07/16/2026
I made my familyās arancini recipe last week š®š¹
Loaded with dairy.
Gluten.
Fried.
The whole delicious situation.
And as someone who has spent the last decade navigating MCAS, gut issues, inflammation, and a very complicated relationship with food⦠meals like this used to send me straight into my head.
The word ābadā would pop up immediately.
Bad ingredients.
Bad choice.
Bad for my body.
And honestly? That mindset is exhausting.
But this year felt different.
I make this recipe once a year for my auntās birthday.
It takes forever.
Itās a whole production.
And they are delicious as hell.
And for the first time in a long time, while I was making them, the word ābadā didnāt come up.
The word that came up was:
Resilience. šŖš¼
Because that was always the goal.
Not perfection.
Not eating pristinely forever.
Not living in fear of every bite.
The goal was to build enough resilience in my body that I could enjoy the rice balls, the w**e, the ice cream cake, the memories, the people⦠and not pay for it for a week after.
If chronic illness has made your relationship with food feel complicated, I just want to remind you:
You are not healing so you can be perfect forever! You are healing so you can enjoy your life again. š¤
Resilience was always the goal.