My friend Joseph Cuevas, a local glass artist, is also a pretty amazing foodie. We met at a local monthly potluck club, where his creations are always favorites with the crowd. So when he invited me over for Thanksgiving and posted the menu for a paleo-Mediterranean dinner (see below), there was no way I could say no!
As we got ready to serve, it became evident that there were not going to be enough plates to go around, so one of the guests started hunting for a solution. She found some sushi plates.
And I loved them! Because they were smaller, I automatically served myself smaller portions in order to have room on my plate for a bite of everything. I had seconds, but because I had to stand up and go to the kitchen for more food, it gave me a bit of a mindfulness break to think about what I really wanted.
That brings me to my next point. Having a buffet set up away from the table made a major difference. No picking at food because it was in front of me. I did eat more than I normally do, but far less than I usually do when it's all set out in front of me.
Two simple things that can make a huge difference. Think about trying them come Christmas dinner!
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Joseph's Paleo-Mediterranean Dinner Menu
Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with a pecan Shrimp cocktail with your choice of cocktail sauce or a zaatar oil Antipasto plate Spinach with garlic, raisins and pine nuts Turducken Cranberry Sauce Parsnip & Turnip mash Roasted Broccoli Tostones topped with ribeye Homemade biscuits (gluten free) Garlic & Mushroom Sweet potato salad Red Sangria Virgin Sangria Lavender-Lemon coconut milk ice cream Vanilla-Cardamom whoopie pies
Joseph's spinach is one of my favorites that he makes
But I made sure to leave room for dessert!