Paganchicks, how do you survive summer solstice?
 

Hello Paganchicks!

I am blessed to live in the beautiful land of Oregon, which has a thriving Pagan community in the greater Portland area. My family always throws a Summer Solstice celebration, and we invite all of our friends and family for a potluck-style meal. It is without a doubt one of my favorite times of the whole year, with good music and good food.

The food is always a natural and wholesome bounty from the earth. Fennel-seed cakes, homemade Pumpkin ale, pastries of every kind; most of the ingredients grown in local gardens.

My issue is that I ALWAYS indulge myself immensely on this day. I've been doing really well counting calories, and am worried that with the abundant food I will overindulge. I talked to my parents about it, and they said that I shouldn't worry about counting calories that day. I feel like I really should though. Any tips you Pagan gals have for surviving celebrations like these? I don't even know where I would start with figuring out how many calories are in some of the dishes.

That's where I quit counting calories and go with diabetic exchanges or plate method. Get a workout in before I go. Then relax and let it go. It's a celebration -- and we seek balance in life.

8 potluck thingies a year is nothing to wig over. That 8 meals out of what? 3 x 356 days - 1069? It represents 0.7 % of the eating opportunities I face yearly. Being a wee bit more relaxed isn't gonna kill me or ruin my plan. It isn't even 1%!

I don't need to know the recipe to know 1/2 cup cooked vegetables is 1/2 cup cooked vegetables. I know that the recipe's calorie load will not be exactly as light as nekkied steamed veggies, but it's only 1/2 cup so... I also know it can't be 5 zillion calories either!

At our solstice potluck thingie I plan to bring some on plan foods and just taste the best 2 or 3 of the others. I don't NEED to taste them ALL -- there's always the next one coming after. It's not like we run OUT of of spokes on the wheel of the year. YKWIM? ;)

Again -- walking the line of balance. Celebrate but not overdo, but do celebrate. Not underappreciate the wonderful gifts given.


A.