AN ADAGE A DAY ◽ ENCOURAGEMENT
What's for Dinner?
by Carole Gilbert
They say, “You are what you eat.” This phrase started in the early 1800’s with German, French, and American writers all expressing the importance of understanding that what you eat is what influences your health.
If that’s true, then I’m in trouble, especially at Thanksgiving. I’m always on what I call a healthy eating plan. And it’s not a piece of cake. I guarantee you, proof is in the pudding.
I love cake and I love pudding. I have many favorite recipes for both. I have one recipe that I love, Leftover Cake Truffle, that uses both cake and pudding. And I love having these recipes and more good food at Thanksgiving. This has always been a favorite holiday of mine and not only because of all the foods we get to enjoy that’s not on a healthy eating plan but because of the traditions that go along with it like getting together with family. I also love its history.
I remember learning about that first Thanksgiving with the pilgrims and the Wampanoag people celebrating a successful harvest. As they shared this special meal, they gave thanks to God. They had meats, fish, corn, other vegetables, nuts, and berries. And probably most of these were not prepared the way we do today since we like to spice up or sweeten down our recipes. I bet the first Thanksgiving preparations seemed as easy as pie.
Theirs was so unlike the first Thanksgiving that I prepared. It was just me and my grandmother, and as a private duty nurse, she had to work. She put me in charge of cooking the whole meal. We kept it small but had our main ingredient, the dressing. She quickly wrote the recipe out for me, and it had everything prepared, prepackaged, and probably extremely unhealthy. And I had the other main dishes like ham and turkey and even can green beans with it. I was not a cook at 21 years old but, after giving thanks to God like that first Thanksgiving, she ate everything and said it was delicious. And I still have that recipe she gave me.
So, give me the traditional meal and I’ll be in hog heaven, mostly because I love ham and dressing! All Thanksgiving foods are my cup of tea. That’s why talking about being “you are what you eat” may not be a popular subject this time of year. But we can still be mindful of God’s provisions, since they’re the best for us, even as we indulge in men’s. This year my jam is going to be trying to fix healthier dishes. Good gravy! It doesn’t all have to be unhealthy for us.
One recent Thanksgiving, I heard about some health issues within our family, so I decided to make our meal a little healthier. And since I am now a better cook than at 21, I made gluten free, dairy free, and nut free cookies, cupcakes, and a couple other desserts. Everyone oohed and aahed as they began tasting them. UNTIL I told them the desserts were gluten free, dairy free, and nut free. Then no one wanted to eat them. My desserts suddenly weren’t worth a hill of beans. I didn’t want to, but I remained cool as a cucumber. After all, it’s not about the food, and it’s not that you are what you eat. It’s really all about realizing whom the food came from.
Joel 2:26
“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.”
Thank you, God!