We made it. Welcome to 2023! Have we ever had this much discourse around a New Year? Between the IN and OUT lists peppering the feed (and subsequent backlash), and the problematization of resolutions, there are a lot of opinions circulating on how we should and shouldn’t be considering and acting in a New Year. Sure, I believe that putting undue pressure on ourselves is not the path to sustainable change, but what is a more natural time to build awareness and take inventory of our habits than the start of a new calendar year? A new year sparks wonder, possibility, and hope - which are uplifting emotions to feel, so why not ride the wave.
I didn’t come into 2022 with much thought or intention, and my harmful habits began to take their hold pretty quickly. For most of the year, I was swinging between two extremes: health and destruction. Once the lockdown and restrictions we had been living with for two years were finally put to ease, I found it hard to re-enter as the person I had been building (or coming home to) during isolation, so I reverted back to the person I was pre-March 13 2020. My smoking started to pick back up again, my boundaries became permeable, my weekends were spent drinking and recovering and the shame became unbearable. I felt like a total hypocrite since I was making my way through the latter half of my nutrition coursework and building my holistic health business online. What was most disappointing in all of this was that some of my bad habits were impeding on my good habits - yoga classes were skipped, plans I had made for day were abandoned, and I wasn’t showing up my best. I have some perfectionist tendancies and this juxtaposition was triggering to me, but through processing with my therpaist, naturopath, and accupuncturist, I’ve been able to start practicing self-compassion and frame all of this as information instead of failure.
This year, starting with the winter solstice, I started to take stock, to make intentions and get clear on my vision for 2023. This lead to a much more introspective week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve (with lots of journaling) whereas in the past it would be a time to cut loose, spend my Christmas cash, and do a ton of socializing as a form of release. It became very clear to me during this time that drinking needed to be cut from the menu for January. Not out of punishment or guilt, but out of my desire to keep up the things that light me up and make me feel more like myself: waking up early, going for a run, meditating daily, cooking all of my meals, finishing my crochet project, and newly: working with my case study clients, which is not doable with a hangover. This is a pretty big health and career revelation for me which is probably going to re-frame my relationship with drinking more permanently as I build my business. In the past when I had done dry jan, I was jonesing for Chardonnay at every turn because my intentions were external - lose weight, better skin, everyone else is doing it. Now that I have my why, it feels exciting, like I’m venturing into unknown territory.
Other things that are helping:
Healthier Together Sober Curious Series - A three week podcast series that started last week which takes deep dive into the physiological, and social implications of drinking and not drinking, I’m already learning SO much.
Quit Like A Woman - Not to be so Miranda in AJLT era, but I read this book by Holly Whitaker two years ago and am considering doing a re-read. What I found most interesting is how she writes about the culture of drinking through an anti-capitalist and feminist framework.
Mocktails - My go-to is: ice, a spash of apple cider vinegar, a splash of kombucha, and a dropper full of herbal tincture topped with sparkling water. I also love Carley Nadine's Adrenal Cocktail.
Support - Quite a few of my friends are on the same page this year which has made it much easier. Reaching out to friends who are taking the month off means that your hangouts won’t imply drinking or that you have to explain yourself. You can start to create new ways of connecting and also talk it through with people who get it.
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Apologies for the harsh transition lol. This week’s recipe was too fun make and eat. A happy accident, I had made some mashed sweet potatoes to have with steak and there was quite a bit leftover. I was robbed of a latke feast this holiday season so I had potato pancakes on my mind. These are in NO WAY reminiscent of latkes, this anecdote is purely for context's sake. These are *pancakes*, not fritters - so they are soft (but hearty), not crispy. We ate these with a bitter green salad of radicchio, endive, and arugula with a honey mustard dressing and a bit of smoked trout folded in. Not pictured is the goat milk sour cream that I realized we had half way through (highly recommended) and the dill pickles I cursed myself for forgetting to include on the side. My green out sauce would also be a great accompaniment. You can totally make these with regular mashed potatoes or any other root veg mash - carrot and parsnip is a family favourite. You could (should?) also freestyle the herbs and cheese. Let me know if you come up with any choice combos!
2.5 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs
½ cup flour (I used red fife, you could use all purpose, 1:1 gluten free, spelt, or cassava)
1 bunch cilantro chopped
3 scallions chopped
½ cup goat cheddar
Salt
Pepper
Butter and olive oil for frying
Heat your oven to 325. In a large bowl crack the eggs and whisk until the white and yolk are one. Add the flour and sweet potatoes and stir with a fork until homogenous. Fold in the cilantro, scallions, goat cheddar, and season well with salt and pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium-high and melt a nob of butter and a small glug of olive oil. Take a ¼ cup worth of the sweet potato mixture and form a fat pancake with your hands (a bit messy - sorry!) gently add to the skillet and repeat 3-4 times ensuring they have enough space to breath. Cook on one side until the bottom is browned and then flip, gently flattening the pancake out on the second side. Cook until brown on the other side and then slide them onto a sheet pan and throw into the oven. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Once all of the pancakes have been cooked leave in the oven for another 5 minutes then serve with your condiments of choice.