As I get older I find that get togethers with friends are more food centered and relaxed than the old party hard. Usually this means potluck and sometimes we do themed meals or sometimes one person cooks all the meals. This eating out is a little different than going to a restaurant and being able to ask for substitutions or to create your own meal. Working in hospitality, we make substitutions all the time no matter how irritating- it’s our job.
Eating at other people’s house is not like eating at a restaurant or at least for me anyway. I don’t like going to someone’s house and seeing a magnificent meal they have prepared and then asking for my own separate meal made because I can’t or don’t eat certain things. My friends’ places are not a restaurant! This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your time out with your close friends and still eat delicious food.
Over this past Christmas, my family and I had several pot lucks appetizer style and my parents cooked dinner most every night and are not paleo. The pot lucks are great because there are so many options and it’s of course not mandatory for you to eat everything. There is always tons of yummy foods that I want to eat but know that I shouldn’t and that’s where your self control comes in. With all of the appetizer options that we had (30 people cooking and bringing in goodies=so many options). I ate my fill of vegetables with dips and hummus, lamb meatballs, cured meats, fruit and tastes of a few appetizers with bread but all in moderation.
With my parents cooking it was a little difficult since I did not want a separate meal made for me and some of the food was made with flour and I of course could not pass up my grandma’s potato dinner rolls. This just meant everything in moderation! I would share a roll with my brother or take smaller portions. I knew when I felt full and did not over indulge but taking another helping just because and it was actually a satisfying feeling knowing that my self control had increased. Instead of feeling overly full and sleepy, I felt satisfied and energized- energized enough to do the dishes and play endless games of Bananagrams.
Eating out doesn’t have to be a hard thing and there are always options. Even though I do not ask for separate meals, I still stick pretty close to my meal needs and do come prepared with some medicine to help my insides digest some of the foods that are tough on my body.
Tip of the Day: Don’t over indulge. Get recipes so that you can modify snacks and meals to fit your meals or just take a taste of something. Potluck and appetizer parties are supposed to be just that, a taste of everything!
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