I know it isn’t Thanksgiving yet, but I had some Thanksgivingish eats to share. First, visit Peas & Crayons to check out other great WIAW posts.
Finally, time for the yum stuff!
Pre-Workout: rice cake (I know… shocker)
Post-Workout: 2 eggs, 1 grapefruit, and black coffee
Snack: 7 raw almonds
Lunch: sweet potato and 1/2 can green beans (simple but also simply satisfying)
Snack: Another work meeting at Starbucks lead to this decaf, nonfat misto. The meeting ran long, so I also downed a couple Andes mints I had stashed in my purse. 
Snack: I was on the hunt for a fresh turkey after work, so I had 2 sips of wine and a bite of pumpkin pie at the first grocery store. They lacked adequate turkey. I then had 2 more sips of wine and another bite of pumpkin pie at the second grocery store. I really couldn’t ask for better samples – who could turn that down? Twice???
Dinner: crock pot white chicken chili & Sierra Nevada Tumbler (meh… not bad but doesn’t meet expectations)
By the way, I have already made on dish for Thanksgiving. It’s cranberry sauce! Most recipes out there have double the sugar, but I like my berries a little tart. Plus, the orange and spice take the edge off.
Chunky Cranberry-Orange Sauce
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- zest of one orange (I actually used the zest of grapefruit since that’s what I had on-hand.)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (heaping)
- just a dash of ground cinnamon
- just a dash of ground clove
- 1 bag cranberries (approx 16 oz)
- 1/2 cup orange juice (Approximately the juice of two oranges if you’re not too lazy to juice them.)
- Without preheating the pan, cook the lemon juice and sugar in a skillet until it caramelizes. This takes a while, so be patient. More importantly, be careful not to burn the sugar. Continuously stir with a wooden spoon. If it starts to stick and potentially burn, reduce the heat and add a sprinkle of lemon juice or water.
- When the sugar is caramel in color and gummy, add the orange zest and three ground spices. Cook about a minute or so; you want it to be very fragrant.
- Stir in cranberries and orange juice. Continue cooking and stirring until some of the liquid evaporates and the cranberries cook down to your desired level of chunk. When you think it looks good, allow it to cool and refrigerate.
- Are your meals in Thanksgiving mode yet, or are you holding out until the big day?
- Are you doing all the cooking this year?
November 21, 2012 at 6:17 am
I love Thanksgiving! I really wish that we had it in the UK. I have been eating a lot of pumpkin this week in celebration!
November 21, 2012 at 7:53 am
I’m having a bit of an untraditional thanksgiving this year. You’ll see… but either way- I’m preparing my stomach for it! lol
November 21, 2012 at 7:56 am
Work meetings at Starbucks are definitely the best kind of meeting in my book! I’m getting so excited for Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to help my mom err watch my mom make stuff!
November 21, 2012 at 9:42 am
Definitely doing the cooking, cannot wait!!
I love the traditional homemade cranberry sauce and would be up to trying yours!! YUM
November 21, 2012 at 9:52 am
ahh I cannot wait.. I love thanksgiving so much, its probably unhealthy.
November 21, 2012 at 9:58 am
Oh, no! I’m bummed you weren’t a fan of Tumbler. Do you generally like brown ales?
November 21, 2012 at 10:25 am
That homemade cranberry sauce looks delicious. We always have cranberry sauce at my family Thanksgiving meals, but most people don’t ever touch it. Haha. How are you supposed to eat it? Plain? On rolls?
We are doing absolutely none of the cooking since we have to travel a few hours to get there. We are just in charge of bringing a flat of water bottles- Simple enough!
November 21, 2012 at 10:31 am
No Thanksgiving for us Canadians, but seeing all of the food around the blog world is making me extremely jealous. And now you’ve got me craving cranberry sauce, which is seriously my favorite turkey topping ever.
November 21, 2012 at 7:41 pm
I will be in turkey mode tomorrow
November 21, 2012 at 8:55 pm
They had wine samples?! and pie? at BOTH stores? What the heck, you’ve got great luck. I would not turn it down either- gotta live!
November 22, 2012 at 6:57 am
I know, right? Score!