Holiday Abundance

I love all things mushrooms and belong to the local mushroom society. They are a fun group and throw an annual Holiday Potluck Dinner, which happened to be last night. As to be expected, there were a lot of dishes with a mushroom theme. One of the stand out dishes was a pulled pork with candy cap mushrooms. Incredible! I brought a dish I make a lot... phyllo triangles. They are so satisfying, the crispness of the outer phyllo dough contrasting with the creaminess of the inner filling. The filling varies depending on the occasion and what I have available. For this event I made a ricotta, feta, mushroom and spinach filling. It was more on the savory side and the combination of flavors were fantastic. I used chanterelle mushrooms, but you could easily use any more readily available mushroom from a grocery store.

 

 

After last nights potluck, I thought I'd never eat again! There were so many fantastic dishes and I basically filled my plate with lots of small tastes. Still, it all added up to more food than I had eaten in a while. My stomach has been shrunken for some time now and I have become accustomed to eating smaller portions. Last nights feast definitely expanded my stomach and I can really feel it today!

 

There are more feasts to come and as much as I enjoy eating and trying new things, I'm not going to let the over-abundance of the season throw me off track. I still need to stop when I feel full, even if it's after only a couple of bites. I don't need to feel pressured into trying everything that looks great. I can pick and choose what I want to taste. It's interesting being on a diet during a holiday filled with excessive amounts of food everywhere! On top of that, I will be making home made carmels and cookies to send to my relatives this week. My son is on my case to make home-made eggnog, which he loves, and there is our trip to San Francisco later next week to the House of Prime Rib. I have a lot of bullets to dodge!

 

The important thing is to focus on the spirit of season and not all the calories. To have fun doing things together and spending good times with people I enjoy being with. It's all about what we choose to focus on. So I am wishing everyone who struggles with weight loss a holiday season focused on spreading good will and the spirit of Christmas out into the world.