Getting ready for Thanksgiving

This is a "transition year" for my family, so we won't be having a "traditional" Thanksgiving, whatever that is. Instead, while My Prince and the grandkids get through with all their stuff and I finally get back to Austin the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day (when we will have a meal for giving thanks), Mama and I will join Big Kid Cousin and her crew for the Big Day. It will be kinda fun, with an age range from 62 to 91.

The challenge of the day, however, is all of the food restrictions we have among us. The biggest one is the need to go low carb. Two diabetics and one quirky digestive tract pretty much dictate that we kill every carb we can find. Still, there will be an abundance of sweet tooths (teeth?!) at the table, so we are gonna have to be creative as well as careful.

I've found a nice little treasure trove of recipe and other ideas that HEB published for the 2007 holiday season (My HEB Goodness, Holiday 2007). I might just write about those if I can get a chance over the next few days. In the meantime, I'm quite interested in the page they devoted to "Tips for Diabetics During the Holidays." Here they are:

• You can control your diabetes by eating small portions.

This, I am told, is how to control a lot of things, including weight. Sadly, it's hard to turn away from something that tastes really good. That's why I find it easier to avoid the dark side of large portions by making something that needs a lot of chewing, that is filling, and has as few carbs as possible.

• Use smaller portions of bread, potatoes, and dressing (which contains starch). The vegetable dishes should be free of sauce and excessive butter. Always include fresh fruit and vegetable salads on your plate.

Or, like, don't serve bread, potatoes, and dressing--or anything else that contains high amounts of starch. Butter doesn't scare me, and (hello!) it contains no starch. Sauces are an important part of cooking and flavoring food, so why not think of sauces that contain no starch or (if you are really afraid that olive oil is going to bite you) fat. Why does everyone try to shove high carb fruits down a diabetic's throat? I eat them now and then, but fresh fruit is a serious argument for "small portions." Berries are different, of course, and I do love avocado and tomato, but I'm guessing that that's not what the HEB foodies were thinking about.

• Vegetables served with low-fat or salsa dips make good appetizers.
  

Or serve with salad dressings. I learning to make my own viniagrette (or what I call viniagrette). Tossing a bunch of carrot slices in a small bowl of that or using it for a dip is quite tasty and filling. It's harder to find things that I might like to dip into salsa.

• You can make a lot of healthy desserts by replacing sugar with products such a H-E-B's BetterSweet.

Duh! Just as big a problem, however, is getting rid of the other carbs in desserts--like flour or pre-sweetened fruit.

• Skip the crusts of pies and the icing on cakes to cut down on fat and carbohydrates.

Indeed. Or make your crusts of nuts (all nuts), and ice your cakes, if you have to have cake, with sweetened cream cheese.

• Take a long walk after a holiday meal. It will help control your blood sugar level and you'll feel better.

Word! I especially like the part of the walk that involves letting someone else do the dishes. ;)

Big Kid Cousin and I are already having great fun trying to figure out what we can cook that will satisfy the traditionalists among us and keep us all healthy.