Planning for get-togethers with non-keto friends and family can be stressful. I was on my way to meet with a group of ladies recently, (all of whom were non-keto folks), and I found myself worrying about what to bring with me.
The lady hosting the evening in her home would be putting out some non-keto appetizer food, so I ate ahead of time. I do that mostly to avoid making the other people at a party feel weird. I don’t really get tempted by non-keto desserts and appetizers any more. But, when people are at a party and they don’t see me picking up a plate, they are reminded I don’t eat things like cookies, cakes and breaded finger foods. That tends to make them feel guilty – either that there aren’t enough keto options on the table, or that they shouldn’t be eating so much of the party food themselves. Making people feel awkward, guilty, or uncomfortable is the absolute last thing I want to do, especially on what is suppose to be a fun, girls’ night.
Still, I knew the other ladies would each be bringing something to contribute to the evening. What could I bring?
I was rearranging charcuterie trays in my mind when I walked into Walgreens. I needed to grab some mascara while it was on my mind. And, as I walked down the beauty aisle, an orange clearance tag grabbed my attention. (Clearance tags have that effect on me. Just ask Target. They’ve totally got me trained to spot red and yellow tags from 200 feet away.) There was a whole bin of beautiful nail strips on sale for just 89 cents per set. And, it got me thinking: “I want to bring something fun to this party. But does it have to be food?” I took a chance and bought sets for all the ladies, (7 of us), along with a container of individually-wrapped bath fizzes for the girls to take home.
Oh my goodness, did that gamble pay off! They were such a hit! My hope was to contribute something to the evening we could gather around. Turns out, that something didn’t have to be frosted or breaded. The ladies had so much fun selecting different designs, talking about favorite forms of pampering, and even playing with the nail strips right at the party.
With the holidays coming, there will be lots of get togethers. I will want to bring something to each of them that reflects my thankfulness for the invitation, my fondness for the people in attendance, and my excitement for the event. We have lots of keto friendly recipes which can easily be doubled for a gathering. But, for some of these events, I plan on getting creative with non-food contributions.
I can bring all the components for a seasonal craft, purchase a new board game we could break out at the party, or even put together some small favor bags to share.
One amazing side effect of the keto lifestyle is how it has caused me to think outside the box. Instead of feeling like an outsider, why not feel like a trendsetter?
You may be the only person at the next potluck setting out themed kitchen towel take-homes for guests to enjoy. But trust me, nobody will be upset about that. And, there’s no clean-up.
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