Thursday, November 27, 2008

Day 6 - Thanksgiving

Today, if all goes as planned, I will be blessed with the opportunity to share this evening with much of my family. This is something that day-in and day-out I take for granted.

Like many households, we typically have a bountiful feast to celebrate on this holiday. But, this year, I'm attempting to do something different.

I'm going to bring over a low-carb appetizer, a side-dish and a dessert. Things that are "on-program" for me but that others can share in, if desired.

My mother and sister (and perhaps my niece) will make the turkey, the usual sides (mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetable dishes, etc.). But, of those, I'll likely only have some turkey and perhaps some veggies - along with what I'm bringing.

The three items I'm bringing are: prosciutto-wrapped avocado slices (as an appetizer), mashed cauliflower and a stevia-sweetened "pumpkin bake".

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/pumpkin_bake.html


I'm also bringing along a bottle of wine to share.

I doubt my dishes will make any converts. But, they'll be healthier options for me and I'll be sharing a part of my life with those that I love.

I did weigh myself this morning, using a scale that measures both weight and fat percentage.

Here are the grim figures:

body weight: 235.6
body fat %: 38.9
height: 5'11

As you see, I have a long way to go. But, I'm working at it. And, that makes me feel slightly better about who I currently am and life in general.

I wish all who read this a happy, healthy and truly thankful Thanksgiving Day. And, to those that don't celebrate this holiday ... I still wish you the same, minus the 'Thanksgiving' part. ;-)


Thursday - November 27, 2008

10:45 am

+ one cup of "choco-coffee" - (two tablespoons of pure cocoa powder, one teaspoon of instant coffee, hot water, stevia to taste and a splash of half-and-half)

12:15 pm

+ a vanilla whey protein shake - (two scoops of natural vanilla whey protein powder and 4 oz of half-and-half)

3:00 pm

+ one cup of "choco-coffee" - (two tablespoons of pure cocoa powder, one teaspoon of instant coffee, hot water and stevia to taste) No half-and-half this time.

+ psyllium fiber

5:30 pm

+ 3 slices of tomato, mozarella and basil (appetizer)

+ 2 deviled egg halves (appetizer)

+ 1 small slice of avocado (appetizer)

+ several ounces of dark-meat turkey, with some skin

+ half-cup of mashed cauliflower

+ several baby asparagus spears

+ a glass of red wine

8:00 pm

+ a piece of low-carb "pumpkin bake" with a small amount of regular whipped cream on top

12:30 am

+ three small breakfast sausages (left-overs that couldn't be left-over much longer)

+ a glass of red wine


More to come ... I hope!

9 comments:

Vadim said...

Harry you too bro, Happy and Healthy one to you and those who are dear and close to your heart!

NewVision said...

Hey Harry,
Happy Turkey Day!!!

How about adding in the CO to the coffee/cocoa mix you already take. It sounds like it would be really good together. Wish I had some Cocoa here at the house, I would try it myself in the morning.... Good luck, let me know if you try it.

Harry/JP said...

Thanks for the well-wishes, Vadim. It was a happy and healthy Thanksgiving, on this end.

I hope your day was blessed as well.

I'll be dropping by your blog shortly to see what you've been up to.

NewVision,

I hope you had a Happy Turkey Day as well!

re: the coconut oil

That's exactly what I plan to do - add it to my "choco-coffee". I think I'll give it a shot beginning tomorrow morning.

I will definitely let you know how it goes. Thanks for the suggestion!

Vadim said...

Great will and discipline, Harry! Your Thnaksgiving was very reaonable and you enjoyed it! I am very happy to know that some of us did behave and that is not only possible to eat low carb every day, but it is also doable on holidays! Now lets kick fat cells butt until next Holiday rolls in!I am off to Atlantic City as per my sister's request and more like begging. I used to like to gamble within reasons, but now I really dont like to loose money like that. But I will go with her, justy hate driving for 3 hours. Hopefully it wont that bad and we can even win some money. Lol, at least not to loose a lot. There are a lot of shopping outlets around Casino strips so she is dying to grab some sales. I am not crazy on shopping so I will just chill by playing I guess!

lynn said...

Happy Thanksgiving.

One question though: Why do you have so many shakes?

Anonymous said...

Hi Harry,
It all sounds yummy. GREAT idea bringing good stuff you can eat and to share. I've got to try that choco-coffee drink-it sounds delicious! Keep on with the diet-you'll get there!

Harry/JP said...

Good day, Vadim.

I hope you have fun in Atlantic City! I've never been but my wife has visited many times.

Speaking of my wife ... we are both avid poker players. We usually play locally or online. But, on occasion, we'll take a trip to Las Vegas.

Good luck to you, if you decide to gamble a bit. :-)

Harry/JP said...

Good day, lynn. Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to you, as well. :-)

I mostly drink shakes for two reasons:

1. convenience and simplicity

Often times I just feeling like having something that's easier to prepare and an efficient source of health calories.

2. as a vehicle for supplements

I take quite a few nutritional supplements. They go down very well with a shake.

Thank you for visiting my menu blog. I hope you'll come back!

PS - I'm a cat lover as well.

Harry/JP said...

Guten morgen, Lynn.

How odd that I got back-to-back posts from two "Lynns" separated only by a capital letter!

I hope you enjoy the "choco-coffee" if you try it. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amount of cocoa to your personal taste.

Pure cocoa powder, if you don't already know, has a pretty powerful taste and is slightly bitter. Adding some sweetener, I use a little stevia, and cream mellows it out. I'm probably just stating the obvious here. I just don't want you to have any unpleasant surprises!

Having said all that, I sometimes have this drink without cream. It tastes just fine to me. And, this morning, I used coconut oil instead of cream. That was based on a suggestion by NewVision - to help me better manage my hunger pangs.

If you find some other ways to make it even tastier ... please share!

Be well!