I was nervous about how the scale would read today with me being sick and having done no exercise now for 5 days, so I was pleasantly surprised to see I had lost another 2.8 pounds for a total of 11.6 pounds so far. See the rest of my progress by clicking here.
Since I’m on week 3, I figured I’d post 3 of the things that I’ve been researching and trying to learn more about:
1. Healthy Holiday Foods
The past few years we’ve hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our home, which works out really well for our family. My menu usually consists of Turkey and ham (yes, both), a big ole pot of mashed taters, green bean casserole, corn, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese (for the youngins), and lots of dessert (pies, sweet potato casserole, etc). This year’s going to be different, for obvious reasons. I’m lucky, in that I’m not the only one trying to lose weight. Both my mom and sister are on board with eating healthier, so I don’t have to worry about running everyone off with healthy cooking. So I’m looking for any and all ideas for substitutions and menu ideas to eat a healthy, balanced Thanksgiving dinner. One biggie is how do you do it without butter? We usually just constantly keep slopping tons of butter on the turkey while it cooks. Our mashed potatoes are full of butter. Our corn is soaked in butter. What kind of butter do you use, or if you don’t use butter, how do you baste your turkey? My green bean casserole is SO good…I make it with cream of potato soup instead of mushroom, but this year I’m not so sure what to do. Maybe I should just make fresh green beans without anything? So, please share your ideas with me, I will SO appreciate it.
2. Organized Walks
A friend of mine told me about a local walk that’s held in my town every year called the Turkey Trot. So I looked into doing it this year. It’s a 5k walk (which I learned is 3.1 miles) and is held on Thanksgiving morning and the proceeds go to help equip the local emergency room with pediatric equipment. The fee is $20 to register. I’m thinking about doing it, but need to clear it with my family first because it would likely affect what time we have dinner. Anyways, I haven’t walked that long yet at once, so I’ll have to work on that to be ready for it, but it’s got me interested now in seeing what other walks might be going on in my area. I’ve always wanted to do a Race for the Cure….maybe now I can. Do you know of any websites to find local walks/races? or even statewide?
3. Interval Timers
I’m looking to buy an interval timer and would love some suggestions. Any recommendations?
So there ya have it…the 3 things I’m trying to learn more about this week. Don’t feel obligated to answer any of my questions, but it won’t go unappreciated if you do!
Now onto Week 4!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Great job on the weight loss and great job in setting a goal to walk the 5k. There are a lot of couch to 5k programs out there. Check out http://www.c25k.com where they have a program to get you ready in 9 weeks.
My first event was a turkey trot about 9 years ago. I’ll never forget it. It was the longest I had run/walked in my adult life. The feeling of crossing the finish line was amazing though. Since then I’ve done 2 marathons and a bunch of half marathons. You can do it!!!
Thanks for stopping by my little old blog! Great job on the weight loss so far!
I have a suggestion about Thanksgiving – go out and buy a copy of Eating Well magazine – they have a whole menu plan for Thanksgiving, from menu to shopping list as well as timelines on what to do when.
Check out this link too – and also search for Thankgiving on http://www.eatingwell.com site – tons of ideas!
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/thanksgiving_collection_1
Congratulations on the loss!
I agree with the C25K program to get started running. It’s what I used.
There is a website called http://www.active.com and you can search for local races on that site.
C25K program is what I used to get started also. Currently I am redoing it since I had quit running for about 7 months and the program is so great.
I love that you are planning ahead for Thanksgiving. I make mashed potatoes with no butter! No one can tell the difference and everyone loves them. I use skim milk. For green beans I use plain beans, but then dress them up with some slivered almonds. They add a crunch, are good for you and makes the dish pretty. I don’t baste the turkey. Instead I do it in one of those roasting bags. It cooks faster, stays moist and no basting required. (See – I have all your answers! – just kidding!)
Try the c25k program. You will be amazed at how fast your endurance and distance will improve when you are following a set regime!
Hi Josie!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such a positive comment. Very much appreciated.
Congratulations on your loss!!!
The Turkey Trot sounds like fun if you are ready and it fits in with the plans for dinner. If not, I hope you find another walk to participate in.
We just had Thanksgiving last weekend. I had a turkey breast but didn’t baste it at all, when I mash my potatoes I do it with low sodium chicken broth only and they come out nice. I don’t add butter to any of my veg but I have no qualms about using olive oil. Perhaps you could steam your green beans and then quickly saute them in olive oil with finely chopped onion and garlic.
My stuffing was made with 100% whole wheat bread, chopped mushrooms, onion and celery sauteed in olive oil, sage, thyme, poultry seasoning and low sodium chicken broth. It is very good too!
For dessert I made a crustless pumpkin pie which is very low cal. Top with fat free Cool Whip and mmm…mmm…good. Here is the recipe if you are interested.
Ingredients:
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 can fat free evaporated skim milk (12 oz)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C. Splenda (or sugar) or to taste
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.
Pour into a 9″ sprayed pie pan.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, and then at 325 for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Found this on many sites so can’t attribute it to one person.
Enjoy planning your dinner!
Hi Josie – I just found your blog! Congrats on your loss so far. I’m from Canada so our Thanksgiving was Oct 11. I hosted and here is what I made for dinner, I had the same struggle as you, I wanted it healthy but I was worried that some of my guests might feel “ripped off”…. but everyone loved it! Here’s what I served:
Turkey (just rubbed the outside with olive oil once before putting in the oven)… but I avoided the skin anyway.
Gravy – just separate the fat before you thicken (or use a package mix that is low in calories)
Stuffing – Made the traditional way (I just only had 1/4 cup, I considered it more of a garnish on top of my turkey than a side dish).
Vegetables – ALL steamed, carrots, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and new potatoes (steamed potatoes are really good). I put butter, cranberry sauce, and sour cream on the table for anyone who wanted to pimp up their veggies… but I noticed most people ate them plain…
Dessert – light pumpkin mousse served in individual ramekins (no need for a bunch of different desserts, I didn’t want leftovers anyway).
For me, there is no reason that a turkey dinner needs to sabotage your healthy eating. Turkey breast meat is lean and healthy and the vegetables don’t need to be drowned in butter to be good.
I hope that helps you out! Good Luck with the planning!
Wowee! I am LOVING everyone’s input here! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I talked with hubby and girls last night about doing the Turkey Trot and they said go for it! So, I sent off my registration this morning.
@Jenn – Thanks for the words of encouragement and for sharing the c25k program…I will definitely check it out!
@Biz – I’ve never looked at Eating Well, but will have to look at the link you shared. Thanks so much for your comment.
@Lori – I will definitely check out active.com for some local events. Thanks so much for your comment and encouragement!!
@Karyn – This c25k is definitely something I am going to look into. Thanks for the comment.
@Diane – You DID have all the answers! LOL Thanks for the ideas…I’ll confess, I’ve never even had an almond before! But, it’s something that I see a lot of healthy people eat, so I think I should give them a try. Thanks again, I appreciate your comments here.
@Kimberley – That recipe sounds DELISH! Thanks for sharing your ideas with me!
@Janet – Thanks for stopping by and sharing your Thanksgiving menu ideas with me. I love the notion of steaming vegetables just the way they are…they DO have so much flavor. Thanks again for your comment and encouragement.
Just wanted to say that I am following your progress and wish you all the best.
Josie, I am with Diane on the turkey. My mom always basted hers, so that was what I was used to, but my wife uses a turkey bag. Let me assure you, the turkey bag is awesome! I do not appreciate my mom’s turkey nearly as much as my wife’s now.
For other veggies, how about steamed broccoli? You could have some cheese on the side for those who want it. A good salad is always nice too. Rather than potatoes, how about mashed sweet potatoes? They are healthier than white potatoes and they have a great orange color for the fall.
Steve, I’m trying to talk my husband into doing the bag with the turkey…I hadn’t thought about mashed sweet potatoes at all! Thanks so much for the ideas.
Barry, thanks for the comment, I appreciate it.
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