You start cooking for Thanksgiving on Wednesday morning…realizing at 4pm that you have no idea what everyone is supposed to eat for dinner that night. So you order pizza. Sound about right?
Think about dinner for just a couple minutes on Tuesday (so you can get the groceries when you go shopping for Thanksgiving), and you’ll be all set to eat a healthy, but filling meal Wednesday night. Many people say they’re just not going to eat on Wednesday or only eat salad, etc… that usually just drives them to a mindset of scarcity and straight to eating until they want to throw up on Thanksgiving day!
Here are 3 tips and 2 recipes to make for a fun, indulgent, but not gluttonous, holiday.
1. Self-loathing should never be part of Thanksgiving – or any holiday. Instead, in your mindset of giving thanks, feel thankful for the abundance of food on your table. Sit with it and absorb how blessed you are. No one is taking that food away from you in an hour or two. It will still be there later that day – and the next. If there is really a pumpkin pie emergency, you can always make or buy more. Then, decide to have one bite of everything, savoring each and every one, or choose to have two bites of half the items on the table. If you eat super early, when everyone goes back to the kitchen for leftovers in the evening, you won’t feel guilty for taking a bite or two of the dishes you didn’t get to earlier. And you’ll enjoy them so much more if you’re not so full you want to puke. Make sure that second helping is before 7pm so you won’t even need to get heartburn and your sleep won’t be disturbed by your digestion.
2. Eat well the day before and the morning of Thanksgiving. Focus on raw fruits and vegetables if you can, as there is usually a dearth of those on the traditional Thanksgiving Table (including mine!). For satisfying protein and healthy fat, along with a delicious berry taste, try a smoothie with nut butter, greens and berries, such as Reboot With Joe’s Goji, Cinnamon, Almond Smoothie. Just one glass will keep you going for half the day in the kitchen. If you want to munch while you cook, munch on the raw celery and carrots that will be going into your stuffing. Even better, start your day with a family walk! You’ll be energized and feel great about yourself and your ability to take care of yourself going into the holiday.
3. Keep the guilt-inducing dishes down to only about 1/3, rather than 9/10, as is tradition. For more ideas on how to make your easiest, healthiest Thanksgiving ever, read last week’s blog post here.
The night before Thanksgiving: How to eat a healthy dinner instead of ordering pizza?
Set it and forget it!
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Coconut Chili from The Fig Tree Blog. We LOVED this in my house. As you may have read in my blogs or on my Facebook lately, these days, I am all about slow cooker or easy one pot meals for Friday night Shabbat dinner. It’s almost always just us. Especially if I’m having company for Shabbat day lunch, it’s fabulous to feel like I’ve done zero work for Friday night.
I made this chili and Chocolate Covered Katie’s corn bread (made into muffins). So easy, healthy and filling! You can even use the rest of the cornbread for a Thanksgiving side or stuffing.
I’ll be taking any last minute healthy recipe requests, or any other requests, suggestions, resource sharing on Facebook and Twitter. You can also always email me natasha@healthyfamilyhealthyyou.com
Have an abundant, peaceful holiday!
Yours in health,
Natasha
Want more easy, healthy recipes? Read the Healthy Family, Healthy You books and join the movement toward better health in a supportive environment!
