Oops, maybe I didn’t win Thanksgiving after all

Remember the four turkeys’ worth of bones and giblets that I got at the end of the Thanksgiving party I went to and immediately froze when I got home? I’m afraid it’s unsafe to eat and needs to be thrown out.

NOOOOO!!!!

Juanita feels my pain.

The day after the party, I ate the giblets and some other leftovers, no problem. Then, later in the week I made a turkey soup with some of the bones. I ate that soup and other leftovers for the next two days, again no problem, and then finished off the last of it on the fourth day. That night, roughly four hours after dinner, I got really bad stomach cramps and felt nauseous while trying to fall asleep. I did manage to sleep, though not well, without incident and felt better in the morning. I figured it was because the leftovers had been kind of old, and honestly I hadn’t exactly followed safe food preparation rules. For example, I let the turkey bones thaw at room temperature rather than in the fridge. And after the soup cooked, I let it cool at room temperature (and forgot it on the counter overnight…) before putting it in the fridge. Granted, room temperature is pretty chilly these days since I’m cheap and haven’t used my heater yet this season, but I still don’t think it’s within safe food storage temperatures. So yeah, my bad, I figured.

This week I made another batch of turkey soup with some bones and a neck to make a nice flavorful broth. I was very careful to prepare everything properly this time, thawing the turkey in the fridge on Tuesday, simmering it for many hours on Wednesday and then promptly refrigerating it, and heating it up on the stove with some added vegetables on Thursday, after which I promptly ate it and put the leftovers back in the fridge. But, like last time, roughly four hours later while I was trying to fall asleep I got severe stomach cramps and felt nauseous. And this time I wasn’t able to sleep it off, and unfortunately was sick. Thankfully it was over quickly, and a couple hours later I fell asleep and felt better in the morning.

So, yeah. I conclude that my beloved turkey hates me. Why must it be a one-sided relationship?? Throwing all that out is going to be really hard. Much harder than the little cakes and cookies so many people felt that I wasted in my last blog.

Speaking of my last blog, it sparked quite the comment thread on Facebook! I know everyone was trying to be helpful, and I apologize for replying negatively, sarcastically, and passive-aggressively. It’s just really hard, what I’m trying to do for my health, and I felt like I was being misunderstood and criticized. That plus a number of other things going on in my life were making me have a super stressful day, so it was particularly hard on me to feel like I was getting negative feedback for something that had been difficult but that I was proud of accomplishing. I appreciate the advice, and will definitely consider taking some of your suggestions. I will also continue trying to do what I think is best for myself. Sometimes you just need to put your own health first!