Holiday Musings

We had such a wonderful Thanks-g holiday in Lund, NV. It was so clear & beautiful--in weather, priorities, intentions & soul food... Mom & i corroborated a couple days before on what to pack for car food & to supplement the generous TG meal(s) provided. She brought carrots, broccoli, spinach, apples, clementines, oranges, bread etc. I brought Adam's crunchy PB, boiled eggs, Tillamook Antique White Cheddar (Not to be missed; it's from Costco--hereafter called "The Tillamook") and sun-dried tomato hummus. Notice all my contributions are high protein (& fat.)

This was intentional b/c the last time i traveled w Mom all she brought was veggies and cereal & i couldn't really get satisfied on such simple carbs. I always need a balance that includes some protein for meals. (Plain fruit IS great for a little snack or especially right before or after a workout for some quick energy.) But this idea of being satisfied at each meal is big for me, so that i don't want to overeat later. Many of us have a tendency to want to keep fat/calories/carbs low so we can lose weight or avoid weight gain...right? This is actually a form of dieting--"unconcious dieting"1--which like any formal diet, sets us up to crave, overeat or even binge. If you are cutting calories = not getting enough FUEL for your body, it puts you into a starvation mode, & then when you next gain access to any food with the nutrients you need (fat is a nutrient people)-- you will scarf like the Auschwitz guards won't give you more till next week! In other words--I invite you to eat when you're hungry & move on--no need to obsess about if it's the "right" food. & ps I invite you to avoid ALL fitness/"women's" magazines like plague as i believe they are terribly harmful to our self esteem/body image/diet mentality etc

Ok, enough of that ranting.. with the aforementioned supplies we created many meals, mostly just setting the table nicely, praying and putting together granola/fruit piles with milk or greek yogurt (and sliced egg or PB!) or open faced turkey sandwiches in the car w ricotta cheese, w Mom's agave-cranberry sauce daubed on. (i'll ask her to post that somewhere) She is a real genius w low sugar pies & deserts. I'll encourage her to start writing down "recipes."

As far as the actual TG meal goes--I loved the Grandma-style green beans, the yams w oranges, stuffing (of course!) & dark meat turkey w gravy. I avoided the potatoes & rolls b/c they are really just filler..and had jello salad & yams for dessert. Again, eating slowly helps us to be joyfully grateful for each delicious bite & to honor satiety cues sooner. What a blessing to celebrate with family & enjoy such a special holiday tradition!!

1 Tribole, E, Resch, E. Intuitive Eating; a revolutionary program that works. St.Martinn's New York: 1995.