Thanksgiving?

While driving this morning, I heard an ad on the radio (should I say which store it was?) about a Thanksgiving sale:

frozen turkey for .29 a pound, asparagus, frozen Marie Callender pies, and a great deal on coke! I have a few comments about this potential Thanksgiving dinner:

Turkey: there are so many wonderful places to get fresh, organically grown, non-antibiotic treated turkeys. Right in our neighborhood, we have 2 butcher shops who can tell you where the birds came from, how they were treated, and guarantee their freshness. We will pay a more than .29 cents a pound for our turkey, but I will feel confident that I have all the knowledge I need about where our meat came from when we sit down to dinner next week.

Asparagus: I’m not sure where the asparagus is coming from, but do you remember the height of asparagus season last spring? Asparagus season is April to June and now it’s November…

Frozen Marie Callender Pies: Nothing against Marie, but its Thanksgiving! What better time to get together with family to try a new recipe (or an old classic). Give making your own crust a whirl, bake a fresh pumpkin in the oven and embrace the harvest. You don’t need to buy a frozen pie – believe me. Focus on the journey, not the destination.

Nutrition Facts: Marie Callenders Frozen Pumpkin Pie
Serving Size slice, 1/5 pie

Amount Per Serving
Calories 614
Calories from Fat 252
Total Fat 28.0g 43%
Sodium 465mg 19%
Total Carbohydrates 80.0g 27%
Protein 12.0g

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet


Coke: Really? Coke on Thanksgiving?

I’m remembering last week, when my family and I sat down to plan out the most nutritious, seasonal, traditional meal possible. On our menu: a fresh, organically grown turkey, oyster stuffing, a big green salad with candied pecans and pomegranate seeds, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, home-made cranberry sauce, fresh pumpkin pie, and red wine my Dad is picking out to accompany the menu.

What a wonderful time of year to celebrate the family and spiritual connectivity to food. Reflect on the memories you have growing up of Thanksgiving and choose the most wholesome, nourishing food you have access to in a celebration of food and harvest.

Pumpkin Smoothie!

I love the fall!! I love the feeling in the air, the piles of leaves, the back-to-school sales, storms, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and pumpkin pie. I love pumpkins so much that I decided I might try to make a pumpkin smoothie in my new blender.

I wasn't happy, however, with the options I found for recipes on the internet; many had a lot of added sugar and all called for canned pumpkin. A pumpkin milkshake would be easy because you could use ice-cream for both the freeze factor and the sweetness, but I really wanted to have a healthy breakfast or post-workout drink.

The key was honey - yes, I know that counts as sugar, but I like being able to control the amount on my own and its also a less processed source than table sugar. You could use maple syrup or molasses, but I like the light flavor honey adds to this recipe. If you love pumpkin, give it a try - and if you are feeling up to it, bake your own pumpkin instead of using canned!! (I won't judge you if you decide to use some organic canned to save time)

Besides being delicious, pumpkin is an excellent source of:

folate, potassium, vitamins A, C, and B (3,5,6)

It also contains phytonutrients which may have added health benefits beyond the vitamins and minerals...

Pumpkin-Pie Smoothie

1/2 c vanilla yogurt
1/2 c pumpkin (make your own! - see below)
1 whole banana
dash cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger (to taste)
2/3 c milk
6-7 ice cubes
1 T honey

*cut a small sugar pumpkin in half and remove the stem and seeds. Cover it in foil and bake it in the oven on 350 for an hour. Once cooled, the pulp will easily release from the skin. I used about 1/4 of the cooked pumpkin for my smoothie and froze the rest for later.

makes about two 12 oz smoothies
great for breakfast, a light snack, or post-work out.