Thanksgiving Eve is here! Did it creep up on anyone else!? Ryan, Chase and I are off to the airport to pick up my in-laws later this morning and we have a lot of fun stuff and good eatin’ planned while they are in town.
Yesterday blended Thanksgiving prep with usual toddler craziness and began a little later than usual. I opted to sleep in until 6:30 a.m. because I was randomly awake the night before from 1 – 3 a.m. No fun! I was so restless and tossed and turned like crazy until I gave in and ended up reading for nearly two hours. On the bright side I finished All By Myself, Alone and began reading First Family, another political thriller by David Baldacci, which I’m thoroughly enjoying.
My late start to the day meant a quick breakfast was in order before Chase woke up so I fixed myself two over-easy eggs with toast and remembered to snap a pic when I was in the middle of eating.
I swear the minute you get out of the habit of taking food pictures regularly, it’s hard to remember!
Ryan headed off to work as I was eating and I said goodbye to him before sitting down at my computer to finish up yesterday’s Toddler Book Exchange blog post. After publishing the post and checking a few emails, Chase was up and ready for attention. He requested Cheerios for breakfast (he’s obsessed with the new banana nut flavor) and while he ate, I sat with him and we chatted while I sorted through a bunch of recipes I printed off over the weekend and made a giant grocery list to get us through Thanksgiving and the next few days.
Since I’m always curious about what people serve when they have guests in town, I figured I’d give a rundown of our loose menu that I’m hoping will last us through Saturday afternoon when my in-laws head back to Florida. (All recipes I plan to follow are hyperlinked in case you want to check them out!)
Wednesday
- Lunch: 1905 Salad + Rotisserie Chicken
- Dinner: Lasagna + Garlic Bread + Salad
- Dessert: Nothing Bundt Cakes (we’re celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday and chocolate bundt cakes are her favorite)
Thursday (Thanksgiving):
- Breakfast: Iowa Girl Eats Breakfast Casserole + Assorted Pastries
- Lunch: Sandwiches + Fruit Salad
- Thanksgiving Dinner: Turkey + Mashed Potatoes and Gravy + Sweet Potato Casserole + Pineapple Soufflé + Glazed Carrots + My Mom’s Stuffing + Peas + Cranberry Sauce + Cornbread
- Dessert: Pumpkin Pie + Blackberry Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream + Pumpkin Custard Pie
Friday:
- Breakfast: Easy Deep Dish Quiche + Peanut Butter Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Lunch: Thanksgiving Leftovers
- Dinner: Out (Likely pizza)
Saturday:
- Breakfast: Out (or French Toast Casserole)
- Lunch: Thanksgiving Leftovers
Creating a master grocery list made me feel a little more organized going into the next few days so I felt like we had some time to spare for a little fun yesterday morning as well. I had plans to meet up with my friends Lauren and Jess for a boot camp workout while our kids played in childcare and it was a good one! It was a tripod workout we performed in groups of three that targeted our biceps, triceps and shoulders.
Our trainer also surprised us with some pop-up one-minute rounds of full burpees to spike our heart rates, too. Sweaty!
Once my workout was done and I said goodbye and Happy Thanksgiving to my friends, Chase and I made our return to Gymboree. We haven’t been to Gymboree in a while and he had the best time running around one of his favorite places!
After Gymboree playtime, Operation Get Ready for Thanksgiving commenced and we popped into the grocery store and completely overloaded our cart before heading home. (Oh and before you think my child was an angel amid a Thanksgiving grocery shopping trip that took a solid 45 minutes, peanut M&Ms were most definitely involved. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.) We arrived home, unloaded the groceries and played in the backyard with Sadie for about 30 minutes until Chase’s attitude told me it was clearly naptime.
While he slept, I showered, made myself lunch and picked up the Stitch Fix box that was waiting for me on our doorstep.
I haven’t had the chance to try anything on yet but from the look of the box, it’s going to be a winner! My stylist listened to my requests for comfy, casual apparel and everything looks cozy and functional but still very cute.
I hope there are a few keepers in there! (Quick reminder: Stitch Fix is waiving their styling fee for the next 30 days so if you want to try it for FREE, now is the time!)
After sorting through my Stitch Fix delivery, I went into overdrive mode and worked for two hours before doing my best to check off other to-dos centered around preparing for our guests’ arrival (laundry, cleaning, etc.). Chase thankfully slept like a CHAMP which was awesome since his naps have been very hit or miss lately and when he woke up, we ate a snack and read some books together before he “helped” with a little bit of food prep for the next few days.
(Yes, I taught Chase the magic that is an orange peel smile yesterday.)
We stayed close to home for the rest of the day, coloring, playing outside and reading before Ryan arrived home from work and we dug into an easy dinner of chicken, roasted acorn squash and apple slices.
A few more last-minute chores and more playtime with Chase ensued before bedtime and I passed out before 10 p.m. after reading a little bit more of my book. I really hope you guys have a fantastic Thanksgiving and travel safe if you’ll be out of town for your celebration!
Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for YOU!
Maureen @ Maureen Gets Real says
I woke up randomly in the middle of the night a few days ago! I should’ve done what you did and read instead of just toss and turn for hours. Your menu for the weekend looks delicious and thank you for linking the recipes!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and time with the in-laws Julie!!
Nicole @ Bento Momentos says
Do you think it may be pre-holiday excitement? I used to do that all the time before the first day of school and school events growing up. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Kayla says
Your menu looks delicious! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Julie!!! Xoxo
Kaitlyn @ Powered by Sass says
This post helped me feel super excited for the upcoming holiday celebrations! I have my grocery list all planned out and will be braving the stores after work today. We’re opting for a plant-based Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait to try all of the delicious recipes we have on the menu! Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Julie!
Fiona @ Get Fit Fiona says
Sounds like you had a busy day yesterday getting read for guests and Thanksgiving. Yay for being able to fit in a workout! Although working out does take time away from getting other things done, I find that it helps to keep the stress at bay.
Julie says
Me too!! Something about it makes me feel more focused throughout the rest of the day which I definitely needed!
Erinn says
It’s so smart to make a master grocery list before going shopping…I always spend wayyyy more money than I need to if I don’t have a list! No shame in bribing Chase! I would’ve done the same thing.
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family 🙂
Steph says
Wow your menu sounds delicious! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your in-laws. I’m grateful for the happiness your blog brings each day!
Julie says
Thank you, Steph!! Your comment means a lot and I appreciate you reading so much! <3
Alexis deZayas says
Sounds like you have the perfect menu ready! Happy thanksgiving!
Katie says
Those eggs and toast look so good. LOL Clearly it’s lunch time around here. I’m mostly planning to chill by myself tomorrow and recover from extra busy schedules (while prepping for that to pick up again), but I am going to make myself some pumpkin pie bars and mashed potatoes so it still feels like Thanksgiving.
Julie says
that sounds so nice!! enjoy your day of relaxation!!
Donna Mason says
Happy Thanksgiving to you Julie. Enjoy all the wonderful time spent with your family and loved ones. Thank you also for allowing us peeks in to your life, your raw honesty about everything and bringing joy to so many of us daily by reading your blog.
Julie says
Thank you so much, Donna. I hope you know how much your comment means to me. Comments like the one you took the time to leave for me to read today truly keep me motivated to continue blogging, so thank you so much. Hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Bethany says
I swear it’s the moon! I slept terrible as well that night!
Melissa says
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday together!