Girls Night In

Last Saturday, my girlfriends and I got together for a Girls Night In (GNI). It's a mix between a Wine & Cheese soiree and Potluck party. It always turns out spectacular. and we all get stuffed with good food and great company. 

All my friends were very thoughtful in bringing some gluten-free options for me. Unfortunately, I have been on an even stricter diet for a gut repair program that doesn't allow me to consume dairy, grains, and alcohol. So, my options were limited. 

Note: A lot of the cute serveware you see below are owned my friend, Sue, who purchased them at Crate & Barrel.

Pictured: Parsley Pesto (prepared by me), Trader Joe's toasts, sliced peaches, Marscapone cheese, Parm-Gouda cheese.

The Mascarpone and fresh peach combo was to die for. I have not had dairy in three weeks, but I had to cheat a little bit to enjoy this.

The Parm-Gouda combo was a first for me. I had a sliver of a sliver to taste it. It has the creamy, smokey flavor of gouda with the saltiness of Parm. Yum!

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Pictured: Garlic-stuffed olives (these pack a punch of flavor), dark-chocolate nibs, and roasted almonds.

Pictured: Thinly sliced apples. They taste great with Brie.

Skilled knife work by my friend, Caroline.

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Pictured: Brie cheese, cheese torte (sun-dried tomatoes, olives, pesto, soft cheese), poppy-seed water crackers, and toasts.

Pictured: Roasted yellow zucchini with parsley pesto made by moi. Read simple recipe in my previous post.

*This is approved for the Repairvite diet.

Pictured: Chilled butternut squash and caramelized onion from Whole Foods deli.

My dear friend, Cathy, drove all the way to Long Beach from Fullerton to get a gourmet side dish that was gluten-free for our get together.

I slightly teared due to her thoughtfulness.

*This is approved for the Repairvite diet.

Pictured: Qunioa salad from Whole Foods.

I was a little sad that I couldn't eat this as it contains grains, soy, and tomatoes or peppers. Sorry, Cathy.

*This is gluten-free, but not approved on Repairvite diet.

Pictured: Selection of cured meats.

I wasn't 100% sure if this was OK for me to eat, but I did so anyway as it was the only source of protein other than cheese.

*Check label if gluten-free.

Note pictured: Fresh cured meat cuts from Claro's deli. My favorite was Alpino. It is a thinly sliced, circular meat that my friend described as a cross between salami & Proscuitto.

Picture: Organic green grapes from my CSA box.

*Not approved for Repairvite as it is a high glycemic index fruit (i.e., high in sugar).

Pictured: Sparkling blood orange soda. I watered it down with equal parts sparkling orange water.

Both myself and my friend, Joyce, could not partake in the drinking of alcohol. Joyce is pregnant and due in a couple weeks. Emma, Auntie can't wait to meet you! My lame excuse was my detox restrictions.

Pictured: My friend, Stella, brought faux Chardonnay for Joyce & I to drink.

Don't I have the sweetest, supportive friends, ever?!

Picture: Us ladies love our bubbly. I had a sip when we had the first of many cheers.

*Red wine is not gluten-free, but white wine is. Alcohol is not approved on the detox program.

Pictured: The star of the night was this sparkling pink moscato.

*I cheated on my diet and drank 1/3 of a flute of this lovely bubbly.


















Do you have any food ideas for our next GNI?