What’s one thing that you learned in 2020?

2020 was a year full of growth and learning for me. It reminded me how important acceptance and flexibility are.

It forced us at SHiFT to rapidly pivot our business and change the way we deliver our programs and services entirely. None of this was easy, and yet as a team we pulled through and will be stronger going forward as a result. Adversity is nothing new for those of us in recovery though, all of us fight our own battles everyday.

At SHiFT, we are a purpose-driven company, and that purpose is to support people up and out of the depths of food addiction into food freedom. Over the last 26 years we have helped thousands of people do just that and we are immensely dedicated to continue this ground breaking work in 2021, all while tackling whatever new challenges life throws at us.

We continue to believe we are building something special here together with you at SHiFT, and thank each and every one of you for having the courage to let us into your recovery journey. We see you all as members of our family, and strive to have you reciprocate that same sentiment.

We  are excited about the new year and look forward to being in recovery with you, one day at a time. I wish you all much peace, joy and abstinence in 2021. Should you need any help or support, you know where to find us 🙂

Here’s to a beautiful and unique 2021, whatever it ends up looking like.

Happy New Year,

Amanda 

The holidays are right around the corner! I’m not sure about you, but it feels like they crept up so fast this year. No matter how you plan on celebrating the holidays this year, you deserve to be abstinent. That being said, we have provided you with a tasty abstinent Turkey Dinner recipe below.

Remember, no gravy or stuffing**

Holiday Dinner:

Roast Turkey (Butterball tied turkey breast roast in freezer) 

 (0.33lb raw equals approx. 4oz cooked)

Take turkey out of plastic packaging; keep the string wrapped around the turkey.

Throw the gravy mixture away.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.

Place in a crock pot. 2 roasts can go into one crock pot.

Fill your crock pot with chicken broth until it covers about half the turkey. Turn on high and cook for approximately 5 hours. Don’t want to cook much longer as it will dry out. Slice and serve.

Roasted Baby Potatoes 

Serving size – weigh out 6oz raw for every 4oz cooked needed

Heat oven to 375

Cut baby potatoes in half.

Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Place in a single layer on foil & sprayed cookie sheet.

Bake for approx. 45 – 60mins.

Carrot & Turnip Mash

Serving size – weigh out 6oz raw for every 4oz cooked needed

Peel all veg and cut into chunks.

Cut approx. same size so cooks evenly.

Put all in a steamer and steam until soft.

Save the water and use as liquid when mashing.

Mash all together with leftover liquid, salt & pepper.

You can also use veggie or chicken broth as liquid.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

(2lbs uncooked makes about 20oz cooked)

• 2lbs brussels sprouts quartered
• Olive oil spray
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp salt

Heat oven to 400.

Place quartered brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. 

Bake for 20 – 30mins. 

If you prefer crispier, bake longer.

We hope you enjoy this meal should you choose to try it. If you like these recipes, here’s a reminder that you can order our Abstinent Cookbook Here which includes this recipe and many more!

Have a lovely holiday, however you are spending it! From the entire SHiFT Recovery family to you, we wish you and your family health and happiness during this special time.

What is a support system, and why are they effective?

According to Merriam-Webster, Support systems are a network of people who provide an individual with practical or emotional support.

Support systems are so much more than that however. The relapse rate of individuals in recovery with strong support networks has been shown to reduce.

Now why is it that these support networks are a pivotal part of an individual’s ability to remain in recovery?

There are 3 main components that these support networks offer:

1. A sense of community and belonging
2. Accountability and a push to follow through
3. Inspiration and motivation from others 

A sense of community is important as being in recovery can make you feel isolated from those around you. Your normal social groups may have a hard time relating to your struggles, or you may simply not feel comfortable sharing with them. Support networks offer a judgement-free space to talk about your challenges (and successes) in recovery and hear from others going through similar experiences.

Accountability is imperative to any recovery. We need to be held accountable by others who are also going through a similar experience in order to stay the course. It’s much harder to slip up when you have to prove that you’ve done the work you were tasked with. 

Seeing and hearing others stories of recovery and abstinence can be incredibly inspiring and motivate you to push just that little bit harder in times of struggle. This can help provide some perspective and shows that if they can do it, so can you.

When you combine these 3 elements, it is an immensely powerful thing.

At SHiFT Recovery, we are a strong believer in the power of support groups. With the world being the way it is right now, the ability to have physical gatherings isn’t a reality, yet we have pivoted to have regular virtual meetings to continue this support for those who need it.

If you are looking for a support network, please feel free to reach out to us, and we can direct you to the appropriate program/group based on your specific needs.

You’re probably asking yourself – What is Delicious December all about?

Delicious December is a month to celebrate the fact that being abstinent does NOT mean eating boring food. We want to highlight delicious meals that you, our community, are making and enjoying everyday!

Our cooking and food regiment should be consistent, but shouldn’t be bland. So we encourage you: Experiment with a new combination of spices to dress up that chicken breast just right, take those veggies you normally eat steamed and roast them on the barbeque! There are an infinite amount of ways you can make your meals more exciting while remaining abstinent.

On top of cooking these new meals, we will also be challenging you to share your meals with us in the form of a photo. Simply send your picture with some ingredient details in a message to our Facebook Profile here. We also encourage you to use the hashtag #DeliciousDecemberWithShift when posting these images on social media yourself! We are excited to see what everyone comes up with, and look forward to sharing them on our social profiles in order to inspire others!

If you are looking for new recipes and options you can have while remaining abstinent, or even just mixing it up, our Abstinent Cookbook is available for you to purchase online.