Thanksgiving 2015: Revenge of the Germs!

Thanksgiving was over a week ago and I’m just now getting this together. So, to say our Thanksgiving didn’t go as planned would be a gross understatement. As an example, I was so exhausted by the time we served the big meal that I didn’t even stay up to at least rinse the dishes before bed. That’s unheard of in this house. Here’s how I envisioned the week going:

My parents’ arrival a week prior to the big day would allow us plenty of fun adventures. I’d carefully prepare all my recipes the day before Thanksgiving, get a great night’s sleep and wake well rested. On the big day, Craig and I would kick butt running in the Turkey Trot and upon returning, I’d gracefully finish up all my dishes to serve a relaxed, elegant dinner at home by 4 p.m. so we could spend the rest of the evening talking and playing together.

Much as life does, our Thanksgiving didn’t go as planned. We did have an awesome week with my parents in town, including a visit to see Santa, a trip to the Butterfly Pavilion, the Denver Children’s Museum and a CU Boulder volleyball game. It rocked. But then! Wednesday evening hit and with it some really crappy sickness. I think all the nausea I’ve avoided up to this point decided to crop up in one evening, rendering me incapable of prepping any of my dishes. We were able to set up the turkey to brine, thank goodness.

This is a pretty accurate representation of how Thanksgiving felt at our house.

Just a few hours later, my champion sleeper of a toddler was up every hour from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. I eventually caved and brought her to bed with me until she woke up again at 6:30 with a fever and a very grumpy mood. Before heading out to our Turkey Trot 5k, I quickly scribbled down a list of things for my mom to help me prep and bundled up for the 26 degree trek. In the six Thanksgivings we’ve spent in Colorado, this is the first one it’s snowed.

Once we got on a roll cooking, things were looking up. Cody was a clingy mess, which made the process more difficult but we made it work. Once we got our turkey in the oven, I was really feeling like a Thanksgiving champion. But then! About 2 hours into cooking, we discovered that our oven had been turned off. Luckily, since I like to baste my turkey every hour to get nice crispy skin, we only lost about an hour of cooking time.

Our only photo of the three of us from the day. Cody refused to sit in her high chair or wear a shirt, so we ate like this!

With all the snafus throughout the day, it was an excellent reminder of how little can be controlled in life. Despite the day’s difficulties, the day was full of laughter, fun and delicious food. This year’s menu was a healthy mix of my family’s tried and true favorites, and some new fun newcomers. Below is our menu with links to a few of the recipes I highly suggest you try this holiday season:

Triple P Chopped Kale Salad