Category Archives: Life

Simple Elements of Our Thanksgiving Tradition

12/01/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Yeah yeah, I know, Thanksgiving was last week and Black Friday and Cyber Monday are already in the past. Unless, that is, you count the desperate retailers “extending” Cyber Monday through the week. Ugh……..I love to hate it. Hey, it’s hard to say no to something you want that’s on sale, right?

I’ve enjoyed not worrying so much about getting a blog post out there, but missed it at the same time. Another love to hate thing I guess. Anyway, we hosted a whole two people for Thanksgiving, my mom (G-Ma) and little brother (Uncle Preston).

As you can see, Uncle P was very into the Thanksgiving spirit. He was trying to get tickets to the Cowboy’s game or at least go tailgating at the stadium, but no luck with tickets and the rain stopped any tailgating action. So Plan B (or would it be C?) was our house. Despite being 3rd choice, I’m happy he joined us as I feel we never get enough brother time.

I think it’s best Uncle Preston missed paying to see our Cowboys lose to the Panthers anyway. It was a disappointing game (especially for Romo, ouch!), but that didn’t dampen the spirits of G-Ma and Avery.

These two had a lot of playtime together which, as you can see, made both of them happy. It also wore G-Ma out; it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep that night. So much for watching How I Met Your Mother with us!

I was a little tired too since I wanted to take on making all of the Thanksgiving spread. It’s stressful, but it’s how I like to do things. I looked like this for a lot of the day….

Thankfully, I had these lovely girls to keep me company as they snacked and patiently waited.

Maybe “patiently” is not the best word for Avery. She kept giving me that staredown.

After spending a good hour carving the 14 pound beast of a turkey (hey, it’s a lot for 4 1/2 people) and keeping bones to make slow-cooker bone broth, we were finally ready to eat. If it wasn’t for my awesome wife getting everything heated, set out and setting the table, it would’ve easily been another hour of waiting.

Our Thanksgiving spread, and what I’m hoping will become tradition in our home, included:

A free-range organic turkey roasted in the oven
Goat cheese mashed potatoes
Mashed cinnamon sweet potatoes
Crock Pot cumin black beans
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Sugar-free spiced cranberry sauce (I used a can of Orange Zevia that turned out awesome)
Crustless NuttZo pumpkin pie squares (I used blended steel cut oats and gelatin to thicken)

I was happy with how everything turned out, and judging by how everyone went back for seconds (thirds for Uncle P), I’d say so was everyone else. Can you guess my favorite dish?

Probably a tie between the Brussels and turkey. Although, when paired with the cranberry sauce, I say the turkey was and is my favorite part. Oh, and the NuttZo pumpkin pie squares were up there. So much so that I forgot to take a pic before digging in.

Going Mom had our camera setup with her new tripod and remote shutter release to capture our quaint Thanksgiving gathering.

Oops, that’s one of the 1000 times Avery got a hold of the remote. Here we are actually ready for the shot…..

Avery was a little blurry, but we call it a win just for the fact that she turned around. She kept busy eating turkey and mashed potatoes with her hands on her blue plate.

But she had an important phone call on G-Ma’s phone that she had to take at the table.

Probably already talking to her toddler peers about how to delay going to bed. We’re currently experiencing this part of the toddler phase; I’ll go into more detail later.

It was nothing extravagant, but that’s exactly how we wanted it. Good, healthy food made from scratch being shared with loved ones. I’m forever grateful to be able to spend it with my beautiful wife.

And of course my crazy beautiful daughter, mom, and little (who’s bigger than me) brother.

I’m hoping to do the same spread for the fast approaching Christmas meal with the same loved ones too. The only change we’re considering is making a ham instead of turkey. I love turkey, and the bone broth is awesome, but geez, it sure it time consuming for the entire process! I’m not sure yet, but will have to figure it out soon….after getting my gift buying complete. Ahhh!

Do you have large or small gatherings for the holidays?

What do you think? Turkey or ham for Christmas?

Food, Life, Parenting

How Many Turkeys Are Eaten on Thanksgiving?

11/24/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

The following Thanksgiving fun facts are brought to you by the National Turkey Federation where you can more info about Turkeys (if the name doesn’t make it obvious) year round.

Avery is still battling a vicious cold/sinus infection and it breaks our hearts to see her so miserable with those swollen eyes and solemn mood. By nighttime, it’s as if we gave her a sedative while reading a book before bed. Last night she was out before I turned off the light for her and Going Mom who always sings to her before putting her in the crib.

Lots of love, green smoothies, and hugs with her blankie and Lamby are going on here. Hopefully these work synergistically to do the trick!

To start, here’s what the NTF has to report about the number of Turkeys consumed on Thanksgiving…

In 2013, more than 240.0 million turkeys were raised. More than 200 million were consumed in the United States. We estimate that 46 million of those turkeys were eaten at Thanksgiving, 22 million at Christmas and 19 million at Easter.

Nearly 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 16 pounds, meaning that approximately 736 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States during Thanksgiving in 2012.

Yeah, 46 million, that’s a lot of bird! I’ll happily enjoy one of those 46 million in the form of an organic, free-range gobbler with our family on Thursday.

Another interesting tidbit….

Benjamin Franklin, who proposed the turkey as the official United States’ bird, was dismayed when the bald eagle was chosen over the turkey. Franklin wrote to his daughter, referring to the eagle’s “bad moral character,” saying, “I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country! The turkey is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America.”

Sooooo, we could be eating bald eagle for Thanksgiving instead? Hmmm, that would take a lot more bird!

We all think Turkey is to blame for our need for a nap after the big meal, but…

Many people report drowsiness after eating Thanksgiving dinner. While turkey often receives the blame, recent studies suggest that carbohydrate-rich meals may cause sleepiness by increasing the number of tryptophans in the brain. Yet, the unusually large, multi-coursed, carbohydrate-rich meal most people eat on Thanksgiving is more likely the cause.

Maybe try a few grain-free options in place of the high carb food. It’s more filling and typically has much more to offer nutritionally.

Compare the White and Dark Meat

White meat is generally preferred in the United States while other countries choose the dark meat.
A turkey typically has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.
The two types of meat differ nutritionally. White meat has fewer calories and less fat than dark meat.
The rich flavor of dark meat is especially valued in soup and stew recipes. Dark meat holds up well in rich marinades and is a perfect choice for grilling and barbecuing.

I like both white and dark. My favorite is white mixed with tart cranberry sauce since it tends to be more dry; the dark I can eat alone.

A few more facts….

Only tom turkeys gobble.

Hen turkeys make a clicking noise.

Domesticated turkeys cannot fly.

Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour and can run 20 miles per hour.

June is National Turkey Lovers’ Month!

Of course there’s much more out there, but I thought it would be best to stick with one source and share some of what they had. And what better source than the National Turkey Federation? Check out their handy link with tons of info on how to buy, store, prep, and eat your turkey.

Okay, back to lots of love with the help of Lamby and blankie….squeeze!

Such a sweet girl.

The Federation’s goal is to increase the current average weight of 16 pounds to 20 pounds by the year 2020.

What do you think, can it be done?

Will help or hamper their goal?

Life, Throwback Thursday

The Kitchen Cabinet and Birthday Kisses #TBT

11/19/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

It’s fun to use various ways to mark the growth of our kids, right? This Throwback Thursday (#TBT, for short), I have two; Avery’s obsession with climbing in one of our kitchen cabinets, and a birthday kiss from Mommy and Daddy.

I can’t remember the exact time she started to get into this particular cabinet, but the first post I could find is from March of this year. It was in How to Hide in the Kitchen where I found this pic.

And just the other day, still utilizing her crawl space with a blank stare….

The hair really marks her growth here, but so much more has changed. Attitude, being one of them.

Yeah, sometimes for the better, and, in this case, for the worse. Which brings me to the other #TBT picture; birthday kisses from Mommy and Daddy in her highchair.

Here she is taking our kisses with that signature blank stare as a one year old.