I need a nap…

…and I didn’t even eat turkey!

Hope your Thanksgiving is going well!  We’ve had a fun-filled day, starting with the 22nd annual Turkey Trot 5K this morning.  We were up bright and early for the race!  It was held on part of the same route from my 1/2 marathon, so it was familiar turf for me

The Turkey Trot is definitely one of Shreveport’s most popular annual road races– there were over 1,000 people there– which is BIG for Shreveport!

My dad was decked out in his running bandana, which he wears for the sole purpose of annoying my sister and me:

The group, post-race:

You know you’re in Louisiana when…they serve you red beans and rice, post-race!  I actually thought this was oatmeal, until my mom snagged a bowl:

I snapped a pic of my sister’s baby bump while she wasn’t looking  .  Two 5ks in a single week?  I bet this baby is going to be a runner!

My time was around 26:30, which I was happy with, considering that I had to walk for the first minute or so because of the crowd.  This is definitely not a race you’d want to try for a PR with!  There were so many walkers up at the front of the crowd– grrrrrr!  That drives me crazy!  Oh well.  It was a fun time, and it was definitely nice to get some activity in before the BIG meal. 

And speaking of BIG MEALS…

We came home from the race to find this in the oven:

The bread for my dressing!! It was burnt to a crisp!  I had put it on a tray in the oven overnight so that it would get stale, and my mom, not knowing what I had done, turned the oven on before we left for the race so that it would be ready when we got home.  It was a Thanksgiving disaster!

Not really.  After a quick trip to the grocery store, all was well!  For my stuffing, I used a classic recipe from the 2007 December issue of the cooking magazine, Cuisine at Home.  I made a few small alterations– wheat bread instead of white, and I cut the amount of butter for sautéing the vegetables in half.  The recipe included: wheat bread, milk, onion, celery, veggie broth, fresh sage, parsley, and eggs.  Pretty simple!  And definitely vegetarian

Proud chef:

For Thanksgiving, we loaded up the cars and headed out to the lake.  Our family owns a house on a lake called Lake Bisteneau, which is about 30 minutes outside of town.  We’ve started going out there for Thanksgiving only recently, but it’s really great.  There’s a ton of land, so the little kids (of which my family has many– 10 under the age of 11, and one on the way!) can run around while the adults…drink wine!

It’s really pretty out there this time of year, and our weather today was just beautiful.  Here are some scenery shots:

But on to the important stuff…the food!!!

My family is very traditional in our Thanksgiving meal– we’ve had the same menu for over 35 years now!  Our Thanksgiving meal includes:  Turkey, gravy, mixed vegetable casserole, 2 kinds of sweet potato casserole, English pea salad, dressing, cranberry sauce, and rolls, followed by pecan pie and pumpkin pie.  Certain new dishes have been introduced in the past few years, like green bean casserole (thanks to Ryan!) and a carrot souffle that is basically like dessert.  I guess once we find something that works, we stick with it!  We’re that way with our Christmas meal too!

Here’s part of the spread:

Soooooooo good.  Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year, hands down. 

And of course…the pie:

Why choose between pumpkin and pecan when you can have both?

This little guy was watching us from the centerpiece as we enjoyed our meal:

It was our first Thanksgiving as newlyweds!

Requisite family portrait:

Around 4:00, it was away from the lake and through the woods:

…to civilization we went!

I hope your Thanksgiving has gone well.  This holiday has left me happy, blessed, and FULL.  I’m ready for some light eats in the next few days!  I’m thinking a back-on-track plan (a la Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point) might be in the cards for yours truly.  More on that later. 

Have a GREAT holiday!