The average American consumes 3,000 calories in one Thanksgiving dinner. Yikes! Anyone else just have a panic attack? If you want to make sure that meal doesn’t go to your abs, hips, thighs or wherever, here are a few tips.
Burn some calories.
Go for a pre-Thanksgiving meal workout. Sign up for a Turkey Trot 5K or beg your personal trainer for a quick morning session! Start your morning with a 30-minute walk, and maybe one after your meal.
Easy on the carbs.
Eat more turkey and veggies, eat less potatoes and bread. Protein and fiber will help you stay fuller longer, plus turkey and veggies are lower in calories and higher in nutrients. Need a killer Brussel Sprout recipe for your meal? See below.
Slow down and enjoy.
Eat slowly. It takes the brain 20 minutes to tell the tummy that it’s full, so eat slowly as to not get overstuffed. And don’t forget to chew. Digestion starts in your mouth, and its recommended to chew each bite up to 30 times before swallowing.
Get back to it!
On Friday, get right back to filling up on healthy foods and get a killer workout in to burn that bird…and pie.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Brussel Sprouts RECIPE
1.Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice your washed and trimmed sprouts in half.
3. Boil them in your broth of choice for 1-2 minutes in a large skillet…you do NOT want them to cook fully.
4. Drain sprouts and in same skillet, dump the sprouts back in with your oil.
5. Saute the sprouts in oil until they start to brown and soften a bit (don’t worry if some of the leaves come off…those will be the yummiest parts later!).
6. Drain sprouts again if there is any liquid in the pan.
7. Spread the sprouts on a lightly oiled cookie sheet in one even layer.
8. Salt and pepper them.
9. Roast those puppies for 20-30 minutes until they are brown and crispy. You’ll have to toss them at least once during the roasting process.
10. SERVE!
Note: if you are dressing them up with extras, I like to throw the “extras” onto the pan while roasting about 5-10 minutes before they are finished.
