Dinner Party...

Brownski860

HELP!!! I have out of town family that flew in for a surprise visit. I'm a fantastic cook, but now that i'm on a diet and under 1200/day, what the heck can i serve that is filling, tastes delicious but wont screw me over at the same time?
I was thinking prosciutto and spinach stuffed chicken (baked/no skin) with sweet potatoes and veggies?
Honestly, I'm totally craving PASTA!! LOL
Also - How do I get through hanging out with them all weekend? We are spending afternoons/evenings at family members house with tons of food on the table to snack on. You know how Italians do it!
Looking forward to your suggestions and encouragement to get through the weekend!

LivyJo

i personally hate the word diet. it implies that there is an end to the healthy eating and exercise that's happening in your life right now. stressing out over what you'll eat is really what could cause you to fall of the wagon in the end. Life is full of surprises, so enjoy yourself and being with family, get an early workout in each day, and don't stress about the whole situation. just eat in moderation and make mostly good choices. have fun and when they leave, get back on track!

kylakesgal

Your menu sounds delicious. I would make sure you had lots of low calorie snack foods available such as fresh fruits, veggies and dip, spinach dip possibly, unsalted almonds, etc. Have you tried the whole wheat pastas? Oh my goodness, my family even likes it better!! With some planning, you can fix a nice pasta dish that doesn't have that many calories:) Also you could fill up on a huge salad too. Good luck to you and avoiding the temptations!

ellenangel

If you are craving pasta, make pasta! Your menu sounds great. I would do a lasagne and replace a layer of noodles with eggplant slices, and a cheese layer with a mix made of cottage cheese, frozen/thawed chopped spinach and an egg to bind it. I only ever make vegetarian lasagne and this works great! With a giant salad on the side is really good meal for friends.

Second the idea of low calorie foods on hand too- for a started, you could do something like vegetable soup, or little antipasto plates with garlic mushrooms, caprese skewers...all easy to make low-calorie and go with Italian theme.

Desserts can be easy- meringues or biscotti are delicious, especially with all the great berries in season now. Or make some dark chocolate coated strawberries dusted with crushed amaretto cookies or coconut! Fruit kebabs are fun too and you can make some healthy dips with a yogurt base as well as some more decadent ones.

sweetscorpio17

My tips would be

1) drink a lot of water, especially before meals
2) don't hang out near the food
3) just avoid dessert

I gave up dessert for lent and thought it was going to be the hardest thing EVER, it was actually really easy. If you go into the meal/day saying to yourself I'm going to do A, B and C. Hold yourself to it. Set a goal for yourself and make the challenge sticking to that goal.

Also, go for a walk after dinner or do some form of exercise that way you have a bit more room for more calories.