Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you all had a wonderful, happy Thanksgiving, full of joy and laughter. We just rolled back in from Georgia a few hours ago and I have been putting up my Christmas lights. I know everybody ate way too much for dinner yesterday, including me! But my mother had worked so hard to prepare a delicious meal that I decided that keeping the family peace and not hurting her feelings was the most important issue at hand. It’s not worth causing a ruckus over healthy vs. non-healthy food–that topic is the worst one to get into on a family holiday.
My mother literally died on the operating table after a massive heart attack almost two years ago, and is a walking miracle. They had to shock her 13 times to get her back, then she was on machines for several days, and in CICU for almost a month. But she walked out of that hospital and is doing great. Every moment we have with her is a gift. She is doing SO much better in the diet department, and is a testimony to the power of healthy foods, especially Mona Vie. One of the things I am most thankful for is that she is still here with us, not just at Thanksgiving, but every single day.
My awesome niece and nephew had made precious little cupcakes that they decorated like turkeys, using candy corn for the tailfeathers. Well, they had decorated one with yellow icing resembling long blonde hair and said that was the ‘Christy’ Turkey, and they made another one with black icing ‘hair’ that was the ‘Michael’ Turkey as well. They were so proud of them that there was no way I was going to crush their feelings by refusing to eat their turkey! They were so cute, and delicious too! 
My feeling is that everyone should enjoy themselves on Thanksgiving. If for you, that means indulging in all the tempting delicacies, then by all means go for it. Enjoy yourself and savor every bite. One ‘cheat’ meal can even help boost your metabolism and help jump-start you out of a rut if your body is the type that responds well. Just don’t turn it in to several days of bingeing. Give away the leftovers and get them out of your house.
Why is it that when we ‘indulge’ in things we love, that it is so destructive to our bodies? Why do we love these things that lead down a dark path to poor health? Why can’t things that are healthy be so incredibly tempting, comforting and indulgent? Of course, one can easily make the strict scientific argument that these destructive foods and vices trigger opiate receptors in our brains that cause addiction, which they certainly do. But from a larger perspective, why does it have to be this way? I would love to hear your comments and opinions on this topic. Please comment below.
I took a Pumpkin Roll (recipe on the Defiant Recipes! page), made a lovely vanilla creme topping for it, and thoroughly enjoyed that as my dessert for all the meals except the actual Thanksgiving dinner. We also took a cooler full of fruits and greens for smoothies, my awesome guacamole, and of course I had to take some Spirulina Pie filling! I just took it in a bowl, no crust. So for the after-Thanksgiving Dinner dinner, I just had a delicious cherry banana green smoothie and some Pumpkin Roll. And for breakfast, made green smoothies for everyone, including my parents.
Speaking of Spirulina Pie, I had a request to post the recipe after my confession to its addiction the other day. Duh! I should have thought to do that anyway. So I will post it tonight on the Defiant Recipes! page. Check it out, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Honestly, I have lost my taste for foods I used to enjoy so much that most of the Thanksgiving meal just wasn’t that appealing to me like it used to be. I still am the dessert queen, though. That’s a battle I will probably always fight. I can give up the turkey and dressing without a single twinge, but the desserts, those kill me. I felt so yucky after the big indulgence, though, that I was glad to get back to healthy living foods at the next meal. We went out and rode the horses and tossed a football for a while, and the activity really helped to get rid of that yucky, oh-my-gosh-I-overate feeling.
There’s a saying in my family—don’t stand still for long at Christmas, or you WILL have lights strung on you! I have always been a crazy Christmas nut, and I love making elaborate light displays and decorating the house. So my family has just learned to keep moving and stay out of the way. Clark Griswold has nothing on me! Michael has been hiding safely upstairs while I have been out stringing up the lights. The rain is coming down now, though and forced me to delay for a while.
Did you go out shopping for Black Friday? For me, NO WAY! I would rather be dragged behind a truck down a gravel road. Did you hear about the WalMart employee who was trampled to death by the crown when they broke down the doors? Horrible–WHY do people do this? Is the savings worth it? I would rather pay full price for everything than deal with the rabid masses running people over. Much better to hang beautiful lights and bring joy to the neighbors!
Defy commercialism! Treasure your family this holiday and make memories to last a lifetime.
Christy
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