Chicken anyone? Okay it's Valentine's Day-- not chicken day, but I couldn't figure out how to get the heart picture in here and I've been eating A LOT of chicken since I began this healthy eating thing. I like to use this picture to remind us that our "perspective" shapes the way we view things and our "perspective" is shaped by where we were raised, how we were raised, what we believe, and what's going on in our life. I use this when I teach teachers to remind them that the students may have a different "perspective" on things than we do!
So what does that have to do with eating? Besides chicken. How do we determine what's healthy? Do we read about it and let others tell us how to eat? What is our favorite breakfast? When do we eat? Do we eat gravy on our bread, toast, potatoes, all of the above? How we eat, when we eat, what we eat is all part of our life story. I remember Christmas time when I was in first grade. We weren't rich people (but I didn't know that then). I remember being excited for our stocking full of hard candy, peanuts (in the shell), and an orange. I hoped for a Santa gift as well, but never really expected more than one at that age. Now what's my "perspective" on these particular foods? I love oranges. I like to suck the salt off of the peanut shells. I can't eat the old-fashioned hard candy without remembering Christmas at Grandma's. Then there are the "bad" food memories.... Opening the fridge and seeing the entire calf tongue (pickled) staring at me through the clear glass casserole lid. Grandma didn't believe in wasting any part of the animal. We even made butter and yes, head cheese. And when I sat out in the barn waiting for the high tech "surge cups" to suck the milk out of the cows so I could dump it nice and steamy into the strainer and milk can, I would sneak a drink in my orange pineapple cup that I stashed in the barn. I loved warm milk! I still love milk and sometimes, if my stomach is upset, I warm up my milk. Now I know some people gag at the thought, but it's part of who I am.
I think we all have food likes and dislikes that are embedded in memories. Grandpa always cooked me breakfast before we milked. He didn't pour me a bowl of cereal-- he cooked breakfast. I remember when Grandma got her new double sink. She had a high step stool that she'd sit on as she snapped the green beans and shelled the peas. I love green beans and peas. I also remember when we finally got indoor plumbing (we had an outhouse) and she didn't trust the toilet at first. No more pee cans under the bed in the winter and no more fears of the cousins moving the outhouse (while you were in it) in the summer. One time it just happened to end up near the bulls' pen. Grandpa swatted those boys good. He also made them pay me my dollar when they bet me I couldn't ride the cow for 10 seconds (I was in the first grade) and I thought I was REALLY dying when it bucked me off (first time I ever had the wind knocked out of me). We had big family get togethers and everyone brought potluck. Guess what I love..... potluck.
So today was nice. I skipped breakfast (on purpose). I wanted to fast some today. I think planned fasts on days of low physical activity can be good for us spiritually and physically. We had a nice Sunday dinner and my son and his wife and baby Maddy came over. She looked so cute in her red daisies and she's growing so fast. I had sauce left over from baking the chicken yesterday and I didn't want to waste it (Grandma would be proud), so I cooked another batch of chicken in the same sauce (yes, I refrigerated it last night) and my son-in-law said it was even better today. I made a green bean dish, but I like the fat green beans, not those skinny ones in slices. Not as good. I also made some stuffing to go with it because I noticed stuffing was only 100 calories per cup. And remember how I saved my other half of slice of cheesecake from the cheesecake factory? Well I split it three ways so Jason and Anne could have a taste and cut my calories to 100 on the piece I had today. Then... even better news... My husband usually makes me chocolate chip cookies on Sundays and he wasn't here today, so my son-in-law made them for me AND I looked it up. 50 Calories on a medium cookie. That is awesome. 4 Cookies= 1 Candy bar.
Now lunch was the only real meal I had today so I had 3 (not 4) cookies for a mid-day snack. For supper I warmed up the leftover broccoli from day before yesterday and that was it (feeling a little guilty for the cookies). Overall, a tasty, nice Sunday. Missing my sweetie, but he'll be home Thursday. Hard to believe we have been dating since 1979 and he still makes my palm sweats when I think about seeing him. Now that is "meant to be" love. I wish it for everyone. I am very blessed with such a wonderful family present and past. The food we eat is a part of who we are. So if I love chocolate... does that make me sweet? :) Depends on who you ask and when you ask I'm sure. :)
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