The DIY Diet

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and earlier this season already I’ve been the grateful recipient of pumpkin, squash, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and the like from the bounty of my brother and sister-in-law’s large garden.  They grew some lovely, large pumpkins this year, the ornamental variety, that we used for Halloween decorations.  For Thanksgiving pies, I think we’ll bake a Mrs. Smith’s Frozen Pumpkin Pie.  We like the flavor and the ease of preparation. The acorn squash has been delicious and from the tomatoes, onions, and peppers I’ve made and frozen spaghetti sauce, chili, and tomato pulp for later use. 

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In preparation for the Christmas meal I was going to prepare for my family, I was wandering around my local grocery store checking out all the interesting products.

In the freezer compartment I spotted the bin containing Jennie-O Oven Ready Turkey Breast. I checked the instructions on the bag, and couldn’t believe my eyes. The instructions stated that the product went directly from the freezer to the oven to the dinner table!

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Let’s be honest: it’s going to be next to impossible to stay on a low-calorie diet during the Holidays. And that’s OK.

Prepare yourself mentally that you will probably not lose any weight or may even gain a little for the next couple of months. And don’t let that derail you from your long-term goal.

Just keep track of the calories you eat, and don’t beat yourself up if you go over your daily calorie budget.

Listed below is the typical menu of delicious foods my family and I generally prepare for our Thanksgiving celebration, with calorie counts.

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I’ve never tried making stuffing from scratch when it is so easy to grab a bag of Pepperidge Farm Cubed Country Style Stuffing mix that is pre-seasoned for me.

I generally doctor-up the recipe a little. Here’s the instructions from Pepperidge Farm’s Country Style Stuffing mix with optional additions and my calorie calculations to make life easy for you and me.

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When the Fall air turns crisp, I think of pumpkins and apples and food that is comforting.

The pumpkins I grew this year didn’t ripen properly, and though the shells were a lovely deep orange color, the interior flesh was very pale and immature-looking.

I had wanted to bake my own pumpkin filling. I bought Libby’s Pumpkin filling instead; it’s so much more convenient than baking my own and I know it was prepared at the proper stage of maturity.

I found this Pumpkin Dessert recipe in the Ostmark Lutheran Church 80th anniversary cookbook published in 1974 by this rural Watkins, Minnesota congregation of which my cousin is a member.

It’s a nice fall dessert perfect for the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

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Mashed potatoes are truly the ultimate comfort food.

Nothing makes you feel quite so satisfied as hot, rich, mashed potatoes with a couple of patties of real butter melting down from the well you make on top of your mound of potato.

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In my world, sweet potatoes are a part of our Thanksgiving feast. It’s not Thanksgiving without them.

They can be a very high-calorie part of your meal or just a moderate addition to your total calorie count. Here are three ways that I fix sweet potatoes.

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Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie is my niece’s favorite dessert especially when it is made by her mother using the Betty Crocker recipe for the filling and meringue.

Because it is easy and delicious, Pillsbury’s Refrigerated Pie Crust is used for preparing the pre-baked pastry shell. Here’s the recipe with my calorie calculations.

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My sister-in-law has been making Cinnamon Rolls from this Betty Crocker Cookbook recipe for more than 30 years. Their reasonable portion size makes them lower in calories and, therefore, a more desirable choice than the over-sized creations you can buy in many places around the country.

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This salad is one recently added to our holiday repertoire of foods. It is used as an alternate to Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce, though, of course, with more ingredients than canned cranberry sauce, the calorie count goes up. Using sugar free Jell-O is an option for those who use artificial sugar.

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