Carbs Come Calling 1-18-26

Fruits, veggies and chicken. I bought all of that to avoid the holiday excess. Then the carbs came calling.First the overly ripe bananas had me pulling out the cookbook. “It’s time to make banana bread for the holidays. I will make small loaves and freeze them for holiday gifts.” Of course, as the cook, I HAD to taste the hot bread.I served some for Thanksgiving and left the rest in the freezer. The refrigerator overflowed with fruits and veggies. Mid-December, I mused aloud, ‘I don’t think I will do a lot of baking this year.” ‘At least make cookies,” Hubby murmured I heard him. I know he likes to go to the freezer and find cookies. When he walks in with a cold, hard disk, I say, “They taste better if they thaw before you eat them. Put it in the microwave for a bit.”He eats them frozen every time.He said he wanted cookies. I made one batch each of chocolate cookies with white chips, chocolate chip cookies and Snickerdoodles plus two batches of oatmeal raisin cookies. Oatmeal is healthy food, a good carb, until I add butterscotch chips. The carbs called my name reminding me, “The baker has to taste test everything.”I should have broken off small pieces to sample. Instead, I had two or three cookies from each batch. I put some in the freezer and divided the rest into gifts for friends and the family.We had no pies, puddings, cakes or candies. Still those carbs showed up at every holiday party where I dutifully tested and approved other folks’ culinary handiwork before waddling away, vowing to eat clean starting tomorrow.I did well until the carbs arrived in a package of holiday treats from the neighbors. Fortunately they brought them just before we took a tour of lights with friends. I took those treats to share. One of them brought freshly made peanut brittle. Peanut brittle! I have not had any in ages. Each bite crunched deliciously. I ate more than my share.Before the holiday family reunion I vowed to eat sensibly. Great plan until the counter filled with holiday treats and the families prepared wonderful waffles, soups, casseroles and fresh bread. When they threatened to leave the leftovers for the trash man, the carbs did not just come calling; they followed us home. I did not cook for a week. As I put away the Christmas decor, I resolved again to lock out the carbs. I made a tasty vegetable soup with salsa, lean meats and leftover vegetables. I put several servings in the freezer beside the last package of oatmeal cookies. Then we had our annual three days of celebrations: our birthdays and wedding anniversary. First, we dined out on Italian pasta and warm bread. On Hubby’s birthday, he said, “Let’s use that restaurant card.” I hoped the fresh vegetables I had for a snack beforehand would offset the meal. It didn’t. The carbs came calling with his order of fried food. Before his birthday, I asked Hubby, “Do you want a cake for your birthday?”He said, “no,” only to show up with a cake the next day for our anniversary. We had enough leftovers for the carbs to join us in celebrating my birthday early with cake. I did not invite the carbs to my birthday. I made seafood salad to eat with Triscuits. Finally the celebrations ended. Two weeks after everyone else started their new year resolutions, we sat down to a meal of vegetables and lean protein. I will eat healthy. I really will – unless the carbs come calling again.