JANE FINDS JOY IN THE KITCHEN
My weight loss journey in Sobriety
In my early introspective months of sobriety , and like many of my sober sisters , I eagerly formed new rituals to soothe my recovery . Amongst other things , I discovered a richness to my time in the kitchen . I began to reconnect with feeding my body and nourishing my soul . 8 years ago my business partner shared how she learned to slow down and turn her meal prep into meditation time . She carved out 20 minutes in the morning , after school drop off , to mindfully chop her vegetables . At the time I really didn ’ t understand what she was talking about but now I fully appreciate that sentiment . Small things like chopping a carrot , or stirring a stew can become meditative . Plus the aroma that fills the house towards the end of the day is grounding . The “ I ’ ve got this ” moment . It ’ s a gift to feel present at mealtimes with no other agenda . Drinking had wreaked havoc on my body balance . Empty calories followed by an insatiable appetite for carbs and I ’ d throw exercise at it to keep my weight down . In early 2021 I successfully project - managed a new kitchen into being . There isn ’ t a snowball ’ s chance in hell that I could have done that properly had I still been under the influence . So it turns out that waking up hangover free has given me back my kitchen mojo . I take time to pour over my cookbooks , magazines and menu plan . Breakfast rules and I no longer find myself thrashing around the kitchen at dinnertime . I ’ ve gone from scattered to ( mostly ) organized and as a working mom and gladly pull out my Instant Pot to help me through the week . I have replaced my buckets of 5pm wine with an Æcorn NOgroni or a glass of Nosecco . Put simply - it is SO MUCH EASIER . Cheers to the joy of cooking and here are some of my summer favorites this year for you to enjoy !
Before April 14th 2020 , by 5 pm you would have found me in the kitchen with my Santoku knife in one hand and a freshly filled wine glass in the other ( and not necessarily my first ). This had become my most accomplished ritual and a picture of sophistication , or so I thought . But in the previous winter of 2019 and in my darkest moments the booze had also become breakfast . To give you an idea of how inextricably linked food and alcohol were for me , 16 years ago we planned our entire honeymoon around gourmet dining and drinking in the Basque town of San Sebastián where el gin - tonic is served in a glass the size of a small goldfish bowl . And for the past 9 years I ’ ve co - owned a spice manufacturing business , so ingredients and recipes are my things . Here ’ s a glimpse into how I lost and rediscovered my kitchen mojo . Latterly the joy of cooking had all but vanished , my heart no longer in it . Each step was more protracted ; shopping with a hangover was nauseating , boredom would set in halfway through a recipe , and the enjoyment of eating could be measured only by the unfettered access to my next glass of wine .
On
the
one
hand ,
staying
home
and
cooking perfect opportunity to hide myself away in sneaky drinking mode where I believed I was free to imbibe with abandon . On the other hand , dining out gave me the freedom to overindulge in plain sight . Socially acceptable , right ? dinner was the
| AUGUS T 202 1 • HOL A SOB E R |
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