Plan Z Diet: Plan B Thanksgiving

On the Plan Z Diet I Always Have a Plan B Thanksgiving

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet

By 2 PM I knew there was no way I was going out for the Thanksgiving dinner we had planned.

I had already been on the phone with my doctor; confirming that I didn’t need to go to the emergency room – but I was definitely a mess. I was taking pain killers and Benadryl to try to keep the pain and itching to a minimum. My left leg was twice its usual size and expanding at an alarming rate. I could hardly walk. I could not bend my knee. I measured the upper portion of my knee and it was 5.5 inches larger in circumference than my right knee. My thigh was worse. I was miserable.

I had two laser vein procedures earlier that week, one on Tuesday and another one on Wednesday; both in my left leg. I was having a bad inflammatory reaction; almost an allergic reaction. I certainly didn’t feel like celebrating or dressing for dinner.

My doctor had told me that although I needed to rest I also had to walk around once in a while. The compression stocking I had on was hot, tight and no fun to wear, but it was essential.

We had virtually no food in the house; certainly nothing to make a holiday meal – at least not at first glance.

It was time for Plan B.

When I have given speeches about entertaining, I always include a segment about Plan B.

Plan B is defined as “What do I do next? Plan A isn’t working, so what’s Plan B?”

I talk about it so when people get into a mess during a dinner party they don’t need to panic. They can start to strategize other options. One example I’ve used in my speeches involved a crab appetizer that was to be served on top of buttered crostini. My neighbor was helping me prepare a dinner for a lot of guests. She had a small accident in the kitchen and the whole cookie sheet full of appetizers slid down into the back of the broiler I was using. They looked ruined. I thought about tossing them out, but crab is expensive. What was Plan B? Plan B was to scoop up the whole mess, put it in a bowl and turn it into a crab dip with crackers. The only loss was the crostini. The crostini had to be scrapped but the crab was not a disaster, it was a hit.

So, on Thanksgiving I stood in my kitchen where I thought I had no makings of a dinner and thought, “What’s my Plan B for Thanksgiving dinner?”

I opened up the freezer and found a package of skinless chicken breasts. I had one acorn squash. I had some baking nuts and a bit of granola. I had a loaf of frozen bread.

I put the bread on a cookie sheet to thaw. I sprayed it with olive oil. Truth be told, I hardly ever eat bread so this was going to be a treat.

I let the chicken thaw out, and the bread unfreeze and rise while I took a nap.

When I rose, I prepped the acorn squash for roasting. I tossed that in the oven to bake for an hour. While that was happening, I flattened the chicken breasts and coated them with egg mixture and some breadcrumbs. I sautéed them up and then put them in the oven to finish.

When they were done and the acorn squash was roasted I combined a few pecans with a nut-based granola that had a few dried cranberries mixed in. I melted some butter and tossed them around til they were warm and added one teaspoon of maple syrup. That ramped up the flavor of the acorn squash.

The bread turned into focaccia and was tossed with grated parmesan to keep the glycemic uptake of the bread down and it was cut into narrow wedges. One per person would be enough to substitute for the fancy rolls often served at Thanksgiving. Put melted butter on it and that will help keep down the carb uptake too.

Dinner was served.

And all was well. Combine that with a nice chardonnay and a gripping movie and Thanksgiving was saved.

There’s always a Plan B.

I have made my share of Thanksgiving dinners for 2 – 50. I didn’t mind being “retired” this Thanksgiving and not having to cook for a crowd. And thank goodness I didn’t have to! I never could have pulled it off. I was just too sore and tired.

My leg isn’t fixed yet but the inflammation is subsiding.
Now, onto decorating the tree. The holidays don’t wait.

For a really delicious Plan Z Diet "Plan B" recipe try my Chicken Pot Pie Bake