Celebrating Mother's Day

I've been preparing for today for at least at week. Mother's Day is more than just a celebration of the moms in our family. It's also a celebration of food. Everyone pitches in to bring a dish, whether it be a dewberry pie or frying up the main entree: chicken.

It's been 91 days since I made a commitment to myself. No more animal products. Okay, so I loosened up the restriction after about two months in to just no meat of any kind. The only animal product I had not been to kick completely and am currently consuming sparingly is cheese.

This Mother's Day will be a challenge for me. Among the food will be some of my old favorites: fried chicken, dressing (with chicken), twice-baked potatoes (with bacon and cheese) and pea salad (with eggs).

Today is also the first time to see most of my extended family in over five and a half months. My grandma already told me the other day, "You can have a little fried chicken. It's Mother's Day!"

I may have to explain why I've decided to make these choices, my journey the last 91 days and why I plan to pass on some of my all-time favorite dishes. I'll be eating my vegan quiche and roasted potatoes while I do, though.