| DGouldthorp | member since May 2009 |
November 15, 2009, 4:57 am A couple of Thanksgiving suggestions from Gouldthorp Been there, done that, right? Well, the week after Thanksgiving last year, someone broke into my home and stole all of my clothes, replacing them with exact copies that were at least two sizes too small. Can you believe it? Ok, Ok, the truth…after two years of gradually gaining weight, the aftermath of that Thanksgiving dinner was my wake-up call when the buttons on my shirts started calling out to the buttonholes for docking directions. Lying on the bed and sucking it in did nothing to help in zipping up my pants and for a while I wondered if there was such a thing as a line of Mumus for men. But then, by Divine Intervention, I found this site and the sad truth of my eating habits became obvious. I had become a couch potato on the verge of getting my very own zip code and a free trip to that big building where everyone in white uniforms runs around yelling “Code Blue.” Just out of curiosity, I entered my Thanksgiving Day’s food intake and was stunned to find that between my breakfast of eggs, bacon, pierogies and sour cream, snacking all day on deviled eggs, smoked sausage, chips and dip, etc. and having at least one helping of everything at the dinner table (washed down with beer and wine), I’d consumed a heart attack-inducing 8,000 calories containing 385 grams of fat. My immediate reaction? Rabbit food, water and saying “no” to all of my favorite foods at all the pre-Christmas parties. Apart from losing a pound or two, all I managed to do was to make myself miserable. But the more I got into NutriMirror, the more I realized that lifestyle change isn’t about deprivation, it’s about making intelligent choices. Once I got that essential truth into my head, everything else came into focus and while I won’t say it was all plain sailing and a never-ending array of green days, it worked. And so as Thanksgiving approaches, dinner this year is going to be a very different affair. I found a really neat website - http://www.dietbites.com/calories-in-holiday-meal.html that has quick hints on how to reduce the calories in most of our Thanksgiving favorites by up to 75%. For all of you who are busy, busy, busy (and who isn’t around the holidays) it’s a very quick and easy guide. I encourage you to check it out. For the more adventurous of you, here are a couple of recipes that I’ve developed to add a little variety to the traditional meal without going overboard on either calories or fat: You’ll note that salt isn’t mentioned anywhere; you’re on your own and on your honor to season appropriately. Autumn Soup 2 cups squash (your choice) peeled, seeded and cubed 2 cups pears (your choice) peeled, cored and cubed 1 quart low sodium vegetable broth 1 tbsp light brown sugar 1 tbsp (or to taste) ground cumin 1 tbsp unsalted butter In a large pan, sauté the squash and the pears in the butter As the vegetables soften, add the brown sugar and cumin Continue to cook another five minutes until the sugar is caramelized Add the vegetable broth Transfer the mixture to a blender (hold a cloth on top of the lid to avoid spatter and/or scalding) Serve immediately. Drizzle with one teaspoon of fat-free half and half per bowl Serves 4. Per serving - 123 Calories, 3.1 g fat, 1.9 g saturated fat For those of you still enjoying warmer weather: Quickie Chilled Cucumber Soup (Quantities are per person) 3/4 cup non-fat yogurt 1/4 English cucumber (the long skinny ones) – with skin and seeds OR 1/3 regular cucumber, seeded but with skin still on 2 sprigs fresh dill weed 1 Serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeds removed (optional) Combine all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds When serving, drizzle with one teaspoon of fat-free half and half AND One teaspoon EVOO – the fruitiness of the olive oil adds a subtle complexity to this delightful soup. Per serving – 125 Calories, 5.1 g fat, 0.9 g saturated fat And finally, in lieu of the usual heart-stopping pumpkin pie, this pumpkin custard makes a wonderfully light change of pace: Pumpkin Custard 1 1/2 cups pumpkin (canned or fresh, cooked) 1 cup non-fat evaporated milk 6 oz egg beaters 1/3 cup (or to taste) granulated or light brown sugar – your choice 1 tsp (or to taste) pumpkin pie spice Blend all ingredients and pour into a glass baking dish (for individual servings, you can use ramekins) Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes (30-35 minutes for ramekins) until a knife comes out clean. Serve with a tablespoon of Cool Whip Lite. Serves 4. Per serving – 167 calories, 1.1 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat So there you have it – between one of the soups and a portion of the custard above, and minor changes such as “no” to lumpy brown gravy and eggnog, and “yes” to herb-infused broth and unsweetened tea, my Thanksgiving Dinner this year will come in under 1000 calories, and about 25 grams of fat. In summary, after almost a year with NutriMirror, my weight is down to where it used to be, my clothes all fit again and, most importantly, Life is Good. Happy Holidays from my family to yours.
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