noted above. This should help in preventing hot oil spill overs.
***** End Side Note *****
Layer a large platter with food-safe paper bags. Rinse turkey, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Rub Creole seasoning over turkey inside and out. Make sure the hole at the neck is open at least 2 inches so the oil can flow freely through the bird. Place the whole onion and turkey in drain basket. The turkey should be placed in basket neck end first. Slowly lower basket into hot oil to completely cover turkey. Maintain the temperature of the oil at 350 degrees F, and cook turkey for 3 1/2 minutes per pound, about 45 minutes. Carefully remove basket from oil, and drain turkey. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; the internal temperature must be 180 degrees F.
Finish draining turkey on the prepared platter.
Grilled Whole Turkey
12 pounds whole turkey
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect medium heat, and lightly oil grate. Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Place turkey breast side down on the prepared grill. Sear turkey on both sides until skin is golden to dark brown. In a large roasting pan, mix together the water, bouillon powder, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, parsley, and paprika. Place turkey breast side down in the roasting pan. Scoop the pan mixture over the turkey. Cover tightly with foil and place on grill. Grill 3 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180F. Remove turkey from grill and let stand 15 minutes before carving.
Smoked Turkey
1 turkey 8 to 22 lbs., fresh or completely thawed
Sweet Pickle Brine (recipe to follow)
Maple syrup
Sweet Pickle Brine:
1 gal. water
2 1/2 cups salt, rock, pickling or canning salts are recommened
1/3 cup of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Lquid garlic
1 oz. pickling spices
Mix well. You may need to adjust the amounts depending on the size of your bird. This recipe should suit you fine for an 8 to 12 lb. turkey.
Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water, drain and pat dry. Prepare sweet pickle brine. Brine turkey according to the following schedule, 8 to 12 lb. bird 3 days, 13 to 16 lb. bird 4 days, 17 to 22 lb. bird 5 days. Remove from brine; rinse thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Allow to dry in refrigerator for 24 hours.
Lock wings behind back and tie legs and tail together. Baste turkey with maple syrup before putting in smoker and every 2 hours while smoking. Position turkey on cooking grill. Smoke cook until done.
The best way to determine doneness is to insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey (the breast) the internal temperature should read 180 degrees F.
Smoking food is more an art than a science; this recipe is not intended for the novice. Allot of factors go into determining the cooking time for a particular food when smoking.
Cool turkey in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving to enhance the smoked flavor. You may serve the turkey right away if you wish.
About The Author
Chef Phronc Frank Flohr (aka Chef Phronc) is passionate about cooking. Frank serves up a full plater of cooking tips, recipes and culimary information on his blog at http://www.recipecorral.com/blog. Unleash the hidden “Chef” inside you!
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Make Biscotti In Your Own Kitchen - Save A Fortune And Impress Your Family As Well!
My family has always had a tradition of making wonderful seasonal biscotti for Christmas holidays - we eat them by themselves and as a truly delicious snack with late afternoon coffee.
We had an good family recipe, which we used for ages, but last year we resolved to bring a bit of variety and tested a different recipe that I discovered.
I acquired it from an internet recipe collection, and it turned out genuinely yummy.
So here it is for you to make for yourself:
Recipe for Christmas Biscotti
You will need :
Half a cup of butter or margarine
One cup of sugar
Two and a half cups of baking powder
One teaspoon of crushed aniseed
Two whole eggs
One egg yolk
One egg white
Three cups of flour
Half a cup of chopped candied red cherries
Half a cup of mixed candied fruit
One tablespoon of finely shredded orange peel
One egg white
One tablespoon of sugar
Directions :
Use an electric food mixer on medium/high speed to beat the butter or margarine in a large bowl for 30 seconds.
Now add the cup of sugar, the baking powder, and the aniseed and beat until it is well mixed. Now beat in the whole eggs and the egg yolk.
Now add the flour, beating in as much as possible using the food mixer, and then stirring the rest in by hand. Add the candied fruit and orange peel and stir them in by hand.
Split the dough into two equal halves and shape each half into loaf shape of approximately 11″ x 2″ X 1″. Lightly grease a cookie sheet, and place both of these ‘loaves’ on the sheet.
Put the egg white and one teaspoon of water into a cup and stir well together, then brush the mix over the two dough loaves.
Now sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar over them.
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F, and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until they are light brown. Remove and place on a cookie sheet to cool for 60 minutes or so. When cool, cut each, diagonally, into slices of about half an inch wide.
Put these slices ‘cut side up’ onto an un-greased cookie sheet, and bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Flip the slices over and bake for another 10 to 13 minutes until they are crispy.
Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.
This recipe should make around 35 biscotti.
When they have cooled down enough, you can store them in a normal biscuit tin, or anything else that will keep them dry. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
If, like us, you fancy a change from your regular festive cooking, try looking through some of the online compendiums of holiday recipes recipes, you might enjoy what you will find. Next year, I plan on discovering some nice new dessert recipes for the festivities - anything will be better than christmas pudding.
Leftover Turkey Recipes: 5 Delicious Ways to Make the Most of Your Festive Bird
Roast turkey is a great family favourite, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But after the feast, comes the question – how to use the leftovers? Here are five ways to make the most of your festive bird.
- Leftover turkey sandwich recipes
Use thick slices of turkey breast and add a little of the dark meat for flavour. Use different breads, like ciabatta rolls, baguettes, wholemeal bread, or toasted white bread.
Add other ingredients, such as:- salad leaves like lettuce or spinach
- sliced avocado
- cherry tomatoes or thinly sliced beetroot
- wafer-thin cooked ham
- crumbled crispy bacon
- sliced hard-boiled egg
- soft cheeses, like Brie or Camembert
- Leftover turkey salad recipes
Use both white and dark meat. Cube or shred the leftover turkey.- Toss with toasted almonds, thin slices of fresh mango and soft salad leaves. Dress with a light vinaigrette.
- Mix with cubed avocado, slivered yellow and red pepper, sweetcorn and halved cherry tomatoes. Dress with olive oil, whisked with lime juice and chilli.
- Stir shredded turkey breast meat through cooled cooked thin rice noodles. Add shredded lettuce, matchstick slices of carrot and cucumber, and dress with a well-blended mixture of 2 parts light soy sauce to 1 part sweet chilli sauce.
- Leftover turkey soup recipes
- Add diced turkey to a basic vegetable soup recipe. Try it with celery and apple, in a chowder with sweetcorn, or as part of a spicy oriental soup, with noodles and shredded leaves.
- Liven up turkey soup with herbs and spices. Try thyme and oregano, ground coriander, smoked paprika.
- Leftover turkey and pasta recipes
- Mix diced turkey into tomato and sweet pepper sauce and serve with rice or pasta.
- Stir pesto through chopped leftover turkey for an instant pasta sauce.
- Leftover turkey curry recipes
- Turkey makes a great curry. Soften a chopped onion, add cubed turkey and curry paste. Cook for a few minutes, add stock. Stir well, simmer until turkey is heated throught. Serve with rice and naan bread.
- Cook as above, but try red or green Thai curry paste, and use liquid made with creamed coconut grated into boiling water, or use canned coconut milk.If you have more leftover turkey than you can use straight away, carve off slices on the same day that the turkey was cooked, interleave with cling wrap, overwrap with foil, pack in airtight plastic bags, and freeze. Keeps well in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Elizabeth Martyn is webmaster at http://healthy-eating-made-easy.com, where she provides information, tips and recipes on using seasonal, fresh ingredients to feed the family healthily and without hassle.
Visit the site for more leftover turkey recipes and ideas for great family meals.
This article may be published electronically or in print in its entirety as long as the author by-lines in the resource box are included and urls kept live.
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My Thanksgiving Turkey
The Thanksgiving turkey – why is it the cause of stress for so many people? I know I am not the only person who has viewed that turkey as my enemy on Thanksgiving because Butterball turkey has a hotline that receives thousands of calls each year from people with various turkey questions. The hotline typically starts operation by mid-November and runs until Christmas. The hotline is even available on Thanksgiving Day.
I have been making turkey for Thanksgiving for over 20 years and last year I finally got some tips that gave me a moist flavorful turkey that everyone at my Thanksgiving dinner actually had second and third helpings!
The following year I was busy with a baby and again forgot to buy my turkey in time to get it thoroughly thawed so I was up most of the night before Thanksgiving running cold water over my turkey to get it thawed. The turkey ended up turning out okay but I was so tired and crabby by the time I served dinner that I didn’t care whether or not the turkey was done.
Then a few years ago I got the bright idea to deep fry my turkey. Several people recommended it to me. They said a deep-fried turkey was delicious. I thought, “Deep-fried food is delicious. My turkey problems are solved!” So I bought a turkey fryer and two big containers of peanut oil for frying that turkey. But I didn’t buy any marinade to inject into the turkey against advice from lots of people.
My husband was in charge of deep frying the turkey in the garage while I was finishing up the side dishes in the kitchen. The directions said it would only take 30 minutes to deep-fry the turkey. Because we wanted the turkey to be nice and hot for dinner, my husband didn’t start cooking it until about 40 minutes before dinner. That seemed about right to us. I don’t know exactly what happened but that darn turkey took a whole lot longer than 30 minutes to cook. Instead of having turkey as our main course, we had it as a very late dessert! We thought that was okay though because the turkey looked deliciously brown and crispy when it came out of the fryer. But because we hadn’t seasoned it at all, it was pretty blah and bland. We learned the hard way that when everyone we ask recommends injecting a turkey with a marinade for flavor before cooking it, that it is probably a good idea. That year my Thanksgiving turkey cost me well over $150 when I calculated in the cost of the fryer, the oil, and the turkey. For that amount of money I could have ordered our entire Thanksgiving dinner from a local restaurant.
The next year I was listening to a local radio station one morning in early November when the female morning show host started talking about how she made her Thanksgiving turkey. She said the recipe was a little involved but that it made a delicious turkey. I was ready to give it a try. I downloaded and printed the recipe, all three pages of it. Making that turkey was like taking care of a baby for nearly two days. It had to be seasoned and put in brine; patted dry; seasoned again; then put in another brine to soak. Then I finally got to cook it. I was so proud of that turkey. I thought it was going to be the best tasting turkey ever since it was the most work I ever put in making a turkey. But that didn’t happen. Nobody liked the flavor of the turkey so I again had lots of leftovers that nobody wanted to eat.
At that point I decided I wasn’t meant to cook a turkey. A turkey and I just didn’t get along. So for two years I didn’t make turkey. But for some reason my family thought it wasn’t Thanksgiving without turkey. I wasn’t sure why they missed it. It never tasted good. Then I realized what it was. The Thanksgiving turkey was a yearly joke at our house and when I didn’t make one there was nothing to complain about. The turkey jokes couldn’t be made.
So last year I tried yet again. But I talked to my son who was taking a culinary arts course at the time for tips. He assured me he could help me make a better turkey. And he did. Our turkey last year was great. And making it wasn’t complicated. It was so tasty and so easy to make that I make turkey every couple of months.
THANKSGIVING TURKEY SIMPLIFIED
Ingredients:
One 5-6 pound turkey breast, thawed and patted dry
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
10-12 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 package from your grocer’s produce case)
1 cup water
Place turkey in a roaster. I use a Nesco roaster, but you can also bake it in the oven. Pour the water in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the turkey with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the thyme springs on top of and around the turkey. Cover and bake according to the directions on the turkey package.
If baking the turkey in the oven, remove the cover during the last 30 minutes of cooking to brown and crisp the skin.
After taking the turkey out of the roaster or oven remove the thyme springs from the turkey and discard them. Let the turkey stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Dorrie Ruplinger is the publisher of http://www.thanksgivinginfozone.com which provides information and resources about Thanksgiving.
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Turkey the Old-Fashioned Way
There are many delicious ways to prepare and serve turkey. It might be deep-fried, brined, poached, grilled…to mention just a few methods of preparation. This article, however, will focus strictly on tips and techniques for preparing perfect turkey the old-fashioned way – oven roasted.
Basic Technique for Roasting a Turkey…
2. Everyone wants to prepare enough turkey for the number of guests they serve, and generally desire to have some turkey left over. To determine the correct turkey size that will be needed, see the section below entitled ‘How Much Turkey is Enough?’
3. Cooking time will differ depending on whether the turkey was purchased fresh or frozen. Calculate approximate cooking time in a 350F (175C) oven based on the following: 20 minutes per pound for a defrosted turkey, and 10 to 15 minutes per pound for fresh.
4. A turkey will cook more evenly if it is not densely stuffed. As an alternative, flavor may be added by loosely filling the cavity with aromatic vegetables and/or fruit — carrots, celery, onions, apples, oranges, kumquats or garlic. Carefully tucking fresh herbs underneath the breast skin will also add flavor.
5. Before roasting, coat the outside of the turkey with vegetable or olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
6. For even roasting, it is best to truss the turkey, and especially so if roasting stuffed poultry. (See ‘How to Truss a Turkey’ below.)
7. Set the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan to promote maximum air and heat circulation and to ensure that it cooks evenly. To yield moister, juicier white meat, place the turkey ‘breast-down’ on the rack. This technique will prevent the turkey breast from overcooking and becoming dry.
8. Set the roasting pan on the lowest rack of the oven to keep the turkey away from the top, which is the hottest part of the oven.
9. Once the turkey is cooking in the oven, resist the temptation to ‘peek’ inside by opening the oven door. Opening and closing the oven door will cause the temperature to fluctuate, which will only increase the likelihood of a dry turkey. Avoid opening the oven door until approximately 45 minutes before the turkey expected to be done.
10. After checking for doneness (see ‘When is the Turkey Done?’ guidelines below), remove roasting pan from the oven, tent the turkey with foil and let it ‘rest’ for approximately 15 minutes before carving (see tips on ‘How to Carve a Turkey’ below). If additional time is needed to prepare gravy, heat up side dishes, etc., the turkey may be allowed to sit at room temperature (covered) for up to an hour without losing too much heat.
11. Refrigerate any leftover turkey within 2 to 3 hours of preparation. Store in airtight, shallow containers to allow adequate circulation of cool air; date and label the containers. Turkey may be safely stored refrigerated for approximately 5 days and frozen for up to 4 months.
================================
How Much Turkey is Enough?
On average, to provide 2 servings of turkey for each guest (and allowing for leftovers), the suggested weights are as follows:
> 10 pound turkey for 6 people
> 12 pound turkey for 8 people
> 15 pound turkey for 10 people
> 18 pound turkey for 12 people
> 21 pound turkey for 14 people
> 24 pound turkey for 16 people
- If you will be serving more than 16 guests (a recommended turkey size of more than 24 pounds), buy two turkeys that equal the total suggested weights.
- If the recommended turkey size is less than 12 pounds, you may wish to buy a turkey breast to roast.
================================
How to Truss a Turkey…
To ‘truss’ means to secure poultry or meat into a compact shape. Trussing will ensure even roasting. The following technique is recommended when roasting poultry, especially a stuffed turkey.
1. To truss with string, take a piece of butcher’s string about three times the length of the turkey. Place the turkey on its back, tail end nearest to you. Slide the string underneath so that it is cradling the turkey in the center of its back.
2. Gently pull the string up the sides…then around the wings. Pull the strings toward you, close to the breast, so that the wings are held against the body.
3. Cross the strings at the base of the breast, then wrap each string around the end of a drumstick.
4. Tie the ends of the string together, cinching it tightly so that the legs cross.
5. Finally, lift the turkey so that the tail end is up and wrap the string around the tail. Tie the string, pulling tightly so that the cavity is covered by the tail.
================================
When is the Turkey Done?
<> You will want to test your instant-read or traditional meat thermometer a few days before preparing the turkey to ensure it is properly calibrated. Place the thermometer in a pot of boiling water. It should register 212F (100C) — water’s boiling point at sea level. If the reading does not reach the desired temperature, you will want to buy a new thermometer.
<> Keep a careful eye on the thermometer during the last half hour of cooking since the internal temperature may rise rapidly toward the end.
<> Using a meat thermometer, test for doneness in the thickest, meatiest parts of the turkey:
Test the widest section of the breast near the wing joint; the temperature should be 165F (73C).
Test the legs at the top of the thigh, near the hip joint; the temperature should be 180 (82C).
If cooking a stuffed turkey, determine the internal temperature of the stuffing as well; it should be at least 165F (73C).
<> If using an instant-read thermometer, insert it deep enough to reach the heat sensor (the indentation about two-inches from the tip).
<> Also examine the juices and oils at the bottom of the pan that are released during cooking. If they have a pinkish tinge, continue roasting; if they are clear, the turkey is probably done. (Try to insert the thermometer as infrequently as possible, to prevent the juices from escaping.)
<> Another way of checking for doneness is to move the leg up and down. The looser it becomes, the closer it is to being done.
================================
How to Carve a Turkey…
To carve a turkey, it is essential that you use a sharp carving knife and a good, heavy-weight fork. The following instructions will make carving a turkey almost effortless.
1. Begin by cutting through the skin where the leg meets the breast. Pull the leg away from the body with the fork and continue to cut down, close to the body, to find the joint where the thigh meets the body. Pull the leg out further and slice right through the joint to remove the leg and thigh.
2. Place the leg skin-side down and locate the line at the joint where the thigh and the drumstick meet. Holding your knife along this line of the thigh, you can slice easily through the joint. If you hit resistance, adjust your angle and try again. Cut down through the line and separate the thigh from the drumstick. Repeat this process with the other leg.
3. Remove the wishbone (actually the collarbone) from the turkey. Removing the bone will prevent it from splintering when you carve the breast meat.
4. Next, run your knife through the skin along one side of the breastbone. Then cut down along the ribs, pulling the meat gently away from the bones in one large piece, leaving behind as little meat as possible.
5. When you reach the wing joint, cut through it and continue to remove the breast from the body. Repeat with the other side.
6. Finally, remove the wings and slice the breast meat before serving. (For even, attractive slices, cut the meat against the grain.)
================================
So, there you have it…everything you need to know about successfully roasting a turkey.
As you can see, preparing a turkey by adhering to the techniques above is not at all difficult. The small amount of effort you invest will be well rewarded when the final product reaches the serving table and your guests rave about how absolutely marvelous it is. Just remember one thing – serving a juicy, flavorful roasted turkey does not have to be reserved solely for the holiday season – it’s wonderful anytime of the year.
Copyright ©2005 Janice Faulk Duplantis
Janice Faulk Duplantis, author and publisher, currently maintains a web site that focuses on both Easy Gourmet and French/Cajun Cuisine. Visit http://www.bedrockpress.com to see all that Bedrock Press has to offer. Janice also publishes 4 free monthly ezines: Gourmet Bytes, Lagniappe Recipe, Favorite Recipes and Cooking 101. Visit http://www.bedrockpress.com/subscribe.html to subscribe.
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Thanksgiving on a Calorie Budget
Just because 
Thanksgiving is, traditionally, a feast doesn’t mean it has to be a high calorie feast. It’s actually a meal that is relatively easy to make into a tasty, healthy feast.
Turkey is extremely low in fat, particularly the white meat of the breast at just 30 calories per ounce (without skin), it’s a high protein, lowfat bargain. Remember that a 4 ounce serving (120 calories) is about the size and thickness of a deck of cards.
Mashed potatoes can be made with fat free chicken broth instead of milk or, heaven forbid, cream. I make mine with broth, lots of garlic, parsely, and after they’re mashed, while still hot, I like to take 2-3 (serving 4) wedges of Laughing Cow Cheese and mix it in…not well, so that there are “stripes” of cheese flavor.
Cranberry sauce can be made fresh with lemon and orange zest, sweetener (to replace the sugar), and cinnamon. Get fresh berries and heat in a pan to let them release their juice. Add the juice of the orange and lemon, zest in some zest, then sweeten to taste. Of course some of us wouldn’t call it Thanksgiving if we didn’t hear the telltale sound of the *shlonk* from the jellied cranberry sauce sliding out of the can, so remember that 1/4 cup of cranberry sauce is 110 calories.
Add a big salad, and roast up some fresh in season vegetables..sprinkle (or provide) fresh sea salt and ground pepper and who needs butter and sauces?
For bread I love Great Harvest Bread. I’ll choose something that just speaks to me, made fresh, and picked up Wednesday afternoon. Sorry, I just can’t do “diet bread” on Thanksgiving.
Lately I’ve been enjoying REAL pumpkin pie. I make a low-fat, low sugar version that isn’t quite as good as the real thing, but comes to 135 calories per slice and is a great substitute with some Cool Whip Free.
If you’re not in control of Thanksgiving meal, you can still make it work without completely derailing your hard work. One thing I’ll do is take the “mystic” out of the meal. I host my own Thanksgiving dinner the weekend before and invite friends. That way I can control what I cook, make the turkey EXACTLY how I want it, and when the real day comes, I haven’t been jonesing for turkey all month. The meal then becomes more about who I am with than what I am eating.
Other things I’ll do:
Often the local YMCA hosts a workout. Bring a bag of food and work out for free. Roy and I will run down the Y (one mile), work out in their step class or other cardio class, then run home. That’s a good 500-700 calories burned! Maybe this year, if they aren’t doing it, I’ll host my own fun run!
- Pre-journal everything I know I’ll eat. I know I’m going to have turkey, potatoes, and salad. I’ll journal that and the cranberries, plus anything else I bring. Going in with a plan lets me stick to my target.
- Bring a dessert…that’s where the calorie creep happens! I bring my pumpkin pie, or I make a pumpkin cake. I know the calories for both of those items, so I’m prepared!
- Enjoy the cut veggies beforehand. Often I’ll volunteer to bring this too so I can make the dressing myself and control the ingredients.
- Focus on fun and the family, not on the food. The holiday is about what you’re thankful for not what you put in your belly! ENJOY the food for what it is, a reason to get together with people you don’t see very often.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving
Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
Tory’s Pumpkin Pie
1 Keebler graham cracker crust
1-1.5 cups cooked pumpkin (micro a full sugar pumpkin for 15 min then let cool)
1 tbs pumpkin pie spice
1 pkg fat free, sugar free vanilla pudding
1 cup water
2 egg whites
Mix together spices and pudding. I prefer cook and serve, but suddenly can’t find cook and serve at the store. Add water and mix out the lumps. I then throw the entire thing into my 44 year old Vitamix (except the pie crust, obviously) and mix well so there are no pump-lumps (pumps? plumps?). Pour into shell, bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Perfection! I might need less water, though. It depends on how liquidy the pumpkin is.
Pumpkin Spice Cake
* 1 box Angel Food Cake Mix
* 1 can pumpkin (or the pumpkin from one small sugar pumpkin)
* 1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
* Cool Whip Free
Pre-heat oven according to directions on the angel food cake box. Fold pumpkin into the angel food cake. Bake Prepare bundt cake pan with Pam and flour. Pour into pan and bake according to box.
This comes out kind of like a sponge cake and is SO moist. No one will ever know how easy it is! Top with Cool Whip Free for a dessert that comes to approximately 140 calories for 1/8 of the cake.
Cranberry Relish
* 12 oz cranberries (fresh)
* 1 medium orange
* 1 small lemon
* 2 small apples, cored, peeld and chopped
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp ground allspice
* 1 cup water
* Sweetener to taste
Zest orange and lemon and add zest to cranberries. Peel the oranges and chop. Juice the lemon into the berries. Add the apples and oranges to the berries, along with the spices. Heat berries, mashing slightly to release the juice. Add water as needed. Add sweetener to taste.
Tory Klementsen is a formerly “flabulous”, currently fabulous Certified Personal Fitness Professional who has “been there and done that”. She has lost and maintained a loss of over 100 pounds since 2002. Her focus is on helping others find their inner-athlete and reaching their goals through true, lasting lifestyle changes in fitness and nutrition. Tory coaches clients both in person and through her personal training website at http://www.journeyfitnessonline.com She gets what it takes to make a decision to change and see that decision through to the end, and she’s ready to help YOU reach your goal and get lasting results.
Are you ready to take your first step on a journey that will change your life? Come and see Tory at http://www.journeyfitnessonline.com
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