The holidays are here. Now what???

 

 

I actually wrote this blog entry in my head a few weeks ago. I was so busy with with changing the sheets, feeding the dog and tweezing my eyebrows and... ok, just like everyone else time got away from me.  (like I ever tweeze my eyebrows lol)

This entry is more about enjoying the holidays. You read that right. Enjoy.

If you're still in the mindset of holidays past, then you probably still have the following vocabulary bashing you in the head.  Cheat. Blowing it. Binge now, starve later. Starve now, binge later. I was "bad".  These thoughts set you up for failure. Food is none of these negative thoughts.  Food is neutral. 

 Trying to tell me that when I was at the height of my food addiction, I wouldn't have believed it.  I would have eaten the respectable amount around everyone else and then stuff as much food as I could possibly hole when I was alone. During the entire holiday, all I could think about was the food. How can I get away and go eat the food left in the kitchen? I always volunteered to put away the leftovers, which were substantially less as I put them away.

This following is worth repeating.  When your body is properly nourished, the cravings go away.  That's what happened to me.  I never in a million years would have believed it if I hadn't experienced this phenomenon myself.  Our thought process is caught up in the outer world's projection of what we should look like. Just like any drug, it has destroyed us.  I had to come to grips as to what that meant for me.

In some of my past articles I've talked about self love.  Self esteem. Self worth.  Some of us turn around and years have passed never knowing how exceptional we really are.  Looking at some of the old pictures of myself when I thought I was so fat, I actually looked wonderful. We're always looking outside for answers.  Stop the search. The answers are right inside of you.  There is no one else like you.  Embrace your uniqueness.  I know it's easier said than done. Remember, it's a process that requires you to live in your truth.

As you get older you tend not to care about what other people think.  Remember, they have their own issues. Besides, the whole world doesn't stop and analyses your inner being. They're caught up in their own anxiety. Our thoughts are what makes us think they're scrutinizing our every move.

I had a lovely Thanksgiving with part of my family. I must say the food was phenomenal, (thank me very much) however the holiday was about so much more. Food is just an aspect of a wonderful day. Some of the people I loved most were with me. There are traditions that make the holiday special. My mother's thing was always cream cheese on celery. Not elaborate, but it meant the start of the holidays had arrived. Then there's that infamous green bean casserole. Thank goodness that's never been a part of our traditions. At the supermarket you see empty shelves  where there   used to be a mountain of cream of mushroom soup. Fried onions. Canned green b...I can't go one. Kudos to anyone who loves this diabolical dish.

I make a point of preparing some dishes in advance.  This will save you much last minute stress. Chop the vegetables and put them in baggies. (label them. You think you'll remember, but you won't). Freezing the cherry almond tarts, however, was not my best idea.  Every year my mother was so stressed that she would disappear, have a good cry and make her entrance after the guests arrived. I always felt bad for her when that happened. It got to the point you could almost time it. Nothing is worth that.

So we ate, talked and laughed. Then we played "remember when Joan showed up with her own turkey with the ,,," and we laughed some more.  I was so grateful to have celebrated Thanksgiving the way it should be. 

Did I gorge myself? No, pure and simple. I ate, enjoyed and stopped when full. It's such a great experience to actually taste food. I knew there would be leftovers if I wanted them the next day. The day after that and the week (month) after that.   My recipes included some from my past blogs. Mashed potatoes, green beans almondine, etc. My son and I don't eat meat, so in addition we included a small vegan roast stuffed with cranberries.  I made an onion and mushroom gravy that everyone loved. The pumpkin pie was the worst thing I ever made and it wound up in the trash. I won't use that recipe again! I laughed it off. The pie was a failure, not me.

So here's to the holidays. The friendship, family and of course the food.  Let me give you my best piece of  advice: enjoy them.

Blessings