Eat, drink, and be healthy

Usually when we get together for a potluck dinner with our Church friends the theme is gluttony. For example, at a potluck on January 16th, 2006, I ate 86 points* worth of food. It was the day before I started Weight Watchers. My target points for a single day are 30.

For our Labor Day 2006 meal we decided that we should try something different, so we picked a new theme: healthy. Each couple was to bring a dish that would contribute to, rather than detract from, our overall health. The challenge was made. Everyone agreed to come. Here is what happened:

Kristin started things off with a tray of fresh veggies and fresh fruit kabobs, each served with its own dip. The veggie tray included carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas. The onion dip on the side was made with fat free sour cream. The fruit kabobs alternated grapes, pineapple, kiwi fruit, and strawberries. They were served with a vanilla pudding and crushed pineapple dip.

Bonnie came alone as David is dealing with filing deadlines. She also brought an appetizer: reduced fat Wheat Thins served with Philadelphia Cream Cheese Chive and Onion fat free dip. Wheat Thins are a personal favorite, so I parked myself next to this one. Very tasty.

Pete and Mika rounded out the appetizers with a homemade salsa, served with whole wheat tortilla chips. The salsa was made of tomatoes, cilantro, and a lot of lime juice. This was another winner as lime juice makes a salsa. They also brought roasted potatoes, some with parmesan cheese as a small indulgence, others without. The potatoes were very popular; the pan was near empty by the end of the meal.

Sarah and Dayna's contribution to the meal was an incredible Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup. I immediately noticed the presence of rice vinegar, which gives anything a distinctively asian feel. The noodles were egg noodles, the chicken was well cooked, not over-done, and the presence of waterchestnuts - a mistake which turned out for the better - combined with other ingredients to make this dish one of the crowd favorites.

Continuing the asian theme, Zacharia and Fiona brought an asian chicken salad. Greens were combined with chicken cooked in a light sauce, crunchy noodles, nuts, and a light dressing. When it was time to go for seconds, I combined the soup and some of the salad in a single bowl. We all remarked that you could serve these complementary dishes in a single course, and walk away from the table feeling satisfied and unweighed down.

The last dish was one of the most ambitious of the group. Zucchini Moussaka. Our resident greek, Julie, and her faithful sous chef, Bruce, really knows spices and knows how to perfectly spice any dish. The zucchini was layered with ground lamb and beef spiced by her secret blend. It turned out nicely.

A couple of highlights:

Lauren, one of Pete & Mika's twins, was having a rough afternoon. When they arrived she was screaming, when we started eating she was screaming, when I tried to feed her she continued to scream. I eventually took her upstairs, to walk around and try to calm her, so she wouldn't set her sister, McKenzie, into a similar crying fit. While holding her in front of the mirror in our bathroom, I tried to get her to grab my finger to test her grip. She eventually caught it and put it in her mouth. Thinking she was hungry, I expected her to start sucking on my finger. I was surprised when she started gnawing on it, paying special attention to her lower gums. Immediately she stopped crying. I walked downstairs in sort of a daze and said to Mika, her mother, "Is there any way that Lauren is teething?" "At four and a half months," was the reply. Someone else came over, felt her gums and proclaimed, "I can feel a tooth under that gum. She's teething." The mystery of Lauren's bad mood was solved. I held her for the next half an hour alternating my finger and a bottle as she wanted to eat then relax her gums then eat again.

As I mentioned, David had to work so Bonnie came to the party alone. At around 5:00pm the door bell rang. Bonnie, who is 26 weeks pregnant and until this point had been moving at a normal pregnant woman speed, bolted out of her seat and ran down the stairs to get the door. Guess who had gotten off work? David joined us for the rest of the party.

And the biggest bang of them all? Dessert. Julie & Bruce brought a home-made cinnamon toast ice cream, with chunks of cinnamon toast in the ice cream! Zacharia made apple muffins, a recipe he learned from a Japanese lady. Both were delicious and a slight departure from the healthy theme (okay Zacharia's muffins weren't too bad), but definitely worth the slight indulgence. At the end of the night Julie turned to me and said, "We should always have parties like this. The food was so light I didn't feel stuffed going for thirds." Yes, folks, it was that good.

Oh, and we need pics of McKenzie, Tyler, and Colter to round out the group. So here you go.