Family Fellowship and Quinoa

Sunday was another family fellowship dinner at our church.  In other churches I've attended this have been "potlucks", or as my dad would joke "pot providences" (since the church that called them that frequently gave sermons about not believing in luck).  Anyway, I always enjoy these dinners for the most part.  I like trying to sit by different people and get to know them a little better.  I sat next to Barb this week, a woman who, I'm sorry if this sounds offensive, has scared me since we moved here.  It isn't that she is particularly scary herself, but I guess I just worry about what her opinion of me is, as she seems proper and try as I might I just am not.

The blurry fella' in this picture is our pastor.  We celebrated pastor appreciation month this meal, especially since he and his family have been here for TWENTY years.  Twenty.  I've never heard of a Pastor remaining in one place for that long.  But I'm glad they stayed long enough to get to meet us.  Ha, kidding. A church is only as good as it's leadership and we have a good one, so there you have it.

Fellowship dinners do pose one problem for me.  I have shown up to a few too many where there is only one or two things on the table that I would eat on a daily basis.  It isn't that I wouldn't eat any of it, it's just that when you are eating healthy, you don't want to have a meal full of things you typically avoid unless you want to feel it sitting in your gut for the next week.  So this time, I came prepared.  I packed a salad for myself and had Jim grab me a couple pieces of watermelon as he got one of his three servings.  I swear that guy makes it look like I don't feed him. 

Of course, I do feed him, but I guess what he's been getting lately hasn't been as substantial as the warm, comfort type foods you get at fellowship meals.  He did get a casserole this week, though, that should've helped.  A Quinoa Spinach casserole.  Ok, so it didn't have any meat.  But it was yummy.

If it looks like something you'd like, I modified a recipe for what I had on hand.  It was a Quinoa Broccoli Casserole.  Click on the name and you'll go to the recipe. I ended up using spinach, used only about half the cheese, and probably more Quinoa that was originally asked.  Also didn't put any sugar or salt or pepper in it... because I was too lazy to pull those things out of the pantry (and I have been sugar free for a while now... more on that later, possibly).  Jim says the Parmesian on top was absolutely essential, but he loved it regardless.  It was one of a few meals where Jim didn't even notice we had a vegetarian week (don't raise your eyebrows at me... I'm not going vegetarian full time.  One week a month was my idea to drop grocery costs and to use all the good vegetarian dishes I find!). 

Tomorrow we take off to Omaha to run the Market to Market relay with Danielle, to see her book reading and to hang out with Nate and a few people we've never met.  I'm SO EXCITED!!!! ... !!!!!

I can NOT wait for this weekend.  A little over 10 miles of probably horrible running on my part, and being in a stinky suburban, and of course seeing Nate and Danielle, and experiencing Omaha a little bit, and just having a weekend away, and getting to go to Whole Foods (yes, that makes a vacation for me!), and, and, and...