Episode 6: Party On!

Nom Nom Paleo Podcast

Pat yourself on the back: you have the Paleo thing down at home, and you can order like a champ when dining out at a restaurant. But what about parties? Do you know how to navigate a non-Paleo shindig? Don’t worry—we’ll fill you in on how to be the best guest ever. Follow our advice, and you might even get invited back!

Show Notes & Links for Episode 6:

What We Ate:

While Henry was away on business, I experimented with Fiona’s Green Chicken to see if it freezes and reheats well. Answer: yes! The moral of the story is to always make a double batch of Fiona’s Green Chicken so you can eat half and freeze the rest for a future meal.

• Check out the original recipe for Fiona’s Phenomenal Grilled Green Chicken and my post on how to prep it ahead of time and store it for later.
• Don’t fret about safely thawing frozen meat with hot water. Harold McGee writes in The New York Times that this method is A-OK!
• My chef sister’s Instagram feed never fails to inspire me in the kitchen. Go follow Fiona!

Main Course:

In this episode, we dish about how to be a gracious guest at a non-Paleo party. Sure—if you’re hosting the get-together, you have nothing to worry about. After all, you’re in control of the food. But what about non-Paleo parties thrown by people you don’t want to put off with your finicky food choices? Never fear: I have recommendations for plenty of flavorful dishes you can bring to share—without triggering any suspicions or questions about your platter of Paleo-friendly fare.

Here are some crowd-pleasers you can bring to a party:

Salads:

• Giant salad with greens, vegetables, protein, nuts, and a Paleo-friendly dressing
• Tomato & Basil Salad
• Fruit salad

Appetizers/Finger Foods:

• Simple Crab Salad in Endive Spears
• Asian Meatballs
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Mini Frittata Muffins
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Broiled Asparagus
• Chile Lime Chicken Wings
• Magic Wings
• Paleo Shrimp-Stuffed Mushrooms
• Devils on Horseback

Main Courses:

• Slow Cooker Kalua Pig or Pressure Cooker Kalua Pig
• Orange Sriracha Chicken (Substitute ketchup for the sriracha if you’re serving kids. The original recipe is best with my homemade 20-Minute Paleo Sriracha or Whole30 Sriracha.)
• For a kid-friendly party, cook up a bunch of mini hotdogs. (I like the mini ones made by Fork In The Road.)
• Hot Dog As The Bun!

I also have tips to help you avoid coming across as a boorish caveperson in front of the other guests. (Yeah, I know you’re always on your best behavior—but I learned the hard way that we Paleo eaters sometimes forget how we come across to our friends and family.)

Above all else: chill out, be gracious, and a good guest! Have a good time at the party and if you’re famished, eat the food that you brought to share rather than face-planting into the box of cupcakes.

If you’re offered food that you can’t or don’t want to eat, follow the example of my good friend Melissa Joulwan, and respond with a simple “Not right now.” Say the phrase with a polite smile and sunny attitude, and no one’ll feel bad that you just declined a slice of cake. Even if the host insists on putting food on your plate that you’ve declined, just remember: no one can force you to stick anything in your mouth. My savvy brother-in-law, for example, will just pretend to eat unwanted food that my dad piles onto his plate.

• Melissa Joulwan writes one of my favorite Paleo food blogs, The Clothes Make The Girl, and her two cookbooks, Well Fed and Well Fed 2, are filled with fantastic Paleo-friendly party fare (affiliate links).
• I’ve been known to sneak an Exo Bar or some jerky in the bathroom if I start feeling hangry at a party.

Crush of the Week:

Ollie sings his favorite song from Adventure Time, “Bacon Pancakes.” Owen tells us why watermelon is the love of his life. I gush about how I’m obsessed with The Glitch Mob, the coolest electronic music band in the world. Plus, one of the band members, Justin Boreta, is Paleo!

• You can enjoy my Bacon Pancake Sandwiches while you watch Hugh Jackman’s lip-synched rendition of the song here.
• Learn more about The Glitch Mob on their website.
• Go see The Glitch Mob live in concert in a city near you—start by checking out their tour dates.
• My two favorite songs from The Glitch Mob are Fortune Days and We Can Make The World Stop.
• Justin Boreta gave away jars of my Magic Mushroom Powder as gifts, and you can, too!

Question of the week:

As the mother of two young boys, what do you with your boys at parties? Do you let them run wild and gobble up everything in sight? Do you put them on a leash and not let them touch anything that is “Paleo-approved”? Or something in the middle?

At home, our kids eat the way we eat. But when they’re at parties, we trust Big-O and Lil-O to make their own decisions. Lil-O gets GI distress when he eats gluten, so he knows to steer clear of gluten. Big-O, on the other hand, sometimes opts to indulge his love of pizza. Both kids choose to eat non-Paleo things at times, but we’re okay with it because: (1) we control what they eat 90% percent of the time, (2) they don’t have life-threatening food allergies, and (3) we want them to be empowered to make their own food choices and not develop a complex about what they eat. But don’t take our word for it; listen in as our boys tell us what they eat at parties.

That’s it for this week! If you like what you heard, subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review on iTunes!