Dinner Parties- Paleo Style
Do you enjoy the Paleo LIfestyle but feel uncomfortable hosting a dinner party with guests who may not? I've come across this issue with many clients who feel the need to buy or cook things they'd never normally have in the house, simply because their friends 'Bob & Jane don't do Paleo'!
Flip that around- what a great opportunity to show your friends how balanced, delicious and comprehensive a Paleo Meal can be! No one ever died from not having bread rolls at a meal, or not stuffing their face with creamy salad dressing or filling an already too full belly with cake!
Depending on how picky your guests are, you may want to employ some of the following tactics to help the evening flow along nicely!
-DON'T point out to your guests all the things that you're NOT serving. Let their attention be drawn to all the colorful, lovely foods you ARE serving.
-DO choose some of your favorite dishes to serve, preferable ones you've made before that you know are a hit every time!
-DO include a few courses, so that guests see that Paleo eating does cover all the bases. I typically start a dinner party with crudites & home made guacamole, a platter with grapes and raw nuts and cinnamon dusted sliced apples, as well as an olive tray (buy your olives with the pit still in as they will be more fresh). I follow that with Salad, then a veg or two (or three!) with a protein. I conclude with fresh berries or melon, drizzled with lemon juice and some toasted chopped walnuts, for example.
-DON'T begin a preachy diatribe about why you eat the way you do. If someone asks me, I'm happy to share, however I would not want guests to feel as though I'm forcing anything upon them any more than I'd want someone to force me to eat a plate of cheese if I were at their home!
-DO make a mental note of how your guests may comment on the way out that they feel satisfied, but not stuffed (you're not going to get that awful "Thanksgiving stuffing feeling" eating this way! : )
It's your home, and you eat the Paleo way you eat for your health and enjoyment, so why not share that with those you like enough to come to your home to enjoy a meal?
