Monday This and That

Take twice as long to eat half as much.

Anonymous

Well, I'd say that the above quote is definitely a lot easier said than done, especially at holiday time. Eating has become such an intricate part of day, and well it should as it is a celebration of the harvest.  So we pile our plates sky high with high calorie and thousands of milligrams of sodium. Then we wonder why we got high blood pressure. This year, though, it will be a bit easier than previous years as I have chosen to focus more on fresh veggies and fruits rather than high fat foods and cakes...and all will be prepared with no or much less sodium. There is no need to fill up on the unhealthy foods we have become accustomed to at Thanksgiving.  As far as my menu, the following is what I came up with:

Turkey (of course)

Herb Stuffing ( no sausage stuffing this year. Sausage is too high in sodium)

Mashed potatoes

Fresh brocolli with low sodium cheese sauce

Parmessan roasted cauliflour

String beans

Low sodium creamed onions

Turnips

Sweet potatoes with pineapple,cherries, and brown sugar
Cranberry sauce

For dessert we will have fresh fruit, unless one of the boys brings a cake. 

Above is a picture of my two newest angels. Notice the broken wing on the green doll. What happened to this wing is quite a mystery, though. It was on when I picked her up in the store, it was there when I paid for her at the register.  And it was there when the clerk gently placed her in the bag. But when I got her home, the wing was gone.  It wasn't even in the bag. She was a half-price sale with no-return so there is no taking her back, and I refuse to toss her away. So I've chosen instead to think of her as a reminder that none of us is perfect.

My son came to visit yesterday, and he showed me something online that I found quite upsetting. It seems that Hostess is going out of business, and people are buying up Twinkies, cupcakes, etc. and selling them for a small fortune on E Bay. A box of Susie Q's was going for $400. So many people going hungry, or losing everything they have in this recent storm, and morons would rather fork over $200 for a box of Twinkies than donate to help the poor. Do you know how many Thanksgiving dinners that money could buy? And, let's not forget all those people throughout the country who are now finding themselves out of a job just before the holidays. What happens to them? Is a box of Twinkies really worth it?

We have so much, yet many Americans feel dissatisfied. Somehow the

full table, symbol of abundance to the pilgrims, is not enough. We yearn 

for something far beyond the material satisfaction. Find your place in 

history this Thanksgiving by stretching beyond your table. Celebrate your 

survival by offering peace and sharing with your neighbors. Make the shift 

from in illogical feeling of lack to the recognition of abundance. Invite the 

Spirit to your feast, and prepare to feed the world.

Jennifer James