Our house is still awash with baked goodies—rum cake, all sorts of cookies, focaccia, and panettone, but it is time to put the brakes on the endless eating. Oh, I have enjoyed it, the prime rib, the silky mashed potatoes, bagels and lox for breakfast, chips and dip, and wine. Lest these old food friends make me gain back the 22 lbs. I have lost, I need to put some sanity back into my kitchen. Ignoring most of the bounty, we make red lentils spiced with lots of fresh ginger, onions, and garlic plus the leftover creamed spinach which we have carefully shed of its cheese-y top layer.

My suggestion for you? Don’t wait until January 2 to start eating healthily. You can do a lot of damage in a week. Start today and by January 2 you will have lost all the Christmas bloat.

Red lentils with ginger (and a dollop of yogurt) plus creamed spinach