Making Love Out of Nothing At All

If you know anything about me you know that holidays are my chance to make celebratory food and snacks o-plenty!  Even though in previous years I cut down on the major fatty foods that was nothing compared to this year.  This year was a challenge due to the fact that we have changed up our entire diet to omit cheese, fatty meats, bread, sugar and assorted other good stuff.  The lack of cheese is really helping to tame my migraines I have to admit. 

Portion control was always a very tough one for me.  I couldn't comprehend the idea of serving way less then you knew you could eat.  Being full for me was when my stomach felt like it was going to burst and I started to feel sick. And then I go seepie.  You know, like a puppy.  But everything must change and as one ages a tiny bit your gut becomes like a sensitive little girl.  You really can't just shovel slop in there and expect good results anymore.  So whatever, things change.  But you still have to love your food.

So for starters this year I did a nice mixed green salad with raw asparagus tips, fresh herbs, carrots, red onions, radish, cilantro and  tomatoes. But to make it special I made a ranch dressing using no fat yogurt. 

For dinner I tried my hand at skinless baked barbeque chicken with a home-made sauce.  That sauce needed to be void of sugars. The sugars that make the sauce caramelize on the chicken.  I opted for more of a mustard vinegar sauce that packed a good heat punch without completely shutting down P's anal facility. Less heat and more smoky tang. 

We're not doing bread but I found this rustic course corn bread recipe that is flourless and super easy.  I was able to bake it in the skillet just like regular corn bread.  If you haven't eaten bread in weeks, this tastes really good. 

I rocked, well rocked might be pushing it but I heavily shook a baked artichoke. Instead of cheese and breadcrumbs and butter, I subbed out crunchy grain cereal, EVOO, garlic and herbs, lots of lemon juice on top. Better than expected.

This meal was one of my Christmas presents to us both as it is every year.  At first though it felt like I was wrapping up a pair of socks.  I didn't have tons of appetizers, actually none just the salad. There wasn't something decadent to dip in some creamy or cheesy sauce that was salty or fried..  It wasn't exactly a gourmet  meal although I did give it lots of thought. But all said and done, I loved it!   Clean up was a breeze.  I didn't spend my whole day in the kitchen and since I only had the one day off this year, it was all so manageable.  Is this what it means to be sensible?