30 Days of Gratitude Challenge - Day 5

[Granny_Weatherwax]

One of my biggest stressors is food. From trying to lose weight, eating Keto, being gluten free (celiac), monitoring portion size, and trying to cook for others without food issues and making certain every one feels loved and nourished...food and grocery shopping tips my anxiety over the edge.

Today, we are focusing on being grateful for being able to buy/cook/share food. 

What is your favorite meal? Why is it special? How does it make you feel? Is there a recipe you can share with someone who would appreciate knowing your favorite food?

Write down your favorite meal and add it to your gratitude jar or journal.  If you can, prepare that food today. If you can't, maybe you can prepare a favorite dish for one of your family members.

Edited November 5, 2021 by Granny_Weatherwax

[Granny_Weatherwax]

This one is difficult. Food is an emotional trigger for me. Expressing gratitude for something that causes me such stress and anxiety is counterintuitive. But I'm going to do it.

My favorite food is a nicely cooked, medium elk steak. When DH and I were first married and living in CO, he hunted an elk.  We had it processed and enjoyed that meat for a year. It was wonderful. As newlyweds, we didn't have a lot of money and having a freezer full of elk meat was a blessing. When we prepared it, the meat was tender, sweet (thank you CO mountains for the wonderful forage for the elk), and juicy. Having elk steak was a treat, and I would save it for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. We used the burger, stew meat, and roasts as everyday meals.

Now that we have moved away and getting to CO for regular hunting trips isn't possible, years go by without elk. It is just too expensive to put on the menu. I still crave it and when I can find it at a restaurant I will order it but nothing will replace those feelings of being provided for and well fed by my husband's skills.

Second to elk, my favorite food is a country chicken stew. The recipe was in a Gluten Free and More magazine and I am so happy I tried it. It has become a favorite and I make it about two times a year after the weather turns cold. I actually purchased all of the ingredients a couple of days ago and plan on making it this weekend.

I did treat someone this week to her favorite meal. My DGD loves my homemade creamy potato soup. I surprised her with a batch when I went to visit earlier this week. She was quite excited to arrive home from school and find a pot simmering on the stove.

I'm so happy I was able to handle the anxiety of grocery shopping this week and able to make these favorite foods.

Edited November 5, 2021 by Granny_Weatherwax

[SKL]

This is another one where it's difficult to choose a favorite, because it varies.  (Who knows, maybe most "favorites" are like that?)

I don't like cooking, and I'm not real fond of eating either, usually.  However, I do enjoy starches when I'm hungry.  Whether it's fresh-baked Italian bread, Hungarian stew with homemade spaetzles, weekday spaghetti or boxed mac'n'cheese, I like them all.  Too bad they aren't super good for me!

Starches are my childhood comfort foods, which may or may not be why I like them so much.  Maybe it's because I like simple things best.  Or maybe it's genetic, who knows?

I will not be cooking tonight.  It's the first Friday in a long time that we can hopefully eat out (kids' fall activities are over, nobody's traveling, etc.).  I think it's my eldest's turn to pick the restaurant.  She is even less fond of food than I am, and she's likely to pick a restaurant that I dislike, but whatever.  Maybe I will be good and just order a salad.  🙂

But I should address all this with a better attitude, right?  I mean sure, I'm grateful that we have enough to eat.  I'm super grateful that one of my kids enjoys cooking and is a really good cook.  I'm grateful that the majority of my siblings are also great cooks.  It saves me having to ever cook seriously.  🙂  I'm so grateful that we are all healthy enough to be able to eat most if not all of the foods we desire.

Not a gratefulness thing (or maybe it is), but I should really take better care of my health so that I can continue to enjoy the foods I am so grateful for.

Edited November 5, 2021 by SKL

[Melissa Louise]

Food is difficult for me too. 

My favourite meals are not really meals. If I could live on bread, eggs,. cheese, fruit, chocolate and tea, I would! 

My comfort meal is English muffins with butter and jam, preceded by a soft boiled egg in an egg cup, with a big mug of strong, milky tea. 

[Melissa Louise]

That's not really gratitude, though. 

I am endlessly grateful I have always been able to feed my children in nutritious ways. I'm grateful I've always had access to a full kitchen to do so. I'm grateful that neither my children nor I have ever gone hungry. 

[DreamerGirl]

For me, food is wrapped up in so many layers and emotions.

It is wrapped in Memories.The smell of my family kitchen growing up is "home" to me. It is hands down the best food I have ever eaten because it was fresh, seasonal, handmade, homemade. I was not taught to cook explicitly, I learned through watching, helping and always being there.

It also reminds me of my beloved grandmother who taught me most of all I know.

Food as medicine, eating with the seasons, eat the rainbow, eating for immunity. Long before all these were trendy, this is how we ate. But it was so laborious which I did not appreciate then.

I am a techie who also loves to cook. So I use gadgets a lot, yet I cook by feel, texture and smell. I also knead by hand and pound with a mortar and pestle yet use a food processor. 

The texture of the dough as it is kneaded, the smell of the masala as it changes color, the taste of the curry until it is just right is all I know about cooking. I do not cook through recipes, I cook from memory, of smell, texture, taste and so I cannot teach anyone even my own kids. How does one explain what one remembers ? Yet, both my kids have somehow learned and both insist the smell of home is the same as me which is the smell of cooking. I am honored and humbled they feel that way.

I also come from a country of extreme poverty so I am always conscious of the privilege of having the money to buy even simple ingredients, the clean water to cook without much effort and healthy, fresh, ingredients. I am extremely conscious of food waste.

I also know what I can and cannot compromise when it comes to health. Pretty much all nutritionists I have consulted because my family has diabetics have warned me about eating white rice and suggested alternatives. But I also know rice, specifically white rice is more than a just a part of a meal. It is a part of my culture and I pretty much do not know how to cook without that. So I work out extra to have that in my life every day.

Food has helped me share my culture and learn about others. I may not travel to many countries, but I can sure eat from many and cook. So we do that a lot in our house.

My simplest and most favorite meal, my comfort food is just a plain bowl of rice and home made yogurt with a bit of salt.

Ugh..this has turned into an essay. But I can talk a lot about food and I am extremely grateful for it.

 

[ScoutTN]

Hmmmm. I cannot pick a favorite! Very few foods I don’t like.

I love eating and enjoy cooking. I eat low carb bc I have T2D. 

Favorite not-low carb meal: my homemade chx pot pie. 

Favorite low carb meal: either a great steak or a heap of steamed shrimp with a nice salad and roasted veggies.

I am thankful to have enough to eat, to be able to feed my family healthy food, to have access to high quality local food, and to sometimes have time and energy to invest in cooking. 

[historically accurate]

I am thankful for my youngest DD who loves to bake. Today, she reinvented some Halloween candy into a deliciously moist and decadent chocolate cake. She's calling it Candy Bar Cake.

 

I don't really have a favorite meal - I have way too many weight/food issues for that. 

Edited November 6, 2021 by historically accurate

[mom31257]

I'm sorry I missed out on this yesterday. Food definitely brings special memories and emotions for me. Big meals with lots of options were the highlight of my mother's and grandmother's cooking. We lost my grandmother eleven years ago and my mom seven years ago. I miss them both so very much!  I am now the one in the family who is the cook for holiday meals and gatherings. I love making foods they made. I feel a connection to them that brings me joy.

So I'm thankful for the memories that food brings me. I am thankful for the joy in serving my family by cooking for them and serving them in that way. Even though we are empty nesters, I'm still cooking for us every day. 

I've been off dairy the last ten years, so my favorites have definitely changed through the years. I still miss some of it! 

I did learn to make bacon gravy that is really good and tastes like my mom's, so that might be one of my favorite foods with bacon and biscuits. I've never been good at making homemade biscuits, but I did find some I like that don't have dairy in them. 

I don't really make my absolute favorite food because I'm not sure I could master it. I love falafel and hummus. I love Naf Naf Grill, a restaurant chain mostly in the upper Midwest. There is one about 2 hours away. We just discovered a restaurant about an hour away that has wonderful Mediterranean food, too. 

[SKL]

3 hours ago, mom31257 said:

I'm sorry I missed out on this yesterday. Food definitely brings special memories and emotions for me. Big meals with lots of options were the highlight of my mother's and grandmother's cooking. We lost my grandmother eleven years ago and my mom seven years ago. I miss them both so very much!  I am now the one in the family who is the cook for holiday meals and gatherings. I love making foods they made. I feel a connection to them that brings me joy.

So I'm thankful for the memories that food brings me. I am thankful for the joy in serving my family by cooking for them and serving them in that way. Even though we are empty nesters, I'm still cooking for us every day. 

I've been off dairy the last ten years, so my favorites have definitely changed through the years. I still miss some of it! 

I did learn to make bacon gravy that is really good and tastes like my mom's, so that might be one of my favorite foods with bacon and biscuits. I've never been good at making homemade biscuits, but I did find some I like that don't have dairy in them. 

I don't really make my absolute favorite food because I'm not sure I could master it. I love falafel and hummus. I love Naf Naf Grill, a restaurant chain mostly in the upper Midwest. There is one about 2 hours away. We just discovered a restaurant about an hour away that has wonderful Mediterranean food, too. 

We have a naf naf here!  I like it, but we haven't been there in years, because it isn't a family favorite.  Maybe we'll go there for my next "turn."  🙂

[Harriet Vane]

On 11/5/2021 at 9:15 AM, Granny_Weatherwax said:

What is your favorite meal? Why is it special? How does it make you feel? Is there a recipe you can share with someone who would appreciate knowing your favorite food?
 

I have had to make major, huge changes to diet because of multiple health issues. It has often been overwhelming and really saddening--I just want a slice of pizza sometimes, yanno? Gluten free, cheeseless pizza is just a faint echo of the real thing. 

So I tend to be grateful when I find something I genuinely really like that ticks all the food-safety boxes for me. Some recent gifts in this regard are:

--Cuban Pastelon: Kind of like a lasagna in structure. Instead of noodles, there are layers of fried plantains (YUM!!!) sandwiched between a spicy, gorgeous meat sauce heavy with cilantro and sazon. It's the plantains that are the game changers. An absolute luxury to eat. Find the recipe in Cook's Illustrated.

--Anything I've cooked from one of Chetna Makan's Indian cookbooks: I adore Chetna because she launched from The Great British Baking Show, a happy, magical place where nice people are nice to each other while cooking magnificent, interesting things. Chetna's recipes are intensely flavorful and authentic. 

--Any of the breads I have tried from Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day: Often the gluten-free stuff I find out there in the grocery store is weird and sad and awful. The couple recipes I have tried taste like proper bread and have a fantastic texture and they are easy.

--Macarons: My husband learned how to make these fussy cookies just for me, and he does a beautiful job with them. Such a genuine treat and I was so touched by his determination to surprise me with this.

--Street tacos: I miss cheese dreadfully! But I figured out that I can make easy street tacos by using plain hummus as the "glue" (neutral flavor) for chicken bits and add in a dash of hot sauce, some salsa, onions, and cilantro. YUM!!! Another option is to skip the salsa, onions, and cilantro and layer on some cole slaw made with a little hot sauce to jazz it up. When there is this much flavor and it's this easy, I don't feel sorry for myself for the foods I have had to give up.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Harriet Vane

[Granny_Weatherwax]

@Harriet Vane - I hear you about the challenges of eating gluten free. I have been missing my favorites for over 11 years now and many of the GF items I can find just don't fit the bill. My DD recently found a GF rising crust Digornio pizza in her area. It was the best pizza I've had in years but was still just 'off' from regular pizza.

I will be going completely dairy free soon and know I will miss cheese. The Daiya cheeses are okay but not at all like cheese should be.

I would give anything to have a GF bakery in the area. The nearest one with good gf items is in the big city 3 hours away.

[Harriet Vane]

9 minutes ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

@Harriet Vane - I hear you about the challenges of eating gluten free. I have been missing my favorites for over 11 years now and many of the GF items I can find just don't fit the bill. My DD recently found a GF rising crust Digornio pizza in her area. It was the best pizza I've had in years but was still just 'off' from regular pizza.

I will be going completely dairy free soon and know I will miss cheese. The Daiya cheeses are okay but not at all like cheese should be.

I would give anything to have a GF bakery in the area. The nearest one with good gf items is in the big city 3 hours away.

The only fake cheese I have found palatable is the Kite Hill cream cheese made from cashews. I discovered it only just recently. I put just bits on homemade gf pizza and it has kinda the effect of fresh mozzarella. You know the fresh, creamy, wobbly cheese they put on super frou-frou gourmet pizza?

My daughter once made me a "cheesecake" from scratch using soaked and pulverized cashews and topped with fruit--it was pretty good as well.

I used to eat cheese quite a lot--I can only have a little cashew "cheese" to sustain the illusion. Too much and I just don't like it that much. Some would spread the Kite Hill cheese on bagels, but that would be too much for me.

As for being dairy free, I find that EarthBalance margarine is my preference, and I think it's healthier than the old-school margarines.

[mom31257]

2 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

@Harriet Vane - I hear you about the challenges of eating gluten free. I have been missing my favorites for over 11 years now and many of the GF items I can find just don't fit the bill. My DD recently found a GF rising crust Digornio pizza in her area. It was the best pizza I've had in years but was still just 'off' from regular pizza.

I will be going completely dairy free soon and know I will miss cheese. The Daiya cheeses are okay but not at all like cheese should be.

I would give anything to have a GF bakery in the area. The nearest one with good gf items is in the big city 3 hours away.

I really like the Chao Original slices for a grilled cheese if you have bread you like. Even my husband thinks it tastes good. 

Can you have other animal cheese? I can eat goat and sheep cheese but not cow cheese. I really like manchego (sheep) because it's a lot like parmesan. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

9 hours ago, mom31257 said:

I really like the Chao Original slices for a grilled cheese if you have bread you like. Even my husband thinks it tastes good. 

Can you have other animal cheese? I can eat goat and sheep cheese but not cow cheese. I really like manchego (sheep) because it's a lot like parmesan. 

Honestly, I have never tried any other animal cheese. I wouldn't know where to begin looking for it in my small town.
I'l have to do some Google-ing and see if I can locate some in the area.

Thanks for the idea.

[Harriet Vane]

On 11/6/2021 at 11:22 PM, mom31257 said:

I really like the Chao Original slices for a grilled cheese if you have bread you like. Even my husband thinks it tastes good. 

Can you have other animal cheese? I can eat goat and sheep cheese but not cow cheese. I really like manchego (sheep) because it's a lot like parmesan. 

No dairy for me. I simply cannot digest it. I'll have to check out the Chao cheese.