Mentally Healthy Foods

NewLIFEstyle4ME

Thinking about the topic/thread just popped up https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10171040/foods-you-wish-they-would-bring-back#latest (this didn't seem to fit in that topic), made me think of this dish (haven't thought of this dish in more years than I care to consider--in MANY MANY moons and suddenly thought of it now ) we used to eat (well, "some" of my siblings used to eat--I would "taste" it and though it did taste terrific, I wouldn't get over the "looks" of it) on special days or as one of the dishes we would eat when it was really hot outside ( my mother called "cold dinners"). She really loved this dish, and as per so many fabulous meals/dishes of my youth I wouldn't TOUCH (let alone eat), because of the way it looked...




https://myblessedlife.net/2011/06/southern-ambrosia-salad.html


https://realhousemoms.com/ambrosia-salad/



Ambrosia Salad

I'm going to make this dish soon!

jo_nz

Thinking about this made it clear that my family enjoys sweet treats for special occasions....

I feel nostalgic when I have favourites of various family members:
My mum - neenish tarts, apple turnovers, Frys chocolate cream bars.
My grandad - pancakes rolled up with whipped cream inside, hard caramels, crystalised ginger, and basically anything sweet (he loved all sweets and slices). Also, it still makes me laugh when I go to cafes and there is sugar on the tables...he always drank black, unsweetened tea at home, but added milk and sugar when he bought tea out at a cafe - had to get his money's worth LOL)
My gran - shortbread and other sweet biscuits (cookies)

I don't have any of these often at all, but they have very strong memory associations for me.

Spadesheart

NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »

Thinking about the topic/thread just popped up https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10171040/foods-you-wish-they-would-bring-back#latest (this didn't seem to fit in that topic), made me think of this dish (haven't thought of this dish in more years than I care to consider--in MANY MANY moons and suddenly thought of it now ) we used to eat (well, "some" of my siblings used to eat--I would "taste" it and though it did taste terrific, I wouldn't get over the "looks" of it) on special days or as one of the dishes we would eat when it was really hot outside ( my mother called "cold dinners"). She really loved this dish, and as per so many fabulous meals/dishes of my youth I wouldn't TOUCH (let alone eat), because of the way it looked...




https://myblessedlife.net/2011/06/southern-ambrosia-salad.html


https://realhousemoms.com/ambrosia-salad/



Ambrosia Salad

I'm going to make this dish soon!

...man I haven't thought about this for years... definitely a summer treat!

Spadesheart

I feel like everyone has like a childhood restaurant that their parents would get food from often that's kind of special. We owned a motel growing up, and we used to keep flyers for some restaurants in our lobby. The owners of the restaurants would usually give us a good discount for it. We kept a flyer from this pizza place, and in return the owner would give us 2 large pizzas, 4 toppings each, with 2 pounds of wings for 20 bucks. The wings were, and still are the best in town, but the pizza then was always so cheesy, and I loved it. There was some ineffable quality as well that I still can't put my finger on. The owner wasn't even Italian, he was greek.

Unfortunately, the owner sold the business to a new person, and he slowly kind of ruined the pizza. I went back to my home town a few years ago and tried it. I was severely saddened on how *kitten* it was. At least the wings were still good. I have had so much pizza. So much great pizza of all different types; Windsor style, Detroit style, Chicago style, New York style, Neapolitan wood fired, and the list goes on. All delicious, but none the same.

I thought thats where this story ended, but I took a roadtrip to Ottawa a year or two ago and went to this old school pizza place kind of off the beaten path. You know the place. The decor looked like it hadn't changed since the 70s, with tons of...stuff hanging up everywhere, and faded pictures from the owners glory days. It was a sit down, and we got the pizza there. I took a bite, and somehow, it had that flavour. That ineffable flavour. It was so immediately apparent, and took me back so quickly. I almost wanted to cry. I ate so much of it, and had the rest the next day.

I haven't been back to Ottawa since, but I really look forward to the next excuse I do have to go back, secretly just so I can have the pizza of my childhood again. Here's hoping no new owner ruins it anytime soon.

Spadesheart

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

My mother cooked a banana pudding a certain way which always delighted me. She died in 1987. Several times afterward I tried to recreate her banana pudding. Every time, something was not right. When I thought I was close, my sisters could tell it was not. My dad remarried and eventually he also died in 2005. Last Christmas my wife and I went to visit my step-mom at her home. While visiting, our conversation sparked her to remember that she had a cookbook that my dad had brought into the house when he married her. She found that cookbook in a cabinet and gave it to me. Inside it on a scrap of paper in my mother's writing was a list of ingredients for her banana pudding!

Mentally healthy? Absolutely.

What was the secret? What were you doing wrong with yours?

NewLIFEstyle4ME

Spadesheart wrote: »

NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »

Thinking about the topic/thread just popped up https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10171040/foods-you-wish-they-would-bring-back#latest (this didn't seem to fit in that topic), made me think of this dish (haven't thought of this dish in more years than I care to consider--in MANY MANY moons and suddenly thought of it now ) we used to eat (well, "some" of my siblings used to eat--I would "taste" it and though it did taste terrific, I wouldn't get over the "looks" of it) on special days or as one of the dishes we would eat when it was really hot outside ( my mother called "cold dinners"). She really loved this dish, and as per so many fabulous meals/dishes of my youth I wouldn't TOUCH (let alone eat), because of the way it looked...




https://myblessedlife.net/2011/06/southern-ambrosia-salad.html


https://realhousemoms.com/ambrosia-salad/



Ambrosia Salad

I'm going to make this dish soon!

...man I haven't thought about this for years... definitely a summer treat!

I know right?!? I'm going to try this, but will use fresh cherries instead of maraschino cherries, use fresh cutie/darling/cutiepie little oranges/tangerines, fresh pineapple instead of canned one and I'll use almond, cashew or some other nut butter based whip cream (for even more flavor that I like) and will include walnuts and pecans too. Uhhh....YUM, can hardly wait to try it after allllllll these years!

Spadesheart

NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »

Spadesheart wrote: »

NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »

Thinking about the topic/thread just popped up https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10171040/foods-you-wish-they-would-bring-back#latest (this didn't seem to fit in that topic), made me think of this dish (haven't thought of this dish in more years than I care to consider--in MANY MANY moons and suddenly thought of it now ) we used to eat (well, "some" of my siblings used to eat--I would "taste" it and though it did taste terrific, I wouldn't get over the "looks" of it) on special days or as one of the dishes we would eat when it was really hot outside ( my mother called "cold dinners"). She really loved this dish, and as per so many fabulous meals/dishes of my youth I wouldn't TOUCH (let alone eat), because of the way it looked...




https://myblessedlife.net/2011/06/southern-ambrosia-salad.html


https://realhousemoms.com/ambrosia-salad/



Ambrosia Salad

I'm going to make this dish soon!

...man I haven't thought about this for years... definitely a summer treat!

I know right?!? I'm going to try this, but will use fresh cherries instead of maraschino cherries, use fresh cutie/darling/cutiepie little oranges/tangerines, fresh pineapple instead of canned one and I'll use almond, cashew or some other nut butter based whip cream (for even more flavor that I like) and will include walnuts and pecans too. Uhhh....YUM, can hardly wait to try it after allllllll these years!

If I were to do it, I'd stick with the canned Clementines. Getting the Supremes would be a nightmare, and the skin texture might be unpleasant.

Cherry pie filling might also work really well? Folded in at the end so you get a red swirl All around better flavour than maraschino, but it still has that texture of the cooked cherry. Though you might have to go light with it as it could easily overpower the tutti-frutti flavour. Failing that, maybe washed off so it's just the fruit?

Nut butter whipped cream sounds awesome! Do you buy that or do you have some sort of maker? I've seen coconut whipped cream, but never anything else.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

Spadesheart wrote: »

NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »

Spadesheart wrote: »

NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »

Thinking about the topic/thread just popped up https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10171040/foods-you-wish-they-would-bring-back#latest (this didn't seem to fit in that topic), made me think of this dish (haven't thought of this dish in more years than I care to consider--in MANY MANY moons and suddenly thought of it now ) we used to eat (well, "some" of my siblings used to eat--I would "taste" it and though it did taste terrific, I wouldn't get over the "looks" of it) on special days or as one of the dishes we would eat when it was really hot outside ( my mother called "cold dinners"). She really loved this dish, and as per so many fabulous meals/dishes of my youth I wouldn't TOUCH (let alone eat), because of the way it looked...




https://myblessedlife.net/2011/06/southern-ambrosia-salad.html


https://realhousemoms.com/ambrosia-salad/



Ambrosia Salad

I'm going to make this dish soon!

...man I haven't thought about this for years... definitely a summer treat!

I know right?!? I'm going to try this, but will use fresh cherries instead of maraschino cherries, use fresh cutie/darling/cutiepie little oranges/tangerines, fresh pineapple instead of canned one and I'll use almond, cashew or some other nut butter based whip cream (for even more flavor that I like) and will include walnuts and pecans too. Uhhh....YUM, can hardly wait to try it after allllllll these years!

If I were to do it, I'd stick with the canned Clementines. Getting the Supremes would be a nightmare, and the skin texture might be unpleasant.

Cherry pie filling might also work really well? Folded in at the end so you get a red swirl All around better flavour than maraschino, but it still has that texture of the cooked cherry. Though you might have to go light with it as it could easily overpower the tutti-frutti flavour.

Nut butter whipped cream sounds awesome! Do you buy that or do you have some sort of maker? I've seen coconut whipped cream, but never anything else.

I'll definitely use the canned clementines instead and will seriously consider the cherry pie filling--but fresh cherries sounds sooooo GOOD. I think one of the reasons I didn't like it way back when was the maraschino cherries...I never really liked them that much. Back then, we didn't have the choice of fresh fruits all year long, just fruits that were in season only. I'm going to make the nut butter whipped cream myself. Also, I'm going to use green and red grapes, instead of the just green grapes my mother used to use. Also, I'll use some fresh coconut flakes too. Thanks for the tips, you ROCK, period.

raymax4

blast from the past

amart4224

My "mentally healthy" foods:

Chicken flavor instant ramen. Reminds me of nights in my college dorm when the roomies and I would make a big pot of it and sit in a circle on the floor sharing it among 3 or 4 of us.

Pop tarts. Not allowed in my house growing up as they had too much sugar, but my aunt always had a stock of them at her house and eating them there was a special treat. I still feel a little naughty eating a Pop tart 😂

__TMac__

Great thread!

From my Dad:
* Pancakes with strawberries and plain homemade yogurt on top
* Sticky buns (flaky biscuits spiraled with cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans — not really very sticky)

From my Mom:
* Cornbread, sausage, apple stuffing at holidays
* Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
* Warm banana bread with butter

From my grandmother:
* Instant coffee. I usually prefer French press coffee, but when I need a little comfort, I dig out the instant.