Leftovers and a dose of gratitude...

Ever wonder what to do with a leftover bowl of chewy steel cut oatmeal? As I stared into the abyss that is my refrigerator on this 40 degree and windy morning, I reflected on what I had seen at a home over the holidays. A party with way too much food, far too many sweets and a two-hour lag between when people were told to arrive and the actual serving of dinner.

All of the starters were nibbled at and what was left remained on the table while guests consumed the main courses. We had a choice of two meats, corn casserole, canned sugared sweet potatoes, mixed roasted vegetables, macaroni and cheese and a green salad, most of which were stashed with the previous two days leftovers once dinner was over. The leftover starters were thrown away, wasting easily two days' worth of food. I've wondered since how many of those leftovers that were kept actually got eaten.

I've trimmed my grocery budget by forty percent shopping at Aldi and going to the local fruit and veg stand rather than any of the large supermarket chains in my area. Additionally, I've been working to refine food shopping and menu planning in an effort to curb potential waste and overconsumption.

This will be the year that delivered food becomes a thing of the past. As for leftovers, when I cook, there are almost always remains, which are eaten the next day if they cannot be frozen or made into another recipe. I'm having the remaining Hoppin' John and greens with a salad tonight. That oatmeal I mentioned? Festooned with blueberries and banana coins and enjoyed as a late breakfast.

The sad fact is, we live in the most destructive, over consuming and self-serving society on the planet and for every developing country that seeks to copy our economic model, I cringe in despair at the inevitable overconsumption, waste and pollution which follows.

As a single woman on the outer edges of midlife, my coming elder years will hold many challenges, some of which are being crafted by the minions from Hell as I write. Having spent much of the previous year calling and e-mailing my representatives in our not-so-duly elected government, not to mention signing petitions out the ying-yang, the most control that any of us have rests in our personal lives, our everyday habits and the ability to manage time, money, food and other assets with some degree of conscious thought.

Some of you may believe that this is about finances. Alas, that is but a fraction of the overall picture here. At its essence, this is about what one woman can do to shed a consumerist mindset, re-focus her time and energy and work out how to get out and where to spend time.

As for gratitude, that is a daily and evolving practice. I have the privilege of a roof and four walls to call my own, friends, the ability to read and think, thanks to my education and travels and the willingness to keep going. All of that means I owe a debt of thanks to a lot of people, many of whom are now gone.

That alone is enough to give me pause...

New Year's Day 2018

      

The New Year begins with a steaming plate of what is commonly called Hoppin' John. Black-eyed peas, rice and greens, to which I add fresh sliced tomato and salt and pepper. The peas, reputed in the South to bring good fortune, are an old tradition of African, Caribbean, French and Carolinas origins. Often cooked with onion and bacon, black-eyed peas, also known as cow peas, symbolize coins. Greens symbolize money, corn bread symbolizes gold and tomatoes, health.

While none of us know what awaits us in any year, starting out with a hot meal of black-eyed peas (which are actually a bean high in soluble fiber and protein) and rice is both filling and a reminder that no matter how humble our food, it is sustenance for which to be grateful. I will be eating the leftovers tonight and tomorrow which is a nod to frugality and also believed to increase one's wealth in the coming year. This is the perfect meal for a cold, gray day.

I wish all of my readers a wonderful year ahead along with my thanks for your continued interest and comments.