Category Archives: holidays

My Last 3 Days at Home

Posted on November 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

It seems like right after Thanksgiving, the remainder of my trip home flew by in a blink of an eye. I must have known it was coming because I subconsciously stopped taking as many pictures and started being a little more present in the time I spent with family and friends.

There was lots of quality time with the pup, even if I’m allergic to him.

We saw Burlesque and Love and Other Drugs. I recommend both but for very different reasons! Either way, there was good eye-candy :)

We went out to eat a few times. There were lots of leftover dishes like this, with bites of all my favorite things.

Sweet potatoes, cauliflower, brussels, cornbread stuffing, chili and turkey, cranberry sauce

I got my Chinese fix on Saturday night at dinner with my grandparents. On Sunday we enjoyed Mexican food after our movie. And there was lots of game playing. We love to play Rummikub and it never fails we find too many things to laugh at and just enjoy sitting around the table together as a family.

I flew back to DC early yesterday morning and got to enjoy a little aerial  sightseeing.

Then I worked a full day. Nothing like diving back into a routine head first, huh?

Did you go home for the holiday? What games does your family like to play?

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Posted in DC experiences, family, holidays, home, Thanksgiving, travel, vacation

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Thanksgiving 2010

Posted on November 26, 2010 | 2 Comments

What a great day. The food was amazing, there was constant laughter, and we were surrounded by friends and family. It was exactly what Thanksgiving should be :)

I slept through the Turkey Trot because of the weather and a little too much fun at a party with high school friends the night before. There was a little of this

So I dragged myself out of bed around 10:30am, had a slice of toast and an egg white and went off to the gym for my own Turkey Trot. I did 5 miles in an hour on the elliptical and treadmill and then came home to continue helping get ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

The table was set

Dishes were starting to come out of the oven and guests arrived.

We noshed on crudite with spinach dip, Crunchmaster multi-grain gluten free crackers, cheese, pepperoni, and prosciutto, and cream cheese with fig jam. I had a few veggies and crackers dipped in the jam as we chatted with our guests.

The food was set out

And we were ready to eat!

My plate had a little bit of everything: brussels, cauliflower, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, turkey, mashed potato, cranberry sauce, and a healthy portion of my beloved cornbread casserole which was just as amazing as it is every year. I was one happy camper!

For fun, this was my brother’s plate (he is not GF) We all really love to eat and love my mom’s Thanksgiving feast :)

We had an intermission to put away leftovers, tidy up the kitchen, wash dishes, and set out dessert. We also took Cody for a little walk around the block to stretch our legs.

I was too full for dessert but tasted the chocolate cashews and a bite of a strawberry while chatting with an old sorority sister who was in town. It was great to see Michelle and catch up!

The night wound down with putting away desserts and cleaning up a bit more. We were full, warm, and happy by the end of the day, enjoying everything that had taken place.

I hope that you and your family had a great holiday!!

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Posted in dinner, family, food prep, holidays, Uncategorized, vacation

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A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Posted on November 19, 2010 | 2 Comments

Does anyone else remember this movie? My brother and I were obsessed with it growing up and would watch the video tape every year as Thanksgiving drew near. Last night ABC showed the special and I felt obligated to watch it. And photograph my favorite part – Charlie Brown and Snoopy preparing their Thanksgiving meal in the kitchen! I guess I was destined to love food :)

Anyhow, watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving got me pumped up for Thanksgiving next week. I have a full and exciting weekend but am most looking forward to my flight home early next week. The rest is just [quality] filler to pass the time!

Yesterday morning I mixed up my fruit toppings for my hot cereal. Into the standard mix went some diced pear and pomegranite arils. Nut butter was non-negotiable :)

I packed a quick and easy lunch to bring to the office: a burrito. While I was eating breakfast I pulled a Food for Life brown rice tortilla out of the freezer to defrost. When I finished I added a serving of refried beans, spinach, roasted green beans and onions and wrapped it up in foil to go. This took maybe 5 minutes of actual prep time and was filling and tasty! With a side greens salad, this held me over through the afternoon quite well.

We had an all staff meeting in the afternoon and at the end of it I grabbed a small handful of red grapes to snack on. Then, of course, I snacked on some edamame crackers at my desk. I’ve been enjoying those Trader Joe’s gluten free gems but they’re dangerous to have readily available! After work I walked downtown to shop for a shirt to wear to a party next week. I found this one which I think will be perfect with jeggings and boots. What do you think?

On the way home I got another craving for soup and knew I couldn’t eat beans for 2 meals in a row. I ended up heating some frozen broccoli, spinach, and peas in vegetable broth and blending it up for a bright green soup. I added garlic, salt, pepper, and ~1/2t of cheddar cheese and enjoyed it alongside a small sweet potato.

I then watched the aforementioned Charlie Brown show and Grey’s Anatomy and got myself to bed.

This morning I did not want to get out of bed but sunshine and the promise of eating out of an almond butter jar lured me out of my warm bed. There was only a generous 1/2 tablespoon left in this jar! I had prepped my cereal last night with blueberries and some maple syrup mixed in. This morning I reheated it and added it to the nut butter jar. I drizzled some melted fig jam and crushed pecan bits on top and am hoping that it’ll hold me over well this morning!

Any other Charlie Brown Thanksgiving lovers out there? What things did you love as a kid that you still love today?

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Posted in breakfast, dinner, healthy, holidays, lunch, Thanksgiving

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T Minus…

Posted on November 10, 2010 | 1 Comment

2 weeks and counting. As a total Type-A nerd cool kid, I love a good count down. They help build excitement for something quickly approaching. They remind me of what I need to do before a certain date. And there’s something fun about inching your way closer to a goal.

This countdown is for my trip home for Thanksgiving and when the reality hit that it’s just 2 weeks away I got all excited with anticipation. My mom is the queen of Thanksgiving and we’ve already started talking recipes, dishes, and I’ve been giving some not so subtle reminders of what are now our traditions.

I wrote this post about last year’s Thanksgiving and why I love the holiday so much and while this year will be a bit different I’m still excited! I’ll only be doing the 5K Turkey Trot but after my injury this year I’m lucky and thankful to be in any sort of running shape at all.

So, with just 2 weeks to go, I’m launching 2 little challenges to put me in the “right” frame of mind. Challenge #1 – to share at least one thing I am thankful for with y’all each day and, Challenge #2 – to eat as cleanly as possible over the next two weeks. I have some crazy busy days ahead of me and this challenge will ensure that I feel my best (I get sick when I eat crappy) when I step on that plane headed for home.

So, Day 1: I am thankful that I am able to donate some of my free time back to an organization that I love so much (more on this to come in the next few days).

What are you thankful for? I hope you’ll join me for either one or both of the challenges!!

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Posted in healthy, holidays, Thanksgiving, Turkey Trot

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