Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Gratitude ~ An Appetite Suppressant!

Last night at our weekly "supper" at Yoga West, we decided to add some ceremony to the experience.

First we shared our gratitude for the food we were about to eat. Then we took a few moments to acknowledge what our hearts were hungry for ~ and we validated those feelings for each other.

We found the exercise to be emotionally satisfying ~ eliminating feelings that might otherwise be confused as physical hunger.

Not a small thing when it comes to eating!

It's particularly significant because there wasn't a large volume of food to share, but it was certainly quality stuff!

We dined on a salad of sliced cooked beets that had been marinated in rice vinegar, lying on a bed of mixed greens, topped with sliced purple onion (also marinated in vinegar), goat cheese, toasted walnuts, basil, pepper ~ and then topped with a dressing of olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, with a bit of orange juice mixed in.

With that we had flat bread crackers and a tasty guacamole garnished with a generous dose of fresh squeezed lime.

To begin with, it was a very colorful presentation ~ which is also a satisfying element when it comes to food prep.

As we savored our meal, we enjoyed conversation that revolved around sharing all the wonderous aspects of living in these times.

It was both relaxing and nurturing. That's what dining together should be about ~ feeding the body and the spirit!

Why crave more?

1 comment:

Sara said...

Gratitude is indeed an excellent appetite suppressant. The expressions of what our hearts were hungry for was such a satisfying experience. This developed into a beautiful conversation that revolved around each person's input. I felt 'fed' by this experience and enjoyed the ritual before eating.