Happy Thanksgiving Canada!!

I am still writing from Ottawa where I will be spending one more day with my family members before heading back home.

Here are a few things I've done while here:

On Saturday before the 5-hour drive I packed a big cooler with celery sticks, raw carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken breasts, wraps, hummus, yogurt, apples, mini whole-grain bagels, mandarin oranges and loads of water. We have been depending on this for two days for eating while we are out and about trekking and driving.

We arrive in Ottawa in good time and we warmly greeted by my brother, Rene (yes, that's his Apricot and Chicken Curry recipe in the cookbook), his wife, Jody, and their three gorgeous children, Anika, William, and Ethan. We walked down to Richmond Street for an outdoor street festival where we were serenaded by an Elvis impersonator! My sister-in-law, Jody, got a special song from him. We also visited my favorite workout store, Lululemon, and had coffee at Bridgehead.

The weather has been unbelievable. Just a perfect autumn day with sun and brilliant colors.

On Saturday night we indulged in a grilled chicken supper with several salads including wild rice, wheat berry and chick pea versions served with roasted sweet potatoes. Us parents chatted long into the night with coffee before settling in for a much-needed rest.

On Sunday morning, Robert and I woke up early and headed for the Ottawa Athletic Club for a big workout – we missed Saturday's workout. I felt much better afterward!

For breakfast our wonderful hosts prepared a delicious brunch of fresh fruit, oatmeal and boiled eggs. After breakfast we loaded our Eat-Clean coolers, packed the kids in the car, and trekked over to the Gatineau Hills for a hike. It seems everyone had the same idea – there were loads of families out there. It was breathtaking at the summit.

After our hike we prepared the big feast. The turkey is enormous! But before we ate we set up Skype dates with both Rachel and Kiersten who will be missing from today’s feast table. Thanksgivng is KK’s favorite holiday and she is missing it big time. She has just come back from Dublin, Ireland and a big visit to the Concordia – the vessel she sailed around the world in. Rachel is celebrating with best friend Robyn in Portland. They will do it up in style.

After a delicious feast we were tuckered out and laid low for the evening. Today we will be driving back home... but not after a few more minutes with my family.

Thank you for sharing your delicious Eat-Clean meal ideas with me. I hope they all turned out well. What did everyone else do?