I got up on Monday morning at 7, after just five hours of sleep, because I had big plans for a 9:30 bus to Providence. I’d been planning this trip for a couple months in order to attend a clam bake over the weekend with my mom and John (stepdad). Excellent timing, right?
I still felt sooooooo weak from the previous night’s events, and I was not particularly optimistic about my ability to survive a 4-hour bus ride. I was afraid of what might happen if I ate anything, but I knew I needed some strength. I cooked 1/3 cup plain instant oats in 1 cup of water and added tiny bits of cinnamon, ginger, and honey. I dragged myself to the subway and nibbled on the oatmeal as I made my way up to Port Authority.
Somehow, I survived the bus ride (and even squeezed in a little nap!), and my dad and Rae Ann (stepmom) picked me up at the terminal and deposited me at my mom’s house, where mom greeted me with a tour of her dehydrating adventures.
How jealous am I of my mom and her fancy kitchen appliances???!!! She has four dehydrating trays and usually has them going simultaneously since she has been experimenting with all manner of produce in there. The picture above is of cherries, and this one is watermelon:
Oh my goodness, why don’t people sell dried watermelon? This was insanely delicious. And there was kiwi:
And finally a veggie selection of zucchini, carrots, squash, green pepper, and red pepper:
The red pepper tasted like candy. Again, I’m so jealous! Mom does them all until they’re crunchy, so she has these teeny jars of crunchy fruit and veggie crackers tucked into every little corner of the fridge. I told her that I’d take the dehydrator off her hands if she got bored with it. She laughed at me. Hmph!
These little snacks were all well and good, but I was fully ravenous at this point, as my stomach was e-m-p-t-y. Mom seemed to think that it would be fine for me to have veggies (and she would know!), so I split the rest of my CSA salad (yes, I brought it on the bus with me so it wouldn’t go bad in NY this weekend) with her, and she supplied us with cabbage slaw, garden tomatoes, and two eggs each for topping.
I felt rejuvenated and satisfied after this salad, enough so that I turned down mom’s grape nut pudding for dessert! Knowing exactly what was in my belly (since I was starting from scratch) was an interesting experience and definitely made me think twice before adding more unnecessarily. I was also able to turn down the pudding because I knew that we had dinner plans. I wanted to get as hungry as possible before eating again! Instead of dessert, I curled up on a bench in the kitchen and passed out for the next hour and a half.
At around 6, my mom, John, and I headed to my dad’s house for a cookout with dad and Rae Ann.
While dad manned the grill we had some nibbles that involved crackers, peanuts, tabbouleh, and cheese …
… and admired the patio decor:
I kept my wits about me and had just one (aren’t you proud?!) cracker with tabbouleh:
Plus two more spoonfuls of tabbouleh straight:
And a fresh orange mocktail:
(Fresh squeezed orange juice from 1/4 orange, soda water, water, and an orange slice for garnish.)
Dad took a break from the grill to hang this candle chandelier and toss a box of matches to me:
I’m very good with a match:
Everyone pitched in with the food distribution. Mom passed out the corn:
John sliced the bread:
Rae Ann handed around some corn holders:
And I concentrated on my plate:
Be still my heart, look at all that char!! We had olive oiled corn, Rae Ann’s salad, grilled carrots, and pork tenderloin with applesauce. (As you can see, I snagged the two most burnt ends of the pork. You know how I love my over-cooked animal products :-D).
For dessert, we had watermelon and cantaloupe:
But I was too full for it again! After a couple hours of chatting, though, I detected some space and had a few forkfuls of cantaloupe before we called it a night and headed back to mom’s house, where I literally collapsed into bed for what felt like the 10 millionth night in a row. Who knew that a day of sitting, eating, and sleeping could be SO draining?
In which situations are YOU most able to honor your fullness?
P.S. The last hurrah (for real this time) is coming up next …
Tales of Expansion: Baby Butternut Edition 
I can honor my fullness just about everyday, except for outings that find me drinking alcoholic beverages. Seriously, if I drink I seem to loose my sense of fullness! This doesn’t happen a lot, as I usually only have one beer when I drink, which doesn’t effect me, but when I have 2 or 3 beers, that’s when I loose my sense of fullness (weddings are about the only time this happens). It’s almost like I keep eating to prevent me from getting drunk (I don’t like getting drunk and not having control over myself). Does that makes sense? I don’t think I’m alone on that one. Oh, another time is when there are tons of desserts to choose from and I know I want one, or three. Even if I’m full from dinner I still eat a dessert, or two, or three, despite feeling like I am going to explode!
The dehydrator is AWESOME. I never would have thought to dehydrate watermelon! That’s just so neat, I must get one!
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I’m so glad that you seem to be getting better! AND jealous of that dehydrator, too 🙂
If I know more food is coming or there’s something I’m really looking forward, that does make it easier to pace myself for sure.
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I’m super jealous of your mom’s dehydrator, I’m thinking when I register for wedding gifts, I’m so putting one of those and a juicer on it. I know I’ll never buy those for myself.
Glad you’re feeling better, with all the love and great food you surrounded yourself with it’s no wonder you’re recovering quickly!
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I’m so proud of you Sarah turning down desserts!!! You’re doing good to your belly~~~ 😀
How to honor fullness? SLEEP!!! sleep without guilt, sleep as there is no tomorrow, sleep in the most comfortable position ever ignoring whoever might step in! 🙂
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ohh dried watermelon and kiwi? i bet they are so good! i want a dehydrator!
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o0o the dehydrator goods look amazing! And the grilling food? Mmmmmmm!
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Dried kiwi sounds very interesting. Glad you had a nice time with the family, although a 4 hour bus ride sounds very long. Glad you feel better too!
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That tabbouleh looks good, I want some! Looks like you had some great family time 🙂 I can’t believe you turned down desserts though – That happens to me only VERY rarely!
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Kiwi chips! I have never thought of putting kiwis in the dehydrator. Love it!
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Mmm, dried kiwi is the best! We got it in Greece.
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Dried watermelon!?!?! That sounds delicious! I wish I had a dehydrator too..so much stuff to dehydrate, so little time!
YO DINNA looks amazing! I love my corn all charred up too!
PS: I am in love with the candle chandelier 🙂
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hmm honoring my fullness is easy when surrounded by true healthy options cause I know they are filling…when it’s a cookie suddenly my body always thinks it has room
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And if you can’t take the dehydrator of her hands – I’ll gladly help instead 🙂 Dried watermelon??????/ GENIUS!
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