Day 34

As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching I've been trying to come up with alternatives to some of my favorites so that I can enjoy them without going off my plan. My all time favorite Thanksgiving food is cranberry sauce. Well, obviously the canned version is off limits since it's basically purple sugar gel. LOL But, I bought some fresh whole cranberries, some splenda for baking (not the 1/2 splenda, 1/2 sugar but ALL splenda), an orange, and a cinnamon stick. I'm going to make my own cranberry sauce! :)

My mom is being super supportive, of course, and is having some very yummy foods that I can enjoy. We'll have turkey breast, tons of veggies, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, and even some sugar free yummies. :)

There will of course be those things that I am choosing to avoid, like macaroni & cheese, ham, rolls, tons of desserts, and eggnog...

Instead of focusing on what I'm not eating, I'm going to enjoy the foods I can eat and I'm also going to sample a couple of the foods I normally would avoid. I am going to have a bite of ham, and I am going to have a sip of eggnog.

You may think these are odd choices. LOL But, they are two things that taste like the holidays to me. Ham is a traditional food for us for Thanksgiving, along with turkey. Store bought egg nog is one of my favorite things about the holidays. It is so delicious and creamy... it just tastes like Christmas to me!

In allowing myself a taste of my two favorites I am hoping to avoid feeling left out, or like I'm missing something. I also am hoping to avoid the longing of wanting all the things I'm choosing not to eat (I keep saying "choosing not to eat" because that to me is more positive than saying I can't eat something).

My ultimate goal for Thanksgiving is to stay on plan, but enjoy a taste of the holidays without completely falling off the wagon. :) I'd love to hear some of your favorites and also some of the modifications you may make so that you can enjoy your favorite food in a healthy way!