hello!  how did everybody’s monday pan out??  mine was busy but productive~so it went by fast.  that is always a plus!

i am going to get right into the daily deets because i have a little something to tack on to the end of this post (the title is a hint!)

meal 1: egg whites+peppers+mushrooms+onions+tomatoes & 1 slice of dry wheat toast & coffee

i had to take an emergency trip to the dentist because my temporary crown fell off last night! i was eating the risotto my roomie made me and all of a sudden chomped down on a chunk.. i thought it was something in the food, but nope! it was my temporary crown! lame.

i was really busy all day—oh and the power went out for awhile! we used the time to put up the christmas tree in the show room.  time to get into the christmas spirit

eventually i found time to eat something.. i think i went nearly five hours between meals. not cool.

meal 2: garbz+cottage cheese

eaten at my mess of a desk! unfortunately i had NO ranch seasoning at work.. tragic, i know.

and then i ended up working a 10 hour day. it happens.

after work i broke into a package that was waiting for me at home!

the fantastic folks at oh! nuts sent me some of their nuts & dried fruit to review.

dried pears, sun dried tomatoes & pine nuts!

i immediately broke into the pears~

i expected these to taste like all the other dried fruit i have tried~boy was i wrong!!

these were SO moist and juicy!! (TWSS)  seriously, this was the best piece of dried fruit i have ever tasted in my life.

the sun dried tomatoes & pine nuts will be saved for an upcoming recipe that i will make and incorporate them.  the pears, however, may not last very long

thanks oh! nuts!! i am extremely stoked on your products!!

at 6:30 i went to a spin class! since that is not something i can really tell you all about, you can go ahead and check out my new additions to my moves page!

abs.

• oblique twists with medicine ball on decline bench.

full body weight training.

• barbell deadlift to bent over row.
• bridge with chest press.
• dumbbell pullover to ball crunch.
• jump-over-lunges on bosu ball.
• lunge off step with forward lean.
• single leg bench dips.
• step up with knee up+biceps curl.
• wide stance squat with dumbbell front raise.

go ahead and peruse those if you feel so inclined.  the spin class was killer! and i spent another 10 minutes afterward whittling my middle.

i was really hungry after my intense workout but i managed to wait about an hour after my spin class to eat dinner.  i like to fast for one hour after cardio for optimal fat burn.

meal 3: balsamic glazed chicken + sweet potato rounds + veggies

for the chicken, i used trader joe’s 21 seasoning salute and some balsamic vinegar and cooked it in a pan on the stove.

the potatoes were sliced thin and coated in EVOO+thyme and baked at 425 degrees [f] for about 20 minutes.

halfway into the baking process i flipped the rounds and sprinkled them with cinnamon & salt~

the veggies were easy, i used a bag of steamfresh broccoli medley.. but riddle me this, why do they make the carrots in the medley round?

carrot balls.

and what the crap do they do with the remainder of the carrot? i mean, they don’t come round. i hope the rest of the carrot found a good home.

good, healthy dinner!

afterward i was craving something sweet.. which never really happens. i decided to give in to my craving and had a single black & white milano cookie~

one cookie clocked in at only 60 calories & 7g carbs so i figure it was the perfect thing to satisfy my sweet tooth! i mean, it was no vanilla bean ice cream, but it did the trick

now i am hanging out with the dogs & my roomie and typing this! look how much yulek loves randy!!

****************************************************************

now.. about that title…

so last friday i found myself posting from my new baby computer and i had no photos loaded on there that i could use for flashback friday.. and then by the time i posted again i had waaaay too much to talk about and flashing back just was not an option.  BUT when i saw naomi’s memory monday post today, i decided i could do a super late edition of flashback friday in honor of her weekly memory monday posts

SO.. what i had planned for last week’s flashback friday was, of course, thanksgiving!  let’s talk about it.

last year~2008 i spent thanksgiving at my parents’ house, which is how it goes every year.. surprise, surprise.  i was not yet a food blogger but that did not mean that i didn’t blog about the food!  you can check out my thanksgiving 2008 post here (on my other blog).  here are a few of the highlights~

hummus & veggies

bread & tapenade

CHEESEBALL (i die)

and of course~the glorious spread thanks to my fabulous mom.

we spent our post-dinner digestion time playing dominoes together.  look how tiny penelope was!

the year before~2007~ was also spent at my parents’ place.  my mom roasted a HUGE bird~i think it is bigger than randy the dog!!

this was mine + marshall’s first thanksgiving together. 

after dinner we all went to the bowling alley!  it was a really fun way to work off that big meal.  i though we might make a tradition of it but nope, this was the only year we did it.  maybe in 2010?

in 2007 my friends and i lived in an enormous house that had a giant kitchen and two ovens.  we decided to take advantage of this situation and had a massive thanksgiving party with all of our friends.  we mad so much food! and i successfully cooked not one but two turkeys.. my very first attempt!  i was really proud side note: why is it not turkies?  but it is puppies, cherries, babies.. but not turkies.. it is turkeys.  weird, right?

i enlisted two of my friends to carve each bird~

i don’t have any photos of any thanksgivings prior to 2007, unfortunately, but i can tell you that one of my favorite thanksgivings was spent in london when i lived there in 2001.  so fun!

well i hope you all enjoyed this late installment of flashback friday monday!  like i said, better late than never, right??

i cannot believe tomorrow is DECEMBER! that is crazy!! it also happens to be my half birthday~ i will be accepting gifts i kid, i kid. but it is hard to believe my birthday was six months ago! yikes!

hope you all have a great first day of december!!

Qs~

1. what is your favorite DRIED fruit? i usually love my mom’s dried apple rings but i am 117% certain my new favorite is the oh! nuts dried pears. yum!

2. there are a lot of opinions about when christmas stuff (ie: music, the tree, lights, decor) is “allowed”~it ranges from the day after halloween to the day after thansgiving to the first day in december.. maybe even later. when do YOU think the christmas shenanigans should ensue? i think the day after thanksgiving is perfect. my neighbors put up the whole north pole the day after halloween and that was a bit ridiculous!!

xo. janetha b.

My hubby came home from work the other day, shaking his head.

‘Honey,’ he said, ‘you think the cattle trucks around here are bad. Today, I passed a cattle train. Carriage after carriage of cows packed in and heading to slaughter. I was driving along beside it and felt like I was in Nazi Germany watching the Jews being taking to gas chambers. Chilling stuff.’

pic by space ritualpic by leonard john matthews

I just got back to New York off the bus from Philly. I am simultaneously tired and well-rested, coming off a fun and relaxing long weekend with delicious food, good company, and fantastic music.

I have been twenty for a little over a week, and it’s just hitting me now–I’m in my twenties. I’m not a teenager. (Not that I was ever much of a teenager to begin with.) Anyway, I had a great birthday–Santiago took me to Kellogg’s Diner for breakfast (a Belgian waffle and hot chocolate), shopping at Barnes & Noble (I bought the latest issue of Bust magazine and No one belongs here more than you. by Miranda July), lunch/dinner at Piola (gnocchi legnano), to an event at school (the monthly coffeehouse cabaret), and then to the Angelika for a movie, Pirate Radio, which was insanely funny and touching and kind of a perfect way to end the evening.

The week after my birthday (Friday through Tuesday, at least) went by swiftly, and after two brief visits from high school friends, Santiago and I trekked to Philly for Thanksgiving.  We ate lots and played with clay in my dad’s studio (I made two espresso cups…I was trying to make mugs…), watched TV, and got very little actual work done. Break went way too fast, and now we’re back with massive piles of work to do.

So, clearly, I don’t have very much time for leisurely activities like blog posts, but soon I will be back to updating fairly frequently, and on Tuesday or Thursday I am doing a massive post of things I have written this semester in my non-fiction class (largely as incentive for me to edit them).

that is where i have been and what i have been doing.  too busy for my laptop, i don’t want to apologize because i don’t think that is a bad thing!  but now that this long weekend is finally coming to an end, i have managed to find the time to post

i also want to let you all know that i have been reading your posts!  i had my reader open yesterday during a football game AND a basketball game (what? two sports games in a day? not like me at all.. gross.) and i LOVED seeing all of your thanksgiving feast recaps!  i just was too lazy to click out of reader and comment.. don’t hate me!  i have actually found i can read a lot more blogs via my reader rather than clicking out to each post.. but on the down side i can’t comment so easily. i sure wish reader had a comment option!

so, what have i been up to?  lots.  i don’t even know where i left off but i just uploaded a slew of photos so i am going to look at them and take it from there, mmmkay?

friday night marshall and i went with my friend lindsay & her boyfriend brandon to the minus the bear show.  but first.. food!

we decided to grab some gourmet burgers at acme burger.. do you guys have these in your town?  we just have this one and this was my second time going there.  it is incredible!  i am such a burger lover so of course their cuisine is right up my ally.  it is really cool how they have a camera on the kitchen and that screen in the upper right of this photo is there so you can watch them prepare your food!

we were surprised to see one of our friends working there and he brought us an appetizer on the house.  it was spinach artichoke dip which was served with pita bread and tortilla chips~

not my favorite.  i had a few nibbles but saved my appetite for my entree…

turkey burger with a sweet potato bun topped with arugula, mushrooms and cranberry mustard~

baller. this was so good.  we also could not resist splitting some sweet potato fries.. my addiction!  these ones were unique because they were covered with a hint of sugar.  sweet and salty all in one!

after our meal we high tailed it to the concert which was epic, as expected.  minus the bear is my favorite band ever and i loved every minute of it! 

unfortunately, they did not play mine & marshall’s “song”.. it is a less popular song and they never play it in concert.  sigh, one day perhaps!

saturday was pretty uneventful now that i am looking back at the photos.. hmm.. not quite sure what i did with all my time.  i know i got up and eventually made my way to the gym for some HIIT!

HIIT on treadmill~

instead of gradually increasing the incline like i usually do, i decided to gradually increase the amount of speed between each minute of each interval.  for the first set i increased the speed by 0.5, then the next set by 0.6, then by 0.7 and finally by 0.8.  this is how it went (numbers are in MPH):

• 1 min @ 5.0<—warm up
• 1 min @ 5.5<—warm up
• 1 min @ 6.0
• 1 min @ 6.5
• 1 min @ 7.0
• 1 min @ 7.5
• 1 min @ 6.0
• 1 min @ 6.6
• 1 min @ 7.3
• 1 min @ 7.8
• 1 min @ 6.0
• 1 min @ 6.7
• 1 min @ 7.4
• 1 min @ 8.1
• 1 min @ 6.0
• 1 min @ 6.8
• 1 min @ 7.6
• 1 min @ 8.4
• 1 min @ 9.5<—high point
• 1 min @ 2.0<—cool down

this was rad! i can’t tell you the stats since i still can’t find my HRM watch (eek) but my heart was pumpin! and yes, i just typed “pumpkin” and had to backspace and type “pumpin”

i finished my workout off with 7 minutes of ab work because you know i gotta whittle my middle!

i went home and cleaned up and marshall & i went to eat at millcreek cafe & eggworks, one of our favorite places to go for brunch. 

i ordered an egg white omelette with spinach, mushrooms & feta + dry wheat toast~

and coffee, naturally.  marshall got his regular smothered wrap but they put mushrooms in it and he ended up sending it back and getting one that had not been “tainted” with mushrooms~as he put it.  haha.  i LOVE mushrooms! that boy…

we spent saturday afternoon doing some shopping, i got a really cute scarf at urban and spotted another spotted scarf that immediately made me think of my snackface senorita!  i was going to text her about it but did not.. and ironically later in the day she text me about seeing a purple dress that made her think of me! i think we were surfing on the same wavelength saturday. just on opposite sides of the country…

it was a successful trip, i also got the dogs christmas collars (yay!) and a few stocking stuffers for my mom (can’t tell you what though! hi mom!)  and after a few hours at the mall we were done for.  we headed home and basically didn’t do much the rest of the day.. hmm.. nope, sure didn’t.  oh! but i did make some delish dinner!

shepherd’s pie!

so, this meal was super delicious but i realized that shepherd’s pie is really unphotogenic.. hmm..

we did take photos of the dinner-making process though.

first i browned the ground beef with shallots and some s&p and worcestershire sauce (the spelling of that word used to baffle me!) and then i stirred in some tomato sauce, tomato paste and diced tomatoes.. a tomato trifecta if you will.  this was the base layer of the pie~

topped that layer with some french cut green beans~

and then marshall was in charge of mashing the baby red potatoes!  he did a great job..

the potatoes were the third layer of marshall’s side of the pie.  my side’s third layer was mushrooms.. of course! 

and then the potatoes on top of the mushrooms.it is totally normal to wear your boyfriend’s puma ha backwards while making shepherd’s pie. ok? ok.

the last layer was a sprinkling of sharp cheddar~can you tell which side was marshall’s?  yeah, he finished off the bag of cheese.

this went into the oven at 350 degrees [f] for about a half hour.

and, like i said, really not photogenic at all!  but really tasty.. i had not had shepherd’s pie in ages! it was actually really comforting and really healthy.. not two things that usually go hand in hand.

my favorite part about this meal is that marshall and i made it together and it was a lot of fun goofing off in the kitchen while we cooked.  usually, i am the one that cooks and marshall just watches TV until dinner is ready.. or i am just cooking for myself.  it is nice to make an evening of cooking dinner!

marshall and i stayed up until 3 AM watching episodes of dexter season 4.

somewhere during this marathon i had a greek yogurt mess made with oikos 0%+bulgarian PB+shredded spoonfuls.

sunday.. i actually woke up at 9:30 AM which was strange considering my super late bedtime. whatevs!  i wanted to go snowboarding bright and early but none of my friends did~they were thinking more like noon.. so i hit the gym first thing!

after fueling up with some espresso + bowl of cereal i did a make-up-as-you-go upper body workout. so not like me.  i always plan my workouts before i do them.  not today! 

today i wanted to utilize the cables as well as the dumbbells and work my triceps, back, biceps, shoulders & chest while incorporating abs.  that is just what i did.  here is how it went:

triceps

• cable pulldowns : 3 sets x15
• overhead cable extensions: 3 sets x15
• oblique crunches on stability ball: 3 sets x30

back

• standing cable row w/ v rope set high: 3 sets x15
• bent over barbell row: 3 sets x15
• crunches: 3 sets x50

biceps

• cable biceps curl: 3 sets x15
• dumbbell hammer curl: 3 sets x15
• bicycle crunches: 3 sets x30

shoulders

• standing upright cable row: 3 sets x15
• dumbbell front raises: 3 sets x15
• oblique twists on decline bench w/ 10# plate: 3 sets x30

chest

• dumbbell chest press: 3 sets x15
• dumbbell flyes: 3 sets x15
• reverse crunches: 3 setx x15

not too bad for a make up as you go workout, eh?!  loved it. my arms felt like noodles afterward!!

and then it was straight home to change for snowboarding.. finally.  i feel like a slack ass because i hadn’t been up before today.. but honestly, there is NO SNOW and so i haven’t felt like it is really worth it.

i shoved my face with a turkey sandwich while getting changed.. this was made with leftover thanksgiving turkey+whole wheat roll+mustard.. easy peasy.

the dogs were all about trying to get my sandwich. see penny jumping up on me??

once we were at my local resort i picked up my season pass (don’t worry, i smiled big) and we headed up the lift.

ehhh..ok, i realize why i haven’t been up yet this season.  the snow sucked and it was really icy and there were rocks and twigs everywhere.

umm hello? is it not almost december? where is winter?!?!

so, after a cool 3 runs we called it a day and came back down the canyon.  the luxury of living in SLC is you can go snowboarding at noon and take just 3 runs and still have a good chunk of your day left.  it is only 15 miles up the canyon to the resort.

when i got home my roomie cooked me dinner!  mushroom risotto with chicken + salad~

for the record, no.. i am not a big hog, that is a little salad plate

and my lighting still sucks.. gotta figure this whole lighting sitch out soon.

soooo.. now i am typing this and working on my moves page which i will hopefully be done with by the end of the night.

hope you all had a GREAT weekend, i am sad that it is almost over.. but back to the grind tomorrow.  and the last day of november!! how crazy!  christmas will be here before we know it!!

Qs~

1. do you plan your workouts or make them up as you go? i always plan.. i don’t write them down but i have a plan in my head.  this is best for optimal workoutage when at the gym.. but today it was kind of nice just to not plan and go with whatever sounded fun!!

2. who does most of the cooking in your house? aside from yourself, who are you cooking for? do you do it all, do you take turns or do you cook together? like i said, i do most of the cooking most of the time.. it is for just me myself and i 70% of the time though. when marshall is over he usually will offer a hand now and again, which is nice!

xo. janetha b.

I noticed this morning that a number of the small red onions I’d bought from Patti, a certified organic grower at our farmers market, were starting to sprout.

That was my fault for leaving them upstairs where they got some light, but I wouldn’t have given up having them there after H’s granddaughter found them one night and commenced carrying handsful of them to everyone in the room while giggling tremendously.

So, I decided to roast all of them that were sprouting (about two or three pounds) using the method in Fields of Greens: rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted until soft, then dressed in a balsamic vinegar reduction.

And then it turned out to be about dinnertime, and I hadn’t thought of anything else to eat.  Balsamic onions are very good, but they don’t make a supper in themselves.  I still had half a bowl of leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, so I decided to have another go at the potato pancakes.

What I learned from my first successful batch two nights ago is that in order for them to be flavorful, you have to really spice them up.  I went for a fairly mild batch last time to appease my son (please let’s not talk about what happened with that), and they were much, much too bland.

This time, I added (to the three cups of leftover potatoes) a couple of the largest of the roasted red onions chopped, some roasted red peppers I had stored in some EVOO in the fridge, plus sage, thyme, salt, pepper, and some grated asiago cheese.

Then the two eggs and flour (some white, some whole wheat) got mixed in until the batter was still tacky, but a little easier to hold together.  They went into the hot fat (butter and EVOO mix) on the stove until browned on both sides.

These tasted a lot better than the first batch with the added heavy dose of herbs and other flavorful ingredients.  Also on the menu: a couple stubs of bread–some salted Mr. Smith’s baguette and some Red Wagon sourdough along with the mustard green salad leftover from Thanksgiving.

The greens are from the gardens (they’re still growing out there under the row cover, albeit slowly), and there’s some chopped tamari almonds and plums I canned from the neighbor’s tree.  A few bacon bits made their way into the salad as well–the dressing has some of the bacon fat as well as EVOO, ginger paste, plum juice, and white balsamic vinegar.

Altogether, it was a pretty fantastic meal for a last-minute Sunday supper!

Local ingredients: potatoes, red onions, red peppers, mustard greens, plums, eggs, bacon, herbs.

Wow Thanksgiving is over – Had a wonderful day.  Everyone was a massive help.  Daughter-in-law Melissa help with the shopping. Hubby got up and put the turkeys in – we had two 13 pounders instead of one 25 pounder – meat is less dry and bird moving is easier.  I came in next; made the ruttabaga,  sweet potatoes, and right before serving the gravy.  Daughter Rachel made the mashed potatoes, green beans, corn stuffing and brownies.  Mother-in-law made the pumpkin pies. Grand daughter Caitlin worked on the cranberry sauce,  plates and silverware.  Son Joshua is away this year and couldn’t get leave to come home.  We also sent a plate to our friend and my father. 

After feasting we made up the left overs into sandwich makings and today a warm pot of turkey stew.  The rest is frozen for future quick meals.

Asian Chicken Stir-Fry

Cut chicken tenders in half.  Stir-fry in a little oil in a nonstick skillet until cooked through; remove.  Add sliced bell peppers and sliced carrots to skillet; stir-fry until crisp-tender.  Stir in bottled stir-fry sauce and bring to a simmer.  Return chicken to skillet; toss to heat; serve over quick-cooking rice.

Cranberry-BBQ Chicken Breasts

Mix equal parts canned whole-berry cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce.  Brush on boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  broil on nonstick foil-lined baking pan, turning once, until cooked through (about 7 minutes).  Serve with frozen mashed sweet potatoes.

Mini-ravioli and Broccoli

Boil frozen mini-ravioli and bagged fresh broccoli florets until ravioli and broccoli are tender.  Drain and return to pot.  Add a bit of butter, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese, and some grated lemon zest; toss until coated.  Serve with bagged salad greens.

Swiss mushroom burgers

Heat frozen mushroom burgers as package directs ,topping each iwth a slice of reduced-fat Swiss cheese 2 minutes before they will be done.  While burgers cook, sauté sliced onions in a bit of oil in a large nonstick skillet until golden and tender.  Serve burgers topped with onions on buns.  Toss bagged coleslaw mix with ranch dressing and serve on the side.

Smoked turkey wraps

Spread whole-grain wraps or tortillas with hummus.  Top with arugula, sliced smoked turkey and roasted peppers.  Tuck in sides and roll up.  Serve with carrot and celery sticks.

Greek-style Shrimp

Sauté minced garlic and fresh or thawed frozen peeled shrimp in olive oil in a large skilled until outsides of shrimp turn pink.  Add a can of diced tomatoes and a pinch of dried oregano.  Cook until shrimp are cooked through.  Serve over plain or toasted pine nut couscous and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese if desired.

Chicken taco salad

Brown ground chicken in a little oil in a nonstick skillet until cooked through.  Stir in some ground cumin and chili powder; cook 1 minute or until fragrant.  In a large bowl, stir equal parts ranch dressing and salsa.  Add bagged salad greens, drained canned black or kidney beans, sliced scallions or onions, crumbled tortilla chips, chopped fresh tomato and chicken misture; toss to mix and coat.

Burrito Casserole

Place frozen burritos in a microwave-safe baking dish.  Microwave as package directs until heated through.  Spoon  green or red enchilada sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese.  Microwave a minute or two until cheese melts.  Sprinkle top with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and diced avocado.

Chicken sausage and pepper pockets

Sauté sliced onion and bell peppers in oil in a large nonstick skillet until almost tender.  Add sliced fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausages.  Sauté until sausages are browned and vegetables are tender.  Add a can of tomato sauce; bring to a simmer.  Spoon mixture into warm pita.

Scallop Scampi

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet.  Add minced garlic; cook over medium-low heat 1 minute.  Add a bit of wine and cook 1 minute.   Add fresh or thawed frozen scallops; sauté until almost cooked.  Add dieced plum tomato and cook just until scallops are cooked through.  Serve with crusty Italian bread.

Turkey Cutlets Milano

Dip turkey or chicken cutlets in beaten egg, then coat with seasoned dried bread crumbs.  Brown in a little oil in a large nonstick skillet until cooked through.  Meanwhile, in a bowl, toss baby arugula, canned cannellini beans, thinly sliced onion and halved grape tomatoes with olive oil vinaigrette dressing.  Top cooked cutlets with salad mixture. Serve with hot garlic bread.

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And so do college students write papers and study dismally-long hours in the library – running on caffeine and satisfied junk-food cravings, or the occasional crepe at Cafe Bonaparte when you have the time/money for brunch!

Both are savory; must come back for a sweet crepe some day.

My Florentine crepe – Roma tomatoes, pine nuts and pesto, caramelized onions, parsley, Ricotta cheese:

Rachel’s Wellington crepe, with black forest ham and cheddar cheese:

Umm this needs no introduction, just a mess of yummy food that was eaten!

Making a low fat cheese, brocolli, cauliflower casserol!

Recipe for this was posted on my Thanksgiving Veggies post I replaced all cheese and butter with low fat.

Finished product

mmm...nuts!

Shrimp Appi!

Becuase you need to eat before you eat.

Smoked Salmon Asparagus and chickpeas! Recipe also on the Thanksgving Veggie Post, I jsut replaced the regular Salmon with smoked.

Chilled and ready.

HOW GROSS! Boiled neck!

The Main event!

All done!

The table is set

Stuffing

Carved

yup, ate that.

Birthday cake for Mr. Gaunt. I made a Weight Watchers Pumpkin Pie too but forgot to take a picture!

I made the best ever roast chicken for Thanksgiving, and want to share it with all of you. Perfect for a weeknight dinner for a family of 4.
I had a whole chicken that was a bit over 4 lbs
wash and pat dry it, clean out the insides, sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper, pour salt over the top (note: I hate super salty foods, but did put quite a bit of salt on this).
Pop in a roasting pan, add veggies if you want, I didn’t until the last 20 min where I added some delicata squash. I bet it would be great with carrots or potatoes.
Roasted at 450 for about 70 minutes and it came out amazingly juicy and delicious! I basted it after I took it out for a bit with the juices in the pan. But no touching it while it cooked.
Warning, the oven became quite smokey while it was cooking, so if you have sensitive smoke detectors you might want to dismantle them first.
I served with stuffing, cranberries, and mashed turnips and potatoes. Delicious. I’m sure some kind of sauce on the side would be good too for the kids.
Next time the plan is to try and make gravy from the pan drippings.

This is what we ate at my house on Thanksgiving this year:

olives, hummus, and carrot & celery sticks as an appetizer

Turkey Lurkey (turkey basted with orange juice and white wine, stuffed with bread, dates, dried figs, dried apricots, dried applies, walnuts, and more orange juice & white wine)

gravy, obviously, as well as extra stuffing

a humongous fresh salad with lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper

braised brussel sprouts & chestnuts (a new dish this year and surprisingly delish!)

sweet potato pudding (with pineapples and fluff)

pecan pie with homemade whipped cream

happy friday friends!  flashback friday is on hiatus as i do not have my laptop with all my archived photos with me.  sorry charlies, i might do it tomorrow

so, yesterday i did not open my laptop or look at a computer monitor once and guess what? it was glorious.  i just enjoyed time with my family, marshall & the dogs.. played games, worked out, ate SO much food and didn’t think about internet land.  but i DID think about all of you~who i am incredibly thankful for

SO i have a lot to post since i have not posted since tuesday—wow, i think that is the longest i have ever gone without a post!  but i went out with my ladies wednesday and that was of the utmost importance.

starting where i left off~wednesday!

i wanted to celebrate national parfait day and i even emailed the parfait queen herself about it.. but alas, i didn’t have the essential items at work to make a parfait, so i celebrated waffle wednesday instead!

two kashi golean blueberry waffles topped with oikos+chocolate PB2 & sprinkled with cinnamon~

lunch was enjoyed by my favorite experimentarian!  we went to whole foods and snagged some salad bar action~

i love emily and i love the chile coated tofu. the end.

i had a stellar lower body workout wednesday night.. i am not going to go into the deets because i have SO much to post, but know that i worked my calves SO hard that i literally am hobbling around today and cannot straighten my legs properly.  it is that part right below the back of my knee that has killer DOMS.  hurts so good!

wendesday dinner was not the healthiest but it was the quickest and cheapest!  did you guys know that chipotle offers kid’s meals?!  i did not.  but now i do.  for a mere $3,50 plus tax i got a chicken & cheese kid’s quesadilla which came with a small side of black beans, a small side of rice, a small bag of tortilla chips and a drink.  i opted to for go the drink and most of the rice. but i did clean up the quesadilla, beans and chips.

i spent the rest of the evening hanging out with friends at the REAL salt lake championship party.. i mean, salt lake city cannot say much for their sports teams but our soccer team did win the cup on sunday.. that’s pretty fun.

ok! moving on..

thursday! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

i woke up and made myself an americano and left for my parents’ house.  before any thanksgiving feasting went on, my mom and i completed a total body workout almost identical to the one i did last saturday.. with a little help from penelope jane!

as soon as i get done with this post i am going to start working on my moves section, we photographed every single move we did!  stay tuned

after our killer workout we cleaned ourselves up and worked on finishing up the feast my mom had started to prepare in the kitchen.

instead of making whole wheat rolls from scratch i took the easy way out and snagged these warm-and-serve all natural rolls from whole foods:

i also made some candied sweet potatoes as per my dad’s request.. although i would have been fine with cheetahs here they are pre-baked..

i whipped up a quick batch of deviled eggs again..

my mom made some yummy white rolls which were served with her homemade raspberry jam (best jam ever!!)

also on the menu: corn, mashed potatoes, cauliflower & broccoli and mixed fresh fruit (pineapple, raspberries, grapes & pears)~

and my baked candied sweet potatoes~

my faaaavorite part.. stuffing!

two traditional items for a benson family thanksgiving: sweet pickles & black olives~

and we can’t forget the apple cranberry sauce~

and last, but certainly not least, turkey!  my mom did a spectacular job of roasting her second turkey of the week. 

my mom collects unique salt and pepper shakers and two cute sets were on the table for our feast~

it was a fantastic spread~not as extravagant as our sunday family feast~but still just as delicious!!

my plate~and my cute turkey napkin!

the only thing i went back for was more stuffing! i cannot get enough of that stuff.  and to think, marshall hates it! he’s crazy.

i officially stuffed myself again.  we spent some time lounging on the couches while enjoying the crackling wood burning stove and some game show network

after a couple hours i did managed to have some obligatory pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream~

and after this i was officially done for.  and so was everyone else.. especially randy the dog

we played our favorite game~boggle~ and GUESS WHAT? hell froze over and my mom beat me at boggle!!  good job mom, you are amazing!

we spent another hour or so on the couches, cuddling with the dogs and digesting all that FOOD.

marshall and i eventually managed to peel ourselves off the couch and pack up some leftovers (thanks mom!!) and go to his house for some more laying around.  i was going to blog but i decided to leave my laptop in my houndstooth bag and just enjoy the evening hanging out with those i love.  i hope you all had the chance to do the same.

i am going to minus the bear tonight.. which happens to be my favorite band EVER.. so i am really excited! i am actually taking today off from exercise because i wasn’t kidding when i said i can’t walk right.  the DOMS in my calves is ridiculous!  but i will be back at it tomorrow with some HIIT and on sunday i will be doing an upper body workout and finally go snowboarding!  i haven’t gone yet this weekend because 1- there is no new snow which makes it really not worth it and 2- fighting the crowds for sub par snow conditions is a waste of my time.  the crowds are also the reason i do not participate in black friday shopping!

anyway, enough rambling from me! hope you are all enjoying your friday and check back later for some total body workout tips and a possible delayed flashback friday saturday post!

Qs~

1. did you exercise yesterday or take the day off from working out?  i felt really good after my workout yesterday and i am really glad i took the time to complete it.  in years past, i would not be caught dead working out on thanksgiving.. i am so glad my habits are different now days!

2. did you participate in black friday shopping? any gnarly stories about crazy shopper encounters?? i hope nobody got trampled to death this year..

xo. janetha b.

We were finishing the end of our supper of turkey sandwiches.  Delicious.  Evan sat between my parents, being coaxed into eating a real turkey sandwich instead of a deli turkey one.  Sean sat next to me, nibbling like a mouse on bread, turkey, and broccoli.  Like all meals, I was telling some story or another. 

Then I felt a little hand on my shoulder.  I turned to look at Sean.

Sean looked deep into my eyes.  The picture of seriousness.

Sean: Mommy.  I got to go.

What?

Me: Where do you have to go?

Sean broke his serious character.  A smile danced in his eyes and across his lips.

Sean: Outside!

Me: It’s too dark to go outside.

Sean: Get down, please?

Me: What do you say?

Sean: Excuse, please!

Me: Fine.  But no pie for you.

Sean: No pie!

I helped him down and off he ran.

I promised I would be honest in this blog. The thing is called “The Fat Truth”, for goodness sake! I preface with this because I am not proud of the truth today! I chose to eat the traditional too-big turkey, stuffing, potato, bread roll, buttered veggie meal. And a lot of it! So I have not made that change from last year. I went into it thinking “This could be my last feast!”

Now that it’s over, I realize that was my addiction speaking. I saw the turkey, smelled the sage of the stuffing, and was quickly persuaded. I need to employ some defense mechanisms before I even end up in the situation next time.

I am learning, though. Last night, while talking to a good friend on the phone, she mentioned having “one last blowout” for me on Saturday, since I will not be able to drink in a month. I was all for it for a few minutes, but when I hung up the phone, I decided that it was a horrible idea! They already had a “last junk food night” for me a month ago. I’m sure we could make every weekend until the surgery a “last” celebration.

These next few weeks are for preparing my life for the surgery and becoming healthier. I need to remind myself of this. But also be understanding of the mistakes I will make once in awhile.

Thanksgiving. Today I am thankful for the wisdom to  make a decision to change! I am thankful for the strength to make the change! I am thankful for all of the people who have helped me so far along the way. Especially Craig Hragyil! Without whom I would not be doing the things I am doing, or have the ambition to challenge myself the way I do…Thank you Brother!
Most of all I am thankful for my AWESOME wife Taryn! She puts up with my waking up at 4:30 am to get to XTC on time. Dealing with my pissing and moaning over the pain and agony, and helping me with the ice pack or a massage from time to time.  She also deals with my crazy nutritional habits and supplement buying. Thanks Baby, for believing in me!

So, today I was good.   We had a light workout early in the morning. Then a light Thanksgiving lunch at Smith and Wollensky’s in South Beach. I made sure to eat more protein than carbohydrates, and easy on the dessert.

It was great! and after it was done….no sitting around! We walked all afternoon, and most of the night. We walked all over Lincoln Rd. No drinking either.  I am not much of a drinker anyway, so for me that part is easy. The nice thing is that after eating well, I do not feel terrible.  My body is not tired, I am not sluggish.

I am having a problem drinking enough water.  So I am waking up at night and my muscles are a little tight.
Tomorrow, I am going to buy a few bottles of water and carry them with me.
We’ll see how that works.

What did you do today to manage your calories? How are you going to handle falling of “the Wagon”?

Hello All,

Hope you had an amazing and insightful turkey day. Dan’s folks are in town for the holiday and we are loving it! A friend of our’s eddy, owns a restaurant in town and hosted the POT LUCK thanksgiving at this restaurant. (The Asian Palate). There were two turkeys, a duck, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes: mashed, casserole, roasted, etc. We had pasta salad, green leaf salad, cabbage salad, potato salad, green beans, green bean casserole, rice, wild rice, stuffing, dressing x2, and many more. It was the most amazing thanksgiving with all the choices of food. Im pretty sure I had a bite to eat of… well about everything! It was a great fellowship of friends, family, and love. What an amaZing time. Dan and I, our first Thanksgiving! awww…..

anyway sidenote: Mark and Kristen’s (Dan’s bro) 1 year old twins came to the dinner and Kai (the boy) loved the cranberry sauce, well after about an hour of feeding him cranberry sauce, we all found out that the cranberry sauce had grand marnier, in it. So, this is Kai’s first drunk thanksgiving! Congrats Kai! (only 2 tbs, went in the whole dish, so it wasnt as bad as we thought)

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving, love you all.

The "Thanksgiving" Asian Palate

I’ve been busy.

Thanksgiving is here!  Huzzah!   What was consumed at my house?  There were two major food-related parts of the day, and both were delicious.

For noshing earlier in the day, we had a cheese board with smoked Gouda, unie kaas, a summer sausage and a sliced cameo apple.  Wine was Yalumba Muscat, an Australian dessert wine that was perfect with the cheese!

For dinner?  Goose!  The menu was goose (stuffed with apples and onions), stuffed pumpkin (stuffed with stuffing), mashed potatoes, mashed yams, green beans with garlic, roasted beets, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.  The beers for today were Stella Artois and Smithwick’s, although I’m not sure either of us drank an entire beer.

The goose looks kind of creepy, doesn’t it? “Hello, Clarice.” Anyway, here’s dinner:

The verdict on goose?  It was alright!  The preparation is different from a turkey, and the overall flavour is a bit more gamy, but it was a nice change.  (Edit:  it turns out goose is really good when it’s cold–come to me sandwiches, I am going to eat you now…)  I would probably choose a turducken or another festive meat over this in the future, but it’s good to have a new thing in my kitchen repertoire.

We haven’t gotten into the pie yet…I’ll put up a picture of that when I get to it.

Our Thanksgiving table

“. . . a thankful heart hath a continual feast.”
     — W. J. Cameron

“Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.”
     — William Shakespeare

Our Thanksgiving Menu

Turkey roasted in convection oven
with Giblet Dressing

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
with Pan Turkey Gravy

Oven-roasted Yams and Sweet Onions
with thyme seasoning

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Potato Pie
with French Vanilla Ice Cream

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