Welcome, Welcome, Share This Feast

(song: Thanksgiving Song/artist: Mary Chapin Carpenter)

I love this time of year! Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I am so excited to share the day with my husband's family. There's just "a feeling" in the air that makes me happy from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve. You know that feeling? It's especially magical here in New York City. And having a kid, well, pure bliss.

Tomorrow, as I did last year, I'm going to run my local 5-mile Turkey Trot. A great way to start a holiday that's centered around eating. It's going to be freezing - literally - so I'm less concerned with my pace and more concerned about not dropping dead. I did a test run in 28 degree temps on Monday so I have a good idea what I'm getting myself into. Insane, I know...

My contribution to tomorrow's feast is cranberry relish. I made it - YES, I cooked! - using a recipe that I borrowed from my friend Chris, a.ka. Domestic Daddy. It was so easy and bucks tradition by adding bold spices like cardamom and cloves, and jalapenos. 

Easy and delicious!

You can find the recipe here. My only substitute was organic coconut sugar instead of white sugar. It's so tasty and - most importantly to me - took less than one hour from prep to clean-up. In fact it would have been even less time if I hadn't stopped to take photos and let my son "help". But hey, this time of year is all about sharing the love and working side-by-side with my son was so special.

My sous chef.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving (and Hanukkah if applicable) and don't stress out about overeating. There's a 95% chance you're going to eat too much. If you're just starting a healthy lifestyle, try one small little change, like skipping the sweet potatoes with marshmallows or not having seconds. Depriving yourself on your first holiday will only make you miserable and will likely drive you to binge eat secretly after everyone has gone to bed. (Not that I have any experience with that...) Also, DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST TOMORROW! Don't "save your calories" until Thanksgiving dinner. Eat a regular breakfast and lunch on Thanksgiving, at the same time you normally would eat these meals and you'll likely eat less calories overall than you would if you skipped the meals. And if that doesn't workout, at least you won't be a cranky b$tch by feast time. If you've been living healthy for awhile now, don't be stupid tomorrow. Your stomach will revolt and you'll spend all of Friday on the toilet. M'kay?

Now, go forth and give thanks and ENJOY YOURSELF! xoxo