Happy Wednesday! Hope you’re having a good week. Today actually happens to be my birthday. It’s not a “big” birthday or anything, but I’m looking forward to celebrating with a few friends.

Since last week was Thanksgiving, may as well do the obligatory post-holiday food recap thing. I actually really like Thanksgiving–it comes at the beginning of the holiday season, before we’ve had a chance to get burnt out. And by “we” I mean “I.” As with other food holidays, I encourage making time for a workout and breakfast (and maybe even lunch) rather than skipping meals and trying to white-knuckle it to dinner.

This Thanksgiving, I took my own advice by enjoying a little cardio and yoga with my mom and sister and having a savory oatmeal breakfast comprised of random stuff in the fridge that wasn’t needed for dinner (I think there was flax, egg whites, baby spinach, and a bunch of spices in there, plus tahini on top). In between helping with food prep during the day, I had a bowl of plain Greek yogurt with ground flax and blueberries. We were expecting people to start coming over at 3, and by the time I thought to eat something, it felt a bit late for lunch, so this worked perfectly.

For appetizers, we had a big spread of veggies, cheese-and-crackers, antipasto, and some other random stuff. I made a plate of raw and marinated veggies, some cheese, and a piece of this brie-and-apple tart we’d made. Totally failed at a plate picture, though! brie-and-apple-tart

Dinner: Major dietitian cliche—filled half the plate with veggies(brussels and string beans), a quarter with protein (turkey), and a quarter with carbs (roasted root veggies).

Thanksgiving-Plate-2016

Dessert: I had some fruit and whipped cream, and a few hours later when my stomach started growling, some more plain yogurt with cinnamon and maple syrup. In between I had a few cups of this Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea—it’s so good!

celestial-seasonings-sugar-cookie

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is post-Thanksgiving leftovers. Friday morning, I was all about leftovers-for breakfast. Sunday morning I enjoyed a bowl of pumpkin oats with cranberry cooked in and on top. I also shared another post-Thanksgiving favorite on the Stonyfield blog: Beat the Post-Holiday Dinner Daze with a Leftovers Salad.

Another great thing about Thanksgiving is spending time with my family (and fur family). I enjoyed catching up with some friends too for lunch at a local diner. Can’t beat an omelet and wonderfully crappy diner coffee.

diner-omelet

As an early-birthday celebration, I enjoyed a nice dinner with my parents at the Mermaid Inn. We shared oysters to start, and then my mom and I both ordered the salmon. My two glasses of sparkling wine paired perfectly.

Mermaid-Inn-Salmon

I didn’t take a picture, but another think I love about Mermaid is the way they give out free chocolate pudding instead of dessert. It’s the perfect little something for after dinner.

What’s your favorite holiday food? 

To see more WIAW, check out founder Jenn’s blog Peas & Crayons or visit hosts Laura and Arman‘s blogs.

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