Dips, dips and another dip! Years ago i self-appointed to be the designated chef at family gatherings...both families, and full of real, imagined, self-inflicted, moral, or just plain attention seeking dietary needs. (one year my niece and nephew, 6yrs and 12, announced vegan, lol) For game-side i would make dips with every dipper veg available. I ended up getting the list for different diets and made stuff up. Actually ended up being not much different than what we eat with a few adjustments...for example, a humus without beans.... 4 cups peeled & chopped raw zucchini 2 cups roasted califlower, chopped (optional) 3/4 cups tahini (sesame paste) 1/2 cup fresh lemon or lime juice 1/4 cup olive oil 4 cloves of garlic, peeled 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste) 1 Tbl ground cumin tender center with leaves of celery cilantro with stems, to taste -puree in blender A salsa, a bana coda, a goat cheese pesto dip...i use my harvested roasted toms with veggies from the freezer and add lime, cilantro, and red onion when thawed for salsa. I have even included the recipe under the serving bowls, lol. So tired of all the questions of ingredients,...(after a few days when everyone turns kook.) Cooking keeps me out of the chatter for the most part. I make a ton of each, have serving bowls prepped and ready but have back-up quarts for re-filling if needed. (and good left-overs if one dip is not so popular) I like the chicken strips on skewers idea and maybe shrimp. Prepped ahead and popped in the oven if something warm is needed. With a nice Asian nutty sauce. (roasted pumpkin seeds?) A family favorite is tortilla pizza. Low carb, gluten-free, this and that tortilla options in a health food store. Many options for toppings and can be chosen for each diet individually. I prep all ahead in the morning...onions mushrooms simmered, roasted peppers and veg, a variety of cheeses, different meats...a mandoline is key for a thin edge of potato or sweet potato. The tortilla is thin and gets crispy quickly. Not a dough thick pizza...more about the toppings. Seems to please everyone no mater the diet issues. A prosciutto roll up with cheese and veg on parchment is a no crust option. This one is asparagus, mozz, tom and arugula with pesto under the thin potato edge. -my personal favorite is onion, gorgonzola, prosciutto, artichoke heart with an egg, (broken yolk) cracked on top. : )...with a pesto potato edge. This post was edited by sleevendog on Mon, Sep 16, 13 at 1:04

its funny b/c i thought i could never do "low carb". i loved my pizza, good bread (sarcone's if u live in philly), pasta etc. But since i have been doing THM, i don't crave it nor do i like it, which sounds crazy. ! i still get my carbs from healthy sources- old fashioned oats, green apples (least amount of sugar), clementines, bananas (which are allowed on-plan) wasa rye crips, berries, salads, brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes.... i don't eat any white flour, refined foods or sugar. my cheats are ice cream, in the summer, can do w/o in the winter. IPA beer, 2 on the weekends. that's it, i always stay on plan during the week. DH & I go out every Saturday night, so i do the best i can but i am going to indulge also. a really good wrap is Ole wellness extreme. i have to buy from amazon b/c stores don't carry it around here but they are worth it!! also, u can make mini-pizza's from Joseph's low carb pita or the lavash bread, only half for the lavash. those are life-savers for me. !! only 5 carbs. i take the total carbs and minus the fiber. 16 total - 11 fiber=5 they have less carbs than the flat-outs, not great for pizza's since they are thin, but great for sandwiches. if i know i am going to eat say pulled pork, cheesesteak, hoagie etc., i carry one with me and just take the guts of the sandwich and put on the wrap. easy-peasy!! or order it on a plate (no bun/roll) and put on a wrap or over a salad... the joseph's i can get anywhere... i do believe, the less u eat of "bad" carbs, sugar, the less u crave....and if i do a really bad cheat, i feel awful from all the sugar, so i know better than to do it. i do those a lot less often.... if u order fries, at least try to order sweet potato fries. a better carb than white potato...

No one has been rude and I am truly sorry you feel that way, Lynn. Presenting different information and letting readers see different facets is helpful in developing an understanding, especially when it relates to health issues. We appreciate your help. Surely that does not mean than we cannot bring up other information that might be of value even if it differs from information you have presented?? It seems to me that participatory health, where people have conversations with their health professionals and are encouraged to learn about themselves and whatever medical conditions they may have is a more positive environment than the olden days when the doctor's word was gospel and no one disagreed or asked questions. Teamwork in no way decreases the value of medical professionals, on the contrary, I suspect it may save lives. Doctors make mistakes. Patients mis-comprehend. Without a healthy exchange of information, either of those can result in needless loss of life/good health.

I will have eight people and two are 7 and 11 yr olds who will eat the hotdogs, mac and cheese and their own made-by- me desserts. Smores and rainbow sherbert. One is a picky vegetarian, one a millennial, one likes no sweets at all, one wants a very traditional thanksgiving, one happy camper and one is trying not to gain weight and eat healthy-me. I bought canned crescent rolls for our bread. Prior self would have shuddered with horror. I'm trying to get ideas here before I give up completely and it turns into a scene from Talledega Nights where we order fast food for everyone. :-)