Thanksgiving Plans

Grr.... Thanksgiving took a last minute turn and landed in my lap this year. So I am starting to freak out because I have 2 days to plan dinner for 10...which isn't bad. It could be worse, right? Actually, I love hosting. Only because it keeps me busy. I find that if I am the one doing everything it gives me less time to eat.

I think I am leaning more towards a ham this year... Pineapple Glazed. I am also going to make a bone-in turkey breast in my crock pot. I found a simple recipe here, but I am going to add some more to it.
I need:
1 4lb-ish turkey breast
chicken stock/broth
a rub made out of poultry season, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper
onions, carrots, and celery
2 tablespoons butter

Here is the plan:

place chopped onions, carrots and celery in the bottom of the crock pot. add rubbed turkey breast. add chicken broth...probably about 2 cups. About half way, flip the turkey breast. Once the breast is done. Coat with butter and broil till brown. Crock pot cooking time is around 7-8 hours. I would cook on high for the first few hours and then switch to low for the rest. Strain out veggies and make a gravy with the remaining liquid.

All I have left is to plan out the side dishes....

Baked Bean Casserole

Baked Bean Casserole

1lb turkey sausage (hot adds a lot of flavor!)
1 can lima beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can white beans, drained
1 lg. can of baked beans
1 sm. can of tomato sauce
1 lg onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2T mustard
red pepper flakes
dash of liquid smoke

Brown sausage. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Bake 350 for 1 hour or place everything in your crock pot and cook on low for about 8 hours.

Serves about 12 at 255 calories and grams of 16 protein per serving.

Garlic White Beans

Garlic White Beans
1 can whole white beans
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp dried Italian Parsley
salt to taste

Heat oil, then add garlic. Drain and rinse beans then add along with green onions and parsley.

Serve warm or cold. Great as a salad topper.

Serves 3 at 176 calories and 9 grams of protein per serving.

Appetizers

Holiday Appetizers Under 100 calories


Check it out Here at myrecipes.com

Progressive Soup

This was really tasty for only 60 calories!

Band Friendly Holiday Ideas

Have you started planning Thanksgiving dinner, yet? Here are some links to recipes that seem pretty band-friendly.

Appetizers
Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Spiced Pecans
Easy Cheese Ball
Cranberry Cheese Spead

Turkey/Ham
Lemon & Garlic Turkey
Herb Roasted Turkey
Apricot Glazed Ham
Garlic Roasted Ham

Side Dishes
Green Bean Casserole
Green Beans with Golden Raisins
Green & Yellow Beans with Wild Mushrooms
Garlicy Green Beans
Mashed Cauliflower
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Spinach & Grapefruit Salad
Baby Carrots with Dill

Desserts
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Spiced Pears
Pumpkin Carmel Mousse Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pudding

A Useful Tool

100 ways to cut 100 calories
Find out how by clicking here
By Prevention.com

Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

1 cup Fat-Free Milk
2 tsp Splenda
1 tsp Cocoa powder

Warm milk. Then add Splenda and Cocoa and stir.

1 serving with 87 calories and 8 grams of protein.

I Scream for Ice Cream

I love ice cream too much to say goodbye to it forever. It hasn't been until recently that I've started eating it again for special occasions. I've have started to realize that I have learned some self-control. Typically, a quart of ice cream wouldn't last more than 2 days in my house, but now it becomes freezer burnt before we finish it.

The other day I got a knock on my door and it was the Schwan's man. He asked if I wanted one of his catalogs, and I declined. I told him that my family is on a strict diet and I doubt that there was much he could offer me. He just laughed and pulled out the catalog and showed me. They have LiveSmart products that are lower in calories, fat and sodium. And a lot of them are individually portioned. They have quite a selection of frozen treats for less than 100 calories. They also have a good selection of meat and fish individually portioned.

This ice cream pictured above is their No Sugar Added Fat Free Chocolate ice cream with 70 calories and 3 grams of protein for one 1/2 cup serving.

Hitting a Grand Slam

I learning something from my little road trip... finding a band friendly breakfast is really hard. We stopped at a Denny's on a whim and I was pleasantly surprised at what I found.

Build your own Grand Slam:

You can pick any four items from their list for only $5.99.

I picked:
Egg Whites- 50 cal/11g protein
Turkey Bacon- 76 cal/8g protein
Fruit Cup- 70 cal/1g protein
LF Yogurt- 160 cal/6g protein

Total Breakfast- 356 cal/ 26g protein

Before the band I would of picked:
Pancakes- 340 cal/2g protein
Eggs- 250 cal/13g protein
Sausage- 182 cal/5g protein
Hashbrowns 210 cal/2g protein

Total Breakfast- 982 cal/ 22g protein