🧁 Because Frosting Makes the Cake
I was talking to my therapist about self-talk.
See, I’ve got these…’quirks’ (being diplomatic). I drift off, lose track of time, and unwittingly abandon tasks halfway through. It’s not laziness or age or anything like that. I’ve been this way as long as I can remember.
Recently, I realized this is an echo of a coping strategy from my youth. In that context, it was very useful. But I’m no longer in that context.
For years, I labeled myself flakey, spacey, clumsy—pick a pejorative. But I’m tired of feeling bad! I’m ready to start looking at myself with a little more compassion.
So when my therapist asked what I might do instead, out it came: “I guess I can put a little frosting on it.”
Not the delicious, low carb kind—har! Just enough sweetening of those harsh judgments to make it all easier to go down and remind myself these quirks aren’t failures. They’re representative of what once kept me going.
And if I’m still showing up? That’s good enough, in and of itself.
🤔 What is Good Enough, Anyway?
We can almost always find room for self-criticism.
For me lately, it’s that I’m not the ‘Meal Prep Master’ I’d planned on becoming. At times, I’ve found myself asking, “What’s wrong with me, anyway?’ Maybe you have done the same.
But I’m trying to sweeten that self-talk up. And I can certainly acknowledge I am doing some things that are helpful.
My big win lately: as suggested in Making Ends Meat, I buy meat in bulk now. (My local Sav-A-Lot has a ton of options.)
Those irregular cuts of meat that aren’t pretty enough for the normal sale are so much cheaper. My bacon is a little over $2/pound this way. I get strips of ribs and huge bags of chicken. And last trip, I scored a ginormous box of small, irregularly sized pork. Sort of like oversized medallions.
I break these boxes down into bags to freeze. Let one thaw in the fridge, toss the whole batch of meat in the Instant Pot with some broth for about 10 minutes, and boom! I’ve essentially got dinner prepped for the next several days. Each night, I grab what I need for a single meal and crisp it up in the air fryer.
It’s meal prep without a lot of planning or stress—and it works very well. Bonus: I save the broth from each cooking session for the next batch, for soup, or anywhere else I’d use store-bought broth.
So while my system isn’t comprehensive (or even especially a system), it is meal prepping. It does make my life easier. And we are eating healthier because I’m doing it. Plus, we’re saving money while we eat healthy, real food. That’s a win.
🆕 And Recently on LCZen
Since the last time we talked, I’ve been busy!
I completely redesigned the site, basically because I had to admit my site sucked! 😲 So I spent a couple of months and did the hard work, and now, it doesn’t suck so much. (See what I did there? Frosting!) 🤞 Here’s hoping the new design plays nice with this newsletter!
And we’ve got some new-ish content for ya!
- 7 Low Carb BBQ Recipes for When You’re Feeling Saucy
- 7 Low Carb Zucchini Recipes Roundup
- 9 Easy Low Carb Bacon and Zucchini Recipes That Bring the Yum
- EASIEST Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs (and I’m not exaggerating)
Plus, for any budget-conscious folks that would like even more inspiration, I’m running frequent flash sales on DJ Foodie’s books and added an interest-free payment option to make them as accessible as possible. And I hope that frosts somebody’s cake! 🍰
🎂 Beating That Final Frosting
My ‘frosting on it’ metaphor isn’t about covering up flaws. It’s about noticing what’s already working and giving yourself credit for it. A little sweetness on top makes the whole bite easier to swallow—and it’s way more motivating.
Because failure doesn’t drive us forward. Success does. And sometimes success is simply recognizing: this is good enough, and I’m still moving. That’s tasty frosting.
👉 What do you do to make things better, even if it’s not perfect? How might you put a little frosting on that?
