I hope it’s been an enjoyable Thanksgiving week for everyone. We’ve had David’s mom join us this past week both to celebrate the holiday (and her upcoming birthday) and meet the little one. Charlotte stayed home from day care most days to get some extra time with Grandma, which has been so fun for her (though it’s a handful having both home at the same time for five days). Her energy is hard to match with the limited sleep we’re getting with a one-month-old. He’s four weeks old this week!
I took a back seat on the Thanksgiving prep and menu planning this year. My only contribution was a pecan pie (made with store-bought crust because I don’t have the time, energy, or kitchen space to roll out a homemade pie crust at the moment. I used this recipe, and it was fabulous.
Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:
Weekly Menu Plan
(In case you need ideas or inspiration):
Monday: Bell pepper and tofu stir fry, bok choy
Tuesday: spinach quiche, green beans
Wednesday: homemade mac & cheese with bechamel sauce, broccoli & kale slaw
Thursday: Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans, pecan pie
Friday: Thanksgiving leftovers
Saturday: Chili, corn bread, and roasted carrots
Some of the things I’ve been reading this week:
What is considered middle class where you live?
28 pie charts that show female representation in the food world
Calling out the restaurant and food industry’s response to sexual harassment
Books I’ve read this week:
Title: The Not So Subtle Art of Being a Fat Girl
Author: Tess Holliday
Date: 2017
Format: ebook
I read this book almost entirely by the blue glow of my iphone, in ebook format, nursing Will in the dark, late hours of the night. It was a good book to dip into and step back out of at short intervals, interesting, with a quick pace, but nothing that’s going to keep my mind racing when I try to fall back asleep.
I picked this book up as part of my professional interest in body-positive literature, especially narratives written from an individual’s perspective of living in a larger body. I’m constantly looking for books to recommend to my clients. I’m not convinced it’s one I’m going to recommend frequently, though I’m glad I read it. I do, however, think her Instagram is worth following.
The book is full of interesting anecdotes and unusual, often intense life events from Holliday’s past. She shares a lot about her experiences with trauma, including rape, domestic violence (putting it mildly), and family and relationship struggles. It might be difficult to read if those topics are triggering or feel like raw wounds, though it could also be a helpful book for those who are healing from similar traumas. I wanted to hear more about her experience of being a fat girl, growing up in her body and navigating our world. Her career as a model and her expression of her personality through her tattoos are both covered extensively, but the narrative reads as more of an explanation and illustration of the events of her life in a matter-of-fact timeline, rather than a discussion of the themes and ideas behind her experiences and body positivity.
