Easter Linner

This afternoon, my family headed over to my aunt and uncle's house for our big Easter meal. It ended up being a situation where there wasn't much for me to eat, but I made it work!

When we got there, there was a spread of appetizers set out- I enjoyed some crudites and crackers in my sister-in-law's special eggplant dip (lower left corner).

As we all chatted, I had a beer and a small glass of wine. It's weird that I'm finally "allowed" to drink these at family gatherings! I also bonded with this sweet face- Penny. One of the sweetest pups I've ever met!

For dinner, we had a buffet-style assortment of dishes. There was my aunt's pineapple bake (more a dessert than anything!):

Broccoli salad with bacon:

Potato salad topped with hard-boiled eggs:

Plain green salad with croutons:

Deviled eggs:

Chicken salad:

Asparagus:

Couscous with tomatoes and cucumbers:

Potato rolls:

And of course, an Easter ham!

There was also a pot of meatballs and rolls for making subs. I ended up filling my plate with a big heap of couscous, plenty of asparagus, lots of salad and a roll. Though I eat differently from most of my family members and I usually don't have as much of a selection to choose from, I never want to be a picky eater or make people feel like they have to accommodate my eating habits. It actually makes me uncomfortable when people go too far out of their way to make me something special! It's rare that I'm in a situation where there's absolutely nothing to eat, and I'm genuinely okay with filling up on veggies and bread. I can always snack when I get home, and the people are always more important than what I'm eating!

Dessert was also quite the spread. A family member had made several pies to accompany a bunny cake, cookies and unpictured chocolate covered pretzels!

Cherry pie

Lemon Meringue pie

Lemon pie

Apple pie

Carrot cake

I had a small slice of carrot cake and two chocolate and sprinkle covered pretzels. I was in more of a chocolate mood than a pie one, so on my way home when I stopped to pick up a few items at CVS I bought a Cadbury Creme Egg. Can't go through the season without one!

Since getting home, I've snacked on some fruit, more asparagus, nuts and chocolate-covered blueberries. It's awesome to be eating chocolate again :) Overall, it was a great holiday. Beautiful weather and good company- all I need!

Hope you have a wonderful end to your weekend- happy Easter!

When eating at others' houses, how do you go about maintaining your healthy habits? Do family members/friends generally try to accommodate you, or do you go with the flow?