Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Is everyone readying their turkeys and — as many of my Southern friends say –  “fixins”? My job every year for our family Thanksgiving is to make the green bean casseroles (one regular, one gluten free for mom), so JD and I braved the crowds at the grocery store to get all the ingredients. I’m so glad we did! We went to Publix instead of our usual market since they are one of the few places that carry Progresso cream of mushroom soup (the only brand that is truly GF), and I found TWO new-to-me kinds of Chobani — blueberry and peach. I nearly skipped down the aisle! I may not be able to wait until breakfast to try them out.

(Yes, I have a Chobani obession. And no, I’m not going to do anything about it.)

But back to Thanksgiving…since JD’s fam lives about an hour away from us, we usually spend Thanksgiving Day with them, and the day after, (instead of braving the insanity known as “Black Friday”) we have a second feast with my family here in town. That’s a lot of good eatin’! This year, though, even with my nutritionist’s permission to have at the turkey and dressing without calculating the calories, I don’t want to have to put on drawstring pants and sleep away the afternoon from food overload. I’ve read several articles and blog posts today that gave great tips on enjoying the holiday without it enjoying your derriere, and I’ve devised a plan of action (one of the recommendations) to help me through the next two days of celebration.

1. I’m going to do a hard-core workout in the a.m. before we leave for JD’s grandparent’s house. I got in a good sweat session tonight as well — 20 minute Shred, followed by 20 minutes of cardio challenge on the elliptical. My legs are still burning! I’m not sure what tomorrow’s exercise will be, but I want to be drenched by the end of it.
2. I will be drinking copious amounts of water. Gallons. Barrels even.
3. Portion, portion, portion. I’m getting pretty good at eyeballing things to know how much I’m eating. (Fist is a cup, deck of cards is a good size for meat, etc.)
4. I’m skipping dessert one of the days. I don’t think having a slice of pie or piece of pumpkin bread (which I bought from Lori’s mom today…the smell alone is making my mouth wata!) is taboo, especially on a holiday, but since I don’t have a raging sweet tooth,  I would rather bank those calories on an extra helping of JD’s mom’s sweet potato casserole or my mom’s mashed potatoes and gravy. They are just that good.

Oh, I almost forgot two things in light of all this turkey talk: my weigh in, and tonight’s fabosh stew. I stepped on the scale this morning, and I was down a half a pound. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t meet my goal of 1.5, but hey, it is still a loss! Here’s me, three total pounds lighter:

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I was in a meat and potatoes kind of mood tonight, so JD and I put together a beef stew packed with all sorts of veggies. We almost had to get a bigger pot!

This included, but was not limited to, grass-fed, hormone-free beef tips, mushroom caps, corn, baby carrots, green bell pepper, diced tomatoes, and potato chunks simmered in fat-free, 50 percent less sodium Swanson beef broth. A few spices — S&P, oregano, garlic, onion powder and basil — were stirred in throughout the 40-minute cooking process. It was stewerrific! (And less than 450 cals for 2 whole cups!)

Served with a warm piece of Ezekiel bread for dipping. Growing up, my mom always had a crusty French roll or a slice of sourdough to go with soup. It doesn’t taste quite the same without it!

I guess I better get some sleep before the festivities begin tomorrow. I hope everyone has a wonderful, fun-filled holiday!