Mr. Marshmallow I have been planning my Thanksgiving meal and, as is usual in our family, I am responsible for the side dishes. I am aiming to make several sides that are tasty, but healthful in terms of calories and fat. My mother berated me recently, claiming Thanksgiving was not a time to watch calories but instead was a time to gorge. I understand her point, but to a person such as myself, I do not need Thanksgiving to come up with a reason to gorge.
And I've have been planning one of my all time favorite side dishes
- Southern Collard Greens. I am particularly fond and proud of my recipe for greens because my take represents excess in flavor, but not in calories. If I can find a way to duplicate these efforts with cheesecake, I will be rich. But I digress.
My greens have all the traditional ingredients - red pepper vinegar, smoked turkey wings, chicken broth, sugar, and some other spices. I double the turkey wings, pepper vinegar, and broth in the recipe. This yields a pot of flavorful greens and an abundance of "pot likker," the broth that results from the whole process. This is particularly good over rice or crumbled cornbread, but again I digress.
So this ability to be excessive and obsessive can bring tremendous flavor to greens, but how does it translate into everyday life? As I ponder this, it seems like a good reason to celebrate with some hot fudge cake - or some fat-free, sugar-free frozen yogurt. Deciding between the two may take a while.
Is Thanksgiving an excuse to gorge on food? What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Comments (15)
I do eat a lot at Thanksgiving, but it isn't exactly an excuse to gorge. My favorite Thanksgiving food is pumpkin pie. I don't cook, though.
Whether it's Thanksgiving or not...if you're watching your weight/calories, giving that all up to GORGE is not a good idea. Those calories are still calories you ingested...those calories still need to be worked off...it's just easier to keep up with your lifestyle if you continue it or vary it a little for the major holidays. After all...people gain weight every winter with thanksgiving and christmas, and then the drinking on new years...plus with the less activity of being inside in the winter months.
I mean, if you want to try everything...take a little tiny bit of everything, taste it all, and if you're still hungry, then take a bit more of whatever it is you want more of. But to have a full meal EACH time you fill your plate? Too much.
I am by no means watching my weight or calories or anything, but when I go to the buffet, I take a little bit of everything I want. When I'm done with that plate, I may want a little bit more of 1 or 2 specific things, but then when I'm done with THAT...I truly am full and don't feel as if I've gorged or starved or didn't get to try the food I wanted to. I don't go to buffets often because paying $11 for the little bit I am able to eat just doesn't seem worth it to me.
The food looks delicious!
Our traditional Thanksgiving dinner is all about variety. Beans, boiled onions, turnip, squash, carrots, peas, sweet potato casserole, broccoli cheese casserole, the turkey, of course, Mom's own stuffing, and a multitiude of desserts.
Growing up, you ate what was presented, cleaned your plate, or else.
Thanksgiving and Christmas were feasts. You got to pick and choose. If you didn't care for something, fine. Just choose your favorites. That was the big difference.
Do we overindulge? Not so much any more, though sometimes we did in the past. At any rate, thinking about the ingredients, it was all pretty healthy to start with.
it just depends on how much the person naturally eats.
I love sweet potatoes <33333
Usually though, there is a lot of left overs so think in terms of your meals for the next 1-2 weeks too not just indulging for one day. Would you rather then, the high-cal overloaded with fat varieties, or keeping it simple and delicious?
Cookinglight.com is a really good source for recipes/meal ideas that are tasty & modified to be healthier.
fuck YES
I just treat it as a normal dinner eat till im full.
Holidays are an excuse for us to eat more than we normally do (that is, until we can't eat anymore), because it's all foods we normally do not get to eat on an average day. And we eat til absolutely full...because as far as health goes, it doesn't matter because we're still as active as we usually are.
It's a -treat-. Something special just 'cause.
If we made it a habit, then of course, it would be bad.
Normally, we don't eat til full. We eat til we're no longer hungry.
If we ate til we were full everyday for every meal, we would not be able to afford groceries anymore (not mention that we don't really need that much food).
No big deal.
it's only once a year thing so it's ok. you won't gain weight over night.
Eating that way every day is terrible, but once a year will not kill you.
Hmmm...I look forward to binging on prime rib and all the other good stuff my mom prepares for Thanksgiving. I totally promised myself that I'd prepare for this beforehand and after the chaos of gluttony. Hence the yoga classes, miles on the treadmill, and dance classes. :D
There is no excuse to gorge. My favorite Thanksgiving dish is the stuffing.
Many people do use thanksgiving as an excuse to gorge which i think is completely wrong but i think if america ate the foods they love more than once a year, they wouldnt feel the need to gorge thinking it would holdthem over until next year