Where "Indians" equals MILES!  Yes, I woke up and ran my obligatory Turkey Trot – all 9.0 miles of it.  When my alarm went off at 6:30, the last thing I wanted to do was go for a run, but all I had to do was think of stuffing, green bean casserole, and gravy and I was OUT THE DOOR!

It took me 1 hour and 30 minutes and I burned approximately 750 calories.  Pecan pie, here I come!

Before I left, I had two slices of French bread with some PB and a coffee.

Around mile 6.0, I had two Clif Shot Bloks.  I think these are yummy and I understand the benefits of replacing sodium, but I still think jelly beans or gummi bears work just fine (and its cheaper)!

I came home and made a hearty bowl of oatmeal to last me through my 2 hour drive to Thanksgiving lunch (we do lunch, not dinner… weird, huh?).

My oatmeal contained:

• 2/3 cup oatmeal
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 sliced banana
• Toppings: sprinkle of Grape Nuts and about 7 almonds

After showering, I prepped the green bean casserole (my "signature dish" at Thanksgiving)…

I pretty much follow the traditional recipe, but I use fresh (cooked) green beans instead of canned; I add sliced bella mushrooms; and I add about 3 cups of Italian cheese.  I baked the green bean casserole for 30 minutes and pulled it out.  I’ll finish baking it at my aunt’s and add the fried onions.

Being "Healthy" at Thanksgiving

In my opinion, there are TWO ways to be "healthy" at Thanksgiving:

• Watch your portions and don’t over indulge.  Skip the appetizers, don’t get back for seconds, and only have 1 slice of pie.
• Eat what you want — after all, it’s only ONE DAY!  Consciously choose to indulge in certain things.  If you make it a conscious decision to eat three slices of pie, you won’t feel guilty afterwards.

The only way to be "unhealthy" at Thanksgiving is to mindlessly BINGE and then feel GUILTY about it later.

So no matter how you choose to a navigate the Thanksgiving spread, I wish you a HAPPY and HEALTHY holiday!

xoxo