How to make your standard fare seem special

When you're on a limited diet - special occasions are harder. I'm prone to lamenting what treats we cannot have, or indulging because, "it's only one day." Here are some techniques we've found to make things "special" without feeling lousy in the process!

Presentation

Maybe it is your usual soup, or jello, or squash, but if it is in a special shape or special dish - all of a sudden it seems more of a treat than usual. For Easter we made our usual jello (we eat it daily right now) but I put it into these cute little molds. My DD was thrilled! We also had pavlova in the shape of a bunny. We have seashell dishes and fancy china bowls. Even just grabbing some fresh herbs and putting a garnish on the plate makes it look a little nicer. A lot of things I look to take a little extra time, such as making zucchini noodles instead of the usual chunks, but the love and joy it brings is well worth it.

Save certain foods for holidays

 We get enough steaks with our side of beef to have steak once a month! Yet I usually save them for a special occasion. There is one almost every month anyway, so it makes meal planning a little easier. Bacon is a treat too, as it is expensive for us. Maybe for holidays you splurge and get extra brussells sprouts or a fresh version of something your mostly have frozen.

Gather around special people

Friends make the party sometimes. It may have been taco salad, without tomatoes as I'm off all nightshades, but it was with my family. Taking the focus off the food and just spending it with other people is a wonderful thing while on special diets.

Celebrate in other ways

Sing songs, decorate, play games, and make it fun without changing the food. My daughter will be hunting for pennies in her eggs, and was just thrilled with some new books to read. She doesn't mind when others around her are having fancy desserts, just a few little things make her day.

Be ok with being low-key
Sometimes, with all the stress of living on a special diet, the best thing to do is to let go of Holidays being a big affair. Relax, let them be low key, and treasure the blessings you have.

How do you handle special occasions?