What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

PearlMarie_3gen_11484
PearlMarie_3gen_11484 Posts: 272 Member
edited September 2024 in Introduce Yourself
Hello all. I hope all is well on your weight loss journey. What are you all doing for thanksgiving? My family (husband, kids and myself) is going over to my parents house this year. I am bought the turkey this year. It's a Jennie-o turkey. I will also be buying a veggie tray (yum, yum). I will be taking my mom to the store to get the rest of the stuff. If I can get her to buy everything healthy I will be so happy. I hope I can help/inspire a family member to get on the track to a healthier life style. Have a happy thanksgiving. much love every one, and great job.

Replies

  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
    Moved away from family. Just me, wifey, and son. We are doing it all up. from soup to nuts (so to speak).
  • Tennessee2019
    Tennessee2019 Posts: 676 Member
    Serve it all using salad size plates (I use them on the holidays) is another idea.
  • knittygirl52
    knittygirl52 Posts: 432 Member
    My daughter (also on MFP) and I will be cooking the dinner, so we are planning lots of yummy vegies to go with our yummy lowfat turkey! There will be fattening things, too, but enough good-for-us food to fill our tummies without over-indulging. Looking forward to it, bigtime!
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    Hello all. I hope all is well on your weight loss journey. What are you all doing for thanksgiving? My family (husband, kids and myself) is going over to my parents house this year. I am bought the turkey this year. It's a Jennie-o turkey. I will also be buying a veggie tray (yum, yum). I will be taking my mom to the store to get the rest of the stuff. If I can get her to buy everything healthy I will be so happy. I hope I can help/inspire a family member to get on the track to a healthier life style. Have a happy thanksgiving. much love every one, and great job.

    Perhaps look at purchasing a fresh Turkey or Free Range Turkey. Much healthier than the Jennie-O , butterball, etc that are injected with salt and sugar solutions!!

    Also, perhaps you could make your own veggie tray. It will be cheaper, fresher and taste better.



    My husband and I are doing our own Thanksgiving with a totally organic menu:

    Free Range Turkey (pick up Wednesday from my CSA along with the tubers and veggies)
    Organic Sweet Potatoes
    Organic Turnips
    Organic Collard Greens

    Making a sweet potato pie with a nut crust, organic sweet potatoes, sugar, pure vanilla, free range eggs and raw milk.


    Also, making home made yeast rolls for my husband.
  • ickybella
    ickybella Posts: 1,438 Member
    I live in the UK now and it's just my husband and me, but I will be making a sort-of thanksgiving dinner. I'm just going to do stuffed turkey breasts, cauliflower and potato mash, a little cranberry sauce that I'll be making, assuming I can find some frozen cranberries, green beans with nuts, a healthier broccoli casserole, and I would love to make a pumpkin pie as he's never had it, but I can't find canned pumpkin anywhere here. :grumble: If not, I'll make sweet potato pie or casserole and just have a little bit, then send the rest to work with him! This will be the first year I will actually be watching portions and refusing to stuff myself silly. We might go back to Ohio for Christmas, because at least you've got presents to focus on, but we'll never go back for Thanksgiving! :laugh:
  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
    My spouse, son, & I are going over to our friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner.
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
    Thanksgiving and Christmas are always held at my house. Family and friends. Always a couple strays get invited as well. Many of those strays end up here and become regulars. I do all the cooking. My wife makes all the desserts. Penny Ante Poker to follow.

    Since my daughter becam old enough, Black Friday is now part of the equation.
  • PearlMarie_3gen_11484
    PearlMarie_3gen_11484 Posts: 272 Member
    That is a great idea. The turkey is the only thing that is remotely healthy for me. :frown: My mother said well I'm fixing it how I always do, you can just work around that right? She is making everything I can not have. :frown: It makes me upset that my family isn't backing me up on this journey. I can't say all of my family is not encouraging me. My dad is a manager out in branson mo., when he's home he tells me that I look great and to keep it up. I have not seen my brother or my sister since Easter so I hope to knock them off their feet. :happy: I will let you know how it goes. have a great day. :heart:
  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
    Thanksgiving and Christmas are always held at my house. Family and friends. Always a couple strays get invited as well. Many of those strays end up here and become regulars. I do all the cooking. My wife makes all the desserts. Penny Ante Poker to follow.

    Since my daughter becam old enough, Black Friday is now part of the equation.

    Zebra waiting for map to RoadDog's House. :bigsmile:
  • AmberElaine84
    AmberElaine84 Posts: 964 Member
    Well....Sunday we are going to my husband's MOM'S side of Thanksgiving. (His parents are divorced, so we always have 2 separate celebrations) We are doing HAM instead of turkey, so we don't get all turkey-ed out with THREE Thanksgiving celebrations. On Thanksgiving day, we will be going to MY family's Thanksgiving celebration...that's my favorite, of course. My mom makes this UNBELIEVABLE homemade eggnog. Luckily, everyone loves it so there is only really enough for each of us to have a tiny glass. (thank goodness!!) And NEXT Saturday, we will attend my husband's DAD'S side Thanksgiving. And in between each of those celebrations, you can bet your booty that I will be amping up the workouts and restricting my calories so I can eat guilt free on Thanksgiving!!!
  • Rjperron
    Rjperron Posts: 150
    I'll be undergoing a true challenge...two Thanksgivings! First my parent's rental in the Outer Banks, then my boyfriend's parent's house in Virginia. I have to make sure I don't fill up at one house!

    To top it off, I don't believe in dieting on holidays...in moderation. Not to get all personal, but my very fit sister has insisted on limiting our butter intake for the past two years, and I've always thought that this was a little extreme. So, I'll be filling up on turkey, veggies and mashed sweet potatoes (we've always made ours with limited butter) and a few carefully chosen (and reasonably portioned) full-fat items. I'll indulge on what I love without regret, for one day.

    It doesn't kill us to relax a little on the holidays. Just don't eat when you're not hungry, work out, and don't take the leftovers home!
  • Heidi716
    Heidi716 Posts: 135
    I live in Austin, TX, states away from my own family. Usually we go to my boyfriends house for a full on Turkey Dinner with all the fixin's and not a bit of it healthy and since it's not my family it's not really my place to say anything, although I've always brought my Spaghetti Squash dish (I top it with Sauteed veggies, (peppers, mushrooms and onions) Low sodium tomato sauce and soy crumbles or veggie meatballs). So I know I have something to eat, and I heard that last year after I had to leave early, for whatever reason, my Boyfriends' mother said to him that she liked my dish that I brought. He said "Yeah and it's healthier for you than real spaghetti, beacause it's all veggies!" She had no clue what he was talking about and when he explained that there was absolutely no pasta in that dish she would not believe him! HA!

    But this year he is working a 24hour shift as a Paramedic and even though I'm welcome to go to his parents house again for dinner, I just didn't see the point? Not that I don't like his family, they're just like mine, so without the aid of comfort food, alcohol, and him to ease the pain of family functions I figured, Nah I'll skip it! :)

    So instead I decided to cook a small meal that I can take to boyfriend and his partner at the station while they're on duty. I'm going to roast a small all white meat Turkey breast. Some Mashed Cauliflower that you'd never believe weren't mashed potatoes. A Green Bean casserole that I couldn't really modify except I'm using low-sodium cream of mushroom soup. And for dessert, a low-fat pumpkin pie cheesecake made from a fresh pumpkin.

    I love to cook for other people and when they let me try out new, healthier recipies on them, that's even better! I especially love when I serve something and people remark how good it is, then I tell them how healthy it is and they can't believe it!

    I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday next week!
  • Jennplus2
    Jennplus2 Posts: 984 Member
    FYI
    I read today that ham is lower in fat than dark meat turkey. :huh: (But that doesn't include any honey ham or sauce you might add to the ham)
    I don't eat ham, so I will be eating the white meat. Even though I LOVE dark meat.
    I am going to my mom's boyfriends house with my family, so I can't control the food being served, but I have talked to my sister-in-law (who is awesome BTW) and she is doing a lower-calorie pie. I am in charge of before dinner and am bringing a veggie tray. I plan on having one plate and trying to not go crazy. A small plate is a great idea. I also will use a little trick I picked up where you fill 1/2 your plate with veggies and then the rest of the food all has to fill the other half. Hope it works... Happy turkey day!
  • Jennplus2
    Jennplus2 Posts: 984 Member
    I live in Austin, TX, states away from my own family. Usually we go to my boyfriends house for a full on Turkey Dinner with all the fixin's and not a bit of it healthy and since it's not my family it's not really my place to say anything, although I've always brought my Spaghetti Squash dish (I top it with Sauteed veggies, (peppers, mushrooms and onions) Low sodium tomato sauce and soy crumbles or veggie meatballs). So I know I have something to eat, and I heard that last year after I had to leave early, for whatever reason, my Boyfriends' mother said to him that she liked my dish that I brought. He said "Yeah and it's healthier for you than real spaghetti, beacause it's all veggies!" She had no clue what he was talking about and when he explained that there was absolutely no pasta in that dish she would not believe him! HA!

    But this year he is working a 24hour shift as a Paramedic and even though I'm welcome to go to his parents house again for dinner, I just didn't see the point? Not that I don't like his family, they're just like mine, so without the aid of comfort food, alcohol, and him to ease the pain of family functions I figured, Nah I'll skip it! :)

    So instead I decided to cook a small meal that I can take to boyfriend and his partner at the station while they're on duty. I'm going to roast a small all white meat Turkey breast. Some Mashed Cauliflower that you'd never believe weren't mashed potatoes. A Green Bean casserole that I couldn't really modify except I'm using low-sodium cream of mushroom soup. And for dessert, a low-fat pumpkin pie cheesecake made from a fresh pumpkin.

    I love to cook for other people and when they let me try out new, healthier recipies on them, that's even better! I especially love when I serve something and people remark how good it is, then I tell them how healthy it is and they can't believe it!

    I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday next week!

    So nice of you to do that for your guy and his partner. I always worry about the ones who have to work. I would love the info on how to make the Mashed Cauliflower and the Spaghetti Squash dish! Please share...
  • mrtrik
    mrtrik Posts: 31
    We are hosting... I'm going to do my best to avoid all the bad stuff!

    1 hr swim in the morning, and maybe a 30 minute run in the afternoon. If I break even on calories for the day, I'll call it a success.
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
    Thanksgiving and Christmas are always held at my house. Family and friends. Always a couple strays get invited as well. Many of those strays end up here and become regulars. I do all the cooking. My wife makes all the desserts. Penny Ante Poker to follow.

    Since my daughter becam old enough, Black Friday is now part of the equation.

    Zebra waiting for map to RoadDog's House. :bigsmile:

    You're welcome at my table anytime, Merv. By the way, I wanted to move away from the traditional menu this year. The way everyone acted, you'd thought I had suggested serving up the Easter Bunny as the main course.

    Anyway, we did compromise a little. Traditional Thanksgiving. Italian Christmas -- Lasagna, Pizza roals and homade stuffed Pizza bread.
  • Heidi716
    Heidi716 Posts: 135


    So nice of you to do that for your guy and his partner. I always worry about the ones who have to work. I would love the info on how to make the Mashed Cauliflower and the Spaghetti Squash dish! Please share...

    Absolutely, both are really easy!

    Spaghetti Squash: Most grocery stores sell them with a sticker giving you cooking directions. Bascially cut the squash in half and scoop out the guts, spray with spray butter or cooking spray and place inside facing down in a baking dish, with about a 1/4 inch of water and bake at 350 for 45-60min. Or microwave the same way for about 8-10min, but this gives the "noodles" more of an aldente texture, if you have the time I prefer to bake. Then when you can pierce the skin with a fork the "noodles" should separate easily. Scrape the "noodles" away from the skin. Fluff and separate the noodles with a fork so they are "Spaghetti" like, then top with whatever sauce you like on your pasta. I keep it simple and just doctor up a store bought jar of low sodium sauce and add extra veggies and soy meatballs. If you don't care about being vegetarian, try turkey meatballs for a leaner option from beef.

    Cauliflower Mash:

    Break up a head of cauliflower and cook until tender then put in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, to make them creamy I use "I can't believe it's not butter" spray, and fat free half and half, salt and pepper and fresh garlic. The recipe calls for about 10 squirts and a 1/4c of the H&H but I always use a little more than that to get the texture just right. You can look up more versions of this recipe online, it comes from the South Beach Diet.

    Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!
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