The Thanksgiving post.

   Does everyone have the post holiday hang over? I’m not just talking about the alcohol induced version- I’m talking lots of fat, lots of sugar, “I ate too much” hang over.. Thankfully I didn’t over eat at all- thanks to my new approach to eating slowly and taking modest portions. I feel like I ate just enough- enjoyed my meal and company and rested up!
   Backing up to Wednesday- I went to see Stacy (my counselor) and then headed to work. The day FLEW by which was completely amazing and something that doesn’t happen too often. My dad drove down from VT and was at the house when I got home- so I decided that I should make the dish that we were bringing to dinner- Pumpkin Mac and Cheese.. the recipe as promised:

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
~1 LB slightly under cooked whole wheat pasta (I chose spiral shaped because you want all that cheezy goodness to get stuck in there..
~ 1 stick of butter
~ 3 TBSP flour
~ 3 cups milk (I used whole)
~ 1 LB Velveta cheese Cubed
~ 1 cup pumpkin puree
~ 2 eggs
~ Salt to taste
~ one dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375. In medium sauce pan, melt butter and add the flour cooking for about a minute. Add milk 1 cup at a time stirring constantly, allowing to thicken before adding the next cup of milk. Add the cubes of cheese- allowing to melt and then adding the pumpkin. Once the pumpkin is incorporated, scramble eggs in a separate bowl- adding a few spoonfuls of the cheese mixture to temper the eggs. Add the egg cheese mixture and the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce- mixing until combined. Add salt, cinnamon and nutmeg- and stir again. (It is important to just push a little dash of the cinnamon and nutmeg as they can become overpowering. you should barely be able to taste it) Put the pasta into a 9x13 pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (until the top pieces are golden brown in color and crispy)

I hung out with my dad until James got home- and then hit up the gym for a pre thanksgiving work out.  I warmed up on the treadmill for 15 minutes and then got to work on the lower half.
…. Jump squats 3x12 SS with leg extensions 3x12
…. Jump Lunges 3x12 each side SS with leg press 3x12
…. 1 minute squats/ 1 minute wall sit 2x
(I think I did some other stuff too but I don’t really remember- I do know that when I got on the treadmill after this stuff my legs were shaking so much that I had to stop and walk at a slow pace!)

When I got home I had a protein shake and showered- and the boys and I headed out for some chinese food for dinner. We met some friends back at our house for some drinks and then headed out to see Melinda’s BF play at a club downtown. It was a lot of fun- we stayed until 1 am and came home to crash.

 Work Thanksgiving morning was a complete waste of time.. We basically had social time while we waiting on the sparse customers.. All day 8-1 I had 9 tables.. I have more than that in an hour sometimes! It was crappy- but chatting was fun! I met James at home, showered and hit up Starbucks (I tried the skinny peppermint mocha latte.. omg.. so yummy!) and we headed over to our friends house for dinner. Everything was great, especially the cheese cake.. I wish that was all I ate.. so yummy!
   Unfortunately we didn’t see any of our family- but James had work the next day and I was beat! Overall it was a great day :)