Yes.  And I did.

 

With Oscar in Florida, I decided to cut back on calories (since I didn't have to cook) and finish losing that holiday weight.  Success!  yay me.

 

But,  I think I made myself sick in the process.  Last night I just plain didn't feel well, very unusual for me.  Today I woke up feeling headachy, again unusual, and HUNGRY.  I went to the grocery store and couldn't even look at the frozen diet meals.   Instead I bought a nice bakery loaf of bread (white, no less) and have been slathering pieces with butter and munching them down.  I also bought a nice Hershey's dark chocolate bar....long my favorite, and now even considered good for us.  I ate that in the car.

 

So now I'm starting to feel more like myself.   I do think it's important to listen to our bodies, and mine was screaming at me, "FEED ME."    lol

 

I'll be picking Oscar up at the South Bend airport around 6:30 and we'll go for a nice dinner on the way home.

 

Tomorrow I'll go back to the Lean Cuisines, but for today,  feast time.  

Iit's just one week until Christmas, and I have yet to plan the menu for our celebration here.  Every year, Oscar's four boys and their families plus Noel and her family come over for a holiday get-together around 3:00 p.m. Christmas day. This will be around 20-25 people, depending upon which grandkids brings friends.  (I've given up trying to get my other two girls here from so far away; they're more apt to be summertime visitors.)

 

When Oscar and I were first married, nine years ago, I used to put on a full meal spread:  turkey, ham, all the trimmings.  But his kids had already been to other relatives' by the time they got to us, so they weren't that hungry.  After a few years of that, I started doing more of an hors d'ouvres type buffet.  That worked much better, so it's what I do still.

 

But I hate to serve exactly the same thing year after year.  I like a nice herbed cheese ball, but honestly, I think I've seen a few too many of them in my life, so they're out.  Deviled eggs?  Maybe.  Shrimp?  Oscar's allergic to them, but the others like them well enough.  Last year I added mini quiches, and they went over well.  The littler guests enjoy mini pizzas;  meatballs are good (should I do barbeque or sweet and sour sauce on them?);  maybe some turkey roll-ups?  I like all those yummy roll up things that have cream cheese and various veggies.  Some of the guests are still at the tortilla chips and salsa stage of eating, so guess I'll add some of those. Of course, there will be lots of cookies.

 

Any of you have some creative ideas for me? 

 

 

 

 

When my girls were in school, they were taught about the four food groups:  dairy, meat, grains, and fruits/vegetables.   Way back when I was in school, however, we were taught there were SEVEN groups.

 

They were:

1.  Protein:  fish, meat, legumes

2.  Dairy

3.  Grains

4.  Citrus fruits

5.  Non-citrus fruits (pomes)

6.  Green vegetables

7.  Orange and yellow vegetables

 

The emphasis wasn't so much on counting calories as in getting a balanced diet with at least one food from each group every day.  You can see that right off that had us eating a minimum of four fruits and veggies daily. 

 

The new U.S.D.A food pyramid calls for us to eat nine servings of fruits and veggies! Wow....that is a lot.   I usually get seven, but rarely nine. The pyramid folks also addressed the other food groups.   I prefer whole grain breads and usually have oatmeal for breakfast, so adhering to that part of their advice was no adjustment at all.  I don't really like meat, so am not likely to eat too much of that.  Dairy for me means yogurt and cheese.  I can't remember the last time I drank a glass of milk.

 

Overall, in terms of diet, I think the byword is "moderation."

 

I was raised Roman Catholic, and one thing the nuns drummed into us was moderation in all things.  It's not a sin to eat chocolate; it's a sin to be a glutton. 

 

I am a fairly moderate person.  That has not always been true in my life..........after all, what's the point of having a life if you don't actually LIVE it!  Hmmmmmmmmm...........did I just wander off the topic?  Buzz words like "moderation" do that to me.  And once my mind starts wandering, it's hard to corral.  BUT...back to food, diets, etc.

 

Like most middle aged women, I struggle with my weight.  Well, maybe struggle is too strong a word, but I have to pay attention to what I'm eating and work to get enough exercise.  We really don't burn calories the way we did in our teens, 20s and 30s, darn it.  Did our bodies just grow more efficient?  Are they hoarding calories for a reason?  If so, is it a good reason?  Should we let them do it? 

 

All this talk of food is making me hungry, and I have a brand new box of fig newtons upstairs!  (Grain and fruit in one tidy package!!)