If I'm supplying a dessert for a dinner party, I can guarantee that I will bring something along the lines of cake, crisp/pie or ice cream. After all, who doesn't love to eat tasty baked foods or cold and creamy ice cream. Convenient too, it's so easy to pick up dessert, the bakery department and the freezer is always stocked at the grocery store.
However, something changed this week; I decided to do something different. I decided that any occasion when I'm tasked to bringing food, I'm going to bring food that works for me; I'm going to bring healthy food.
Tonight we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house for dinner. The plans came together quickly, so SIL suggested ordering pizza; I offered to supply the rest.
There wasn't going to be much time before dinner for appetizers, so I bought a small container of Japanese Rice Crackers. To help fill up my stomach with food other than pizza, I made a salad. For dessert, I put together a platter of fresh fruit (orange slices, grapes and strawberries) with vanilla flavoured Greek yogurt for dipping. To break the fruit platter ice, I brought frozen cookie dough that happened to be in our freezer.
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| Japanese Rice Crackers- can't overeat on these |
I know many of us are uncomfortable with the idea of serving healthy "diet" food to friends and family.Why is that? Why do we put ourselves in the position of deciding between sabotaging our own effort or missing out? Why do we assume that no one else would want to eat a healthier dessert? Why do we assume that fresh fruit won't taste good enough?
I don't have all the answers, but this is what I know: I don't want to sabotage my eating or miss out. No longer will I assume that a lighter, fresher option will not be appreciated. And I know that fresh fruit with Greek yogurt will be devoured just a quickly as an ice cream sundae and I figured, if dinner guests don't want to eat the fruit - they can always eat a fresh baked cookie.
How about you? Do you serve "healthy food" to your dinner party guests?
Isn't that so true!? For dessert @ the Superbowl I bought store bought cupcakes. What is wrong with me? But you're exactly right.
ReplyDeleteThis is so important because we really can make a difference in the lives of other people by introducing them to different, healthier ideas when it comes to food!
ReplyDeleteI stocked my mom's refrigerator with cooked and prepped food for her husband's extended family (coming for 4 days). Almost everything I took was actual food that I would eat myself. (The only exception was crackers, bread.) they were appreciative of the quality of the food. It was actual food. It was colorful and beautiful and tasty. It was nutritionally based. The refrigerator was stocked. No one was going to be bloated or feel bad because of it.
ReplyDeleteI totally will serve healthier food to people....because that's a great way to love them!
ReplyDeleteI'm changing my ways, too, with regard to what I take. I try to take less fatty things, or fruit, or a veggie tray. Hopefully I can stick to that!
ReplyDeleteIs your GI system doing any better?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think I need to do a bunch of things to keep things moving: drink water, eat fruits and veggies, HMF probiotics seems to help and eating lots of fiber-rich grains.
DeleteEating a fast food meal seems to stop things. Like a pizza. Probably a combination of eating a low quality food, less fiber and eating less vegetables. Prolonged eating of questionable food just prolongs the lack of movement.
It's another reason that processed food is not worth it.