Holidays with Keto.....

     We've had an exciting week, beginning with sending our Christmas packages and finalizing our gifts, especially for the little ones. It is so important to me to get these gifts to my great-grandchildren, especially when remembering how exciting it was to receive gifts in the mail from loved ones and how I anticipated opening every package under the tree with my name on it.  I always keep that in mind when I consider sending money instead. I will continue to send packages until they get old enough to want to take over. So far, Bernie's two are that age, but Adam's little ones are still at the age to be excited over small gifts.  We've also participated in several activities.  On Saturday, we attended the Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth theater in Vancouver, and it was a lovely production. We try to attend at least one Christmas venue each year and have done so for several decades. Vancouver is the fourth City where we've seen the Nutcracker ballet. Each production is different and never disappoints. Following the ballet, Steve and I stopped by Cilantros in White Rock for Indian food and then made it home just in time for bed. On Sunday, we joined the Nimetzs for a concert with an award-winning Canadian choir. We thoroughly enjoyed their unforgettable music in this, their last performance. Following the Christmas concert, we enjoyed a lovely meal together. Even though we're going to have Christmas dinner with friends in Canada, we are cooking a turkey again because the last one turned out so well and provided everything we needed for the week. Steve and I are both managing to stay away from those things that make holidays a disaster health-wise. We don't keep any candy or other sweets in the house, making it much easier to stay on track. It's imperative to avoid bringing in tempting items that become the hole in the dam that causes a collapse. To fill the desire for rich foods and sweets, I've been working on making delicious options that fit the keto requirements. Several of these items worked out well, including the chicken tetrazzini and the beef stroganoff, which used cabbage instead of rice or pasta. I've also found a new recipe that looks good, and I intend to try it in the next few days. It is a lasagna made with cabbage leaves, and I think it will be great! I've become increasingly amazed at how well cabbage works with these new recipes. I never realized how versatile cabbage could be, particularly as a substitute for those starchy carbohydrates that go along with flavorful sauces and casseroles.  The cakes and breads I'm making fill that urge for rich desserts, so we aren't tempted to eat unhealthily.  In short, we are successfully navigating the holidays so far and enjoying every day.  Hopefully, I'll continue hanging in there, particularly since I face a Christmas dinner that comes with luscious, tempting desserts Ugh!