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Eat Lean on Thanksgiving

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Holiday time means food, family, and fun—with an extra emphasis on the food. No matter your diet and eating habits, choosing wisely during your Thanksgiving feast can help you shed pounds this season.

Follow this list of healthier food choices to save calories when that turkey hits the table. And, like all most things in life, remember to enjoy your Thanksgiving goodies in moderation.

The Main Event: When it comes to the main course, choose white meat. The lean turkey breast offers delicious flavors and tenderness and 215 less calories than dark meat.

On the Side: In place of stuffing, choose roasted potatoes. They give you a hearty fill with 235 less calories than stuffing. For your veggies, opt for something like succotash instead of creamed corn and roasted butternut squash instead of candied yams and you save 440 calories alone.

Sweet Finish: When desert hits the table, avoid the pecan pie and head straight to the pumpkin pie with a whipped cream. Trading out gluey pecan pie for pumpkin saves you 339 calories per slice, even with the whipped cream.

The History of the Thanksgiving Presidential Turkey Pardon

Turkey Pardon | Flat Rate Carpet BlogEvery year, right before Thanksgiving, the President of the United States participates in a ceremony in which he gives one lucky turkey a presidential pardon. This lucky turkey gets to live another year, but where did this tradition come from?

Ever since 1947, the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board have given a Thanksgiving gift of a turkey to the President of the United States. Other than President Kennedy, every President before 1989 ate the turkey at their Thanksgiving feast.

Although the first President in modern history to pardon a Thanksgiving turkey was President H.W. Bush, there are rumors of presidential turkey pardons that go all the way back to Abraham Lincoln pardoning his son’s pet turkey.

Pardoned turkeys do more than live another year. These famous turkeys go on to live on farms or at parks. In both 2005 and 2006 the pardoned turkeys got to go to Disneyland in California to be the honorary grand marshals in the Disneyland Thanksgiving Parade. Since 2010 all pardoned turkeys have been sent to Virginia, to live out their lives at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate.

This Wednesday, President Barak Obama will be pardoning one lucky bird, in a tradition that’s fast become one of America’s favorite Thanksgiving traditions.

Fun Facts for Labor Day

Fruit | Flat Rate Carpet BlogLabor Day is celebrated every year on the first Monday of September. We usually think of Labor Day as one last excuse to throw a huge barbecue before fall weather takes over, but it’s much more than that.

Labor Day has been an official American holiday since 1894. The Labor Movement, which started the holiday, was important in installing many of the working conditions that we take for granted today. When the Labor Movement started most Americans still worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and most Americans started working as early as six years old!

Now working conditions in the United States are some of the best world wide, and our children are busy learning and not working in factories. As a celebration of American worker’s and industry, it seems fitting that Labor day coincides with the start of the school year, and the end of summer.
Next week America will end the summer season with backyard barbecues, fireworks, parades and parties. It’s a great, patriotic way to celebrate the American worker.

Fourth of July Jello

Jello Dessert  | Flat Rate Carpet Blog

This Fourth of July, bring a dessert that is simple, beautiful and full of American pride – red, white and blue Jello! This cold, creamy dessert will be the hit of the barbecue.

To get started, you’ll need the following;

  • A 13×9 baking dish
  • Cool whip (8 ounces)
  • Cream Cheese (8 ounces)
  • 1 package (3.5 ounce) lemon flavored Jello mix
  • 2 packages (3.5 ounces each) of berry blue flavored Jello mix (can use any blue flavored Jello)
  • 2 packages (3.5 ounces each) of raspberry Jello mix (can use any red flavored Jello)

First prepare the blue jello by following the directions on the package, and refrigerate in the 13×9 dish for at least one hour.

To make the filling, add the package of lemon flavored jello mix to 1 cup of boiling water and mix well. Whip the cream cheese, and then add the lemon jello mixture and mix until smooth. Once this mixture has cooled to room temperature fold in the cool whip. When the white filling is thoroughly mixed, pour it over the blue layer of jello. (Make sure the bottom layer is fully finished or your going to wind up with a light blue mess!).

It’s time to place the blue and white part of dessert in the refrigerator to chill, and start working on red. Follow the directions on the box to make the red layer, however instead of refrigerating allow it to cool until it’s room temperature. Once the red jello mixture is no longer warm, then pour it into the pan over the white layer.

Leave this amazingly yummy dessert in the refrigerator until it’s completely chilled and ready to serve.

Home Made Gifts For Father’s Day

Crayons | Flat Rate Carpet BlogIt’s obvious that your six year old didn’t go out and buy Dad the brand new watch he’s getting for Father’s Day, but that doesn’t mean that she can’t give him something just as valuable. Home made Father’s Day gifts aren’t just for little kids either, teenager and even broke college students can make some creative gifts that Dad will love for la reasonable price.

Leave the cards made with painted noodles to the little kids, and let’s move on to more advanced arts and crafts. If you know how to sew and your Father uses handkerchiefs, get him a new pack and embroider his initials in the corner.

Does your Father love to read? Make him a personalized book mark with photos of the whole family.

Father’s work extra hard to take care of the home and family. Thank your Father with a helping hand, by giving him coupons for chores that he hates doing. Coupons are easy to make, and for those of us that are less crafty, you can easily print out coupons off the internet. Even better, get up early, mow the lawn and wash the car before he even wakes up.

Home made Father’s Day gifts are inexpensive, and great for kids of all ages.