Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
eating clean when people bring food over
I don';t know what it is about my house but my friends always seem to take over unprepared foods and prepare it at my home.
I never once said bring these things, but i think they are always running late and tend to come over after they make a quick stop at the market.
It drives me wild, beacuse they end up cooking things on my pots and baking pans and I am left w the mess.
But that is besides the point.
Anyway, for the last few months my dh and i have been trying to eat clean. Mostly buying organic and locally grown. We never really ate "bad food" or anything really processed to begin with, but now we are being more conscious of where our food comes from, chosing to buy foods with less than 5 ingrediets that are higher quality than things we have purchased in the past.
This past weekend a friend came over, my DH and I had already eaten a home cooked dinner so we werent that hungry but she and her husband hadn't eaten so on their way over they stopped to buy supplies for pizza.
Anyway, by the time they came over it was late, and they started to make pizzas. They took out a frozen pizza shell, some ragu sauce, and some grated kraft cheese. Even before we started eating clean ragu sauce isn't something I would buy- I always try to pick up locally made sauces (I am italoamerican and live in amongst a large demographic of italian places), or organic or make my own sauces. I recently read about grated cheeses having cellulose and I've been grating my own.
I wasn't sure how to react... I ended up having half of a small slice, saying I wasn't hungry anyway, and had some organic carrots and hummus.
How are you supposed to react when someone brings these foods into your home.
Also after, she insisted on leaving the extra sauce and cheese, even though i told her to take it. It went right in the trash- which feels like a waste. if she had taken it, it would not go to waste. Should I have said something like "we won't use it, itll go in the garbage you take it!"
Re: eating clean when people bring food over
I don't see anything wrong with letting her know that you won't use those ingredients. You could say something along the lines of we won't use it before it goes bad, or that you usually buy a different type of sauce. If she still insists, well, that's her money that she's losing because it got thrown away. Yes, it is a waste, but I wouldn't feel too terrible about it if she didn't want it even after you told her it would get thrown away.
Sorry, I'm not much help with your other question. But it would definitely drive me up a wall if my friends was bringing over ingredients to make their dinner and using my pots and pans and not cleaning up!
TTC since June 2012
Well her intention was to make it to share with everyone, and also as her and her husband's dinner I guess since they hadn't eaten but they made it for everyone there. I didn't eat it at first and kept avoiding it, crunching on my carrots, but she kept insiting i try "their pizza" so much that it was becoming awkward. so I had half a slice. then i felt guilty about it.
it's not like i can sa y"oh I'm watching me weight so i don't want to eat pizza" i mean i could, and lie. but it seems rude to tell someone "i am avoiding overly processed food, foods with refined sugars, and chemicals, anything bad for you" and then i mean watch them put it into their mouths? for some reason its ok to say you aren't eating somethhg because you are watching your weight (And everyone knows its unhealthy) but not ok to say you aren't eating something because of the ingredients without coming off like a food elitist.
I totally understand where you're coming from because I would feel the same way. Just curious...did you DH eat the pizza?
TTC since June 2012
In those situations, it is pretty tough. I could see how they thought it was a nice gesture to bring over food to make for everyone, however I would treat this the same as if you were vegetarian, or had a food allergy.... simply (nicely) explain that you've begun eating differently and prefer to eat foods that are fresher and more organic. that's your choice. i've told friends that i want to eat fresher foods, and that i love cooking that way. I've actually had MORE friends come eat with us because they know we'll cook healthy things!
of course when we're out somewhere that there are no food choices that we prefer, we will go for the healthiest thing we find.... or indulge a little bit.the most important thing with any change in eating habits or preferences is to remember that a little of something isn't going to kill you, de-rail the good things you're doing, or anything like that. thats why most advice is "everything in moderation" and "eat a variety of things". half a piece of pizza really won't do much to your body. I know that personally you might feel bad about eating it, but it truly is okay to eat those things every once in awhile --- especially in those social situations.
perhaps in the future you can offer to cook them something instead?
if you keep reminding them, over time they will remember about your food choices, and stop leaving ingredients at your house.
~*~ Charmed By Wine Homepage! ~*~
~*~ Charmed By Wine Etsy Shop! ~*~
i'm sorry though- i really would've just said no to eating their pizza. but that's me. i probably would've said soemthing like 'i dont like ragu' (which is the truth)
but i also try to eat non-pre-packaged etc.. (and of course pregrated cheese has preservatives etc...) but sometimes you just cant-and it's ok to realize that you wont go to hell for a slice of pizza if it will make your friends feel good.
gymbug- I have to agree, I feel as though sometimes, everything in moderation is key. In fact, sometimes I eat these clean eating sites and the people aren't letting their kids have a piece of halloween candy or aren't letting them eat cupcakes for v-day at school and I think that is stupid- and going to make their kids have "issues" with food for sure, especially at a young age.
My main issue is that I felt like i wasn't At their home for dinner. If i was, I would have eaten it and said its all great .It's the fact that i was in my own home and felt that i had to partake in eating it...i am sure this is a RARE occasion but i think its tough to be in your own home and feel like someone is making you a meal and then tell them you don't think tis fresh enough to "your standards" but they can go ahead and eat this "bad food"....
it;s such a cache 22! you don't want to be rude, andyou want to be polite and eat what someone provides...but when they are making it in your own home and you have the ingredients you would normally use on hand--- but feel like you can't offer it to them because it would be insulting!
To answer PP. yes my dh had a slice as well, he said the same thing "everything in moderation it isnt going to kill us"
My question is why do these people bring food over to cook for themselves especially after you've already eaten? I've never had anyone come to my house to make their own meal. Maybe you need to talk to them about preparing items in their own house so you don't have to clean up the mess.
Also, if you've already eaten dinner I wouldn't feel obligated at all to eat anything anyone else has made for their dinner.
i have no IDEA why people do this. I think she was more bringing it as a "appetizer to share" and also it was doubling as their dinner. because we also had like cheese and crackers out and carrots and hummus...
we ate at liek 5 pm lol and then they came over, but by the time the pizza was done it was like 930---so then i was cleaning pots and pans when they left at midnight. not to mention, this is off topic, but they used my metal spatula to remove the pizza and it scratched my really nice gold tone williams sonoma baking sheet all up. i know baking sheets get beat up, but i hate how they look after a while of "wear and tear" so i try to take good care of them.
I don't even know how to stop this trend.
Whenever i have dinner one friend volunteers to make her "famous caesar salad" and instead of bringing it over prepared she always just brings the lettuce, and egg and oil to make the dressing and does it all at my house. meaning i ahve to take out my collander help her wash the lettuce, get out my bowl to put it in etc.
then another girlfriend of mine the last time she came over, brought all the contents to make a dip...
now the pizza
i have NO idea if people like cooking in my kitchen or something, but the whole preparing food at my house is starting to drive me insane!
i can't help but laugh a little at this.
when my friends and i were in college, they didn't cook a lot -- and being italian, i cook ALL THE TIME. half the time, i'd bring stuff to cook at their place...but they'd love that.
Now that im married with a house and brand new renovated kitchen, I could see how friends would want to come cook here instead of their own homes. it makes me laugh a little....and yes, I could see how that would get on your nerves - especially if YOU have to do the dishes!
The salad type things I wouldn't mind -- that's fairly normal. but things like pizza or more involved dishes--- i'd appreciate them asking if they can bring ingredients to cook. i know when i attend parties i've asked ahead of time if its ok that i prepare something at their house (asking ahead of time if they have oven space for me, a bowl that i can use, etc)
Perhaps just straight up put your foot down about it. Kindly explain that your pots and pans are starting to get damaged, and you'd prefer if they let you cook for them. They're more than welcome to bring over ready-made food and heat it in your oven/microwave, etc.... but the prep should be done already.
~*~ Charmed By Wine Homepage! ~*~
~*~ Charmed By Wine Etsy Shop! ~*~