Contemplating holiday foods...
Holidays are a time for eating special treats, right? And usually overeating. Being on a diet, and one which is meant to be a permanent commitment to healthier eating, I can't really do that this year.
It's been pretty tough at times; I made dozens of shortbread cookies, and have held myself down to eating one half-inch-square broken bit off one. I made 132 assorted savory tartlets and have eaten 6.5 (and plan to eat 2.5 more). They're little, but the crust is white flour of course, and some of the fillings have cream, potatoes, and other (temporarily) forbidden ingredients.
We traditionally have potstickers for Christmas eve dinner in my house. (I don't remember how this got started.) I'm trying to decide if I will make them this year. The filling is actually not too bad, it's the wrapper (made with white flour) that I shouldn't have. I don't think that whole-grain lumpia wrappers exist. I suppose I could make one batch (I usually do a double batch), keep myself down to eating maybe 6, and then SO could have leftovers during the time I'm away - he loves them too, you see. So that's a possibility.
Or I could make pizza with an all-whole-wheat crust, with veggies and canadian bacon but no pepperoni, and limit myself to 2-3 slices. SO has made noises about wanting pizza, which is unusual for him but last time I made his with almost no cheese (he tries to keep cheese consumption minimal) and he really liked it that way. Again, something where I could make two pizzas and leave leftovers for SO. (It's not that he can't cook for himself, just that if I'm cooking anyway, I figure I might as well make enough for more than one meal.)
Christmas day is actually easier. For the past several years, I've made a small standing rib roast for myself (the smallest I can find is usually in the 3-pound range, 2 ribs; if it has only one rib, it's a steak *g*) and roasted a Cornish game hen or two for SO. Since I will be gone from the 26th until the 31st, I had already planned NOT to make a roast for me since I wouldn't be here to eat it up. I can roast maybe 3 or 4 hens, and do a brown-and-wild-rice stuffing (or just serve it on the side), and it'll be okay. Probably no cherry pie for dessert this year though, as SO would have to eat the entire thing. And various veggies/salads, of course. I might be somewhat indulgent and have a small glass of port after the meal, especially if there's no dessert (or dessert is jello - which is what we've been mostly having).
Christmas morning is harder than dinner. I usually make stollen (a tradition in my family) - I think that has to be cut out altogether. SO is pretty neutral on it so he wouldn't want to eat the rest after I had like one slice from two loaves. :-( Maybe my mom will have made it and I can have a piece while at her house. Breakfast - we usually get good smoked salmon from the fish market, and have bagels with the trimmings. Perhaps I can find some whole wheat bagels and we can keep that one.
I'll be back in the early afternoon of New Year's Eve (if weather and plane flights cooperate), so we can have that meal together. For the last couple of years it's been meat fondue, which is a nice romantic type of thing in my opinion. Boiling seasoned chicken broth, and thin strips of chicken (for SO) and lean beef (for me), plus various dipping sauces. That one we can keep; I will just have to be check some of the sauce ingredients, maybe sub artificial sweetener for honey in one of them, for instance. And again, I'll have to think about what side dishes to have - no white French bread, but maybe whole wheat rosemary bread or similar, and salad or something. We never have champagne anyway, SO doesn't much like it.
All in all... yes, going to have to make some changes, but I think they're manageable. The hardest may be giving up the stollen, actually, as that is a tradition going back to my early childhood.
I've done pretty well at sticking to the diet so far. I didn't really slip up during the first two, most restrictive weeks; I have indulged in the tartlets this week, but that's my only major lapse. I might need to think harder about portion control though. SO suggested the strategy of serving plates in the kitchen, so as not to enable taking a second helping (even of veggies). That might be something to try... I am now down about 16 or 17 pounds from my high weight last spring. Go me. 20 more to go, if I can.
It's been pretty tough at times; I made dozens of shortbread cookies, and have held myself down to eating one half-inch-square broken bit off one. I made 132 assorted savory tartlets and have eaten 6.5 (and plan to eat 2.5 more). They're little, but the crust is white flour of course, and some of the fillings have cream, potatoes, and other (temporarily) forbidden ingredients.
We traditionally have potstickers for Christmas eve dinner in my house. (I don't remember how this got started.) I'm trying to decide if I will make them this year. The filling is actually not too bad, it's the wrapper (made with white flour) that I shouldn't have. I don't think that whole-grain lumpia wrappers exist. I suppose I could make one batch (I usually do a double batch), keep myself down to eating maybe 6, and then SO could have leftovers during the time I'm away - he loves them too, you see. So that's a possibility.
Or I could make pizza with an all-whole-wheat crust, with veggies and canadian bacon but no pepperoni, and limit myself to 2-3 slices. SO has made noises about wanting pizza, which is unusual for him but last time I made his with almost no cheese (he tries to keep cheese consumption minimal) and he really liked it that way. Again, something where I could make two pizzas and leave leftovers for SO. (It's not that he can't cook for himself, just that if I'm cooking anyway, I figure I might as well make enough for more than one meal.)
Christmas day is actually easier. For the past several years, I've made a small standing rib roast for myself (the smallest I can find is usually in the 3-pound range, 2 ribs; if it has only one rib, it's a steak *g*) and roasted a Cornish game hen or two for SO. Since I will be gone from the 26th until the 31st, I had already planned NOT to make a roast for me since I wouldn't be here to eat it up. I can roast maybe 3 or 4 hens, and do a brown-and-wild-rice stuffing (or just serve it on the side), and it'll be okay. Probably no cherry pie for dessert this year though, as SO would have to eat the entire thing. And various veggies/salads, of course. I might be somewhat indulgent and have a small glass of port after the meal, especially if there's no dessert (or dessert is jello - which is what we've been mostly having).
Christmas morning is harder than dinner. I usually make stollen (a tradition in my family) - I think that has to be cut out altogether. SO is pretty neutral on it so he wouldn't want to eat the rest after I had like one slice from two loaves. :-( Maybe my mom will have made it and I can have a piece while at her house. Breakfast - we usually get good smoked salmon from the fish market, and have bagels with the trimmings. Perhaps I can find some whole wheat bagels and we can keep that one.
I'll be back in the early afternoon of New Year's Eve (if weather and plane flights cooperate), so we can have that meal together. For the last couple of years it's been meat fondue, which is a nice romantic type of thing in my opinion. Boiling seasoned chicken broth, and thin strips of chicken (for SO) and lean beef (for me), plus various dipping sauces. That one we can keep; I will just have to be check some of the sauce ingredients, maybe sub artificial sweetener for honey in one of them, for instance. And again, I'll have to think about what side dishes to have - no white French bread, but maybe whole wheat rosemary bread or similar, and salad or something. We never have champagne anyway, SO doesn't much like it.
All in all... yes, going to have to make some changes, but I think they're manageable. The hardest may be giving up the stollen, actually, as that is a tradition going back to my early childhood.
I've done pretty well at sticking to the diet so far. I didn't really slip up during the first two, most restrictive weeks; I have indulged in the tartlets this week, but that's my only major lapse. I might need to think harder about portion control though. SO suggested the strategy of serving plates in the kitchen, so as not to enable taking a second helping (even of veggies). That might be something to try... I am now down about 16 or 17 pounds from my high weight last spring. Go me. 20 more to go, if I can.