Potluck season is ON!

After a year and a half of staying at home and barely socializing, I'm finding myself over-scheduled.

Overnight.

Maybe you're feeling the same way?

It's a lot. Especially for us introverts!

Thanks to the vaccine, we're getting invitations to hang out with friends in larger gatherings — girls' weekends, weddings, showers, wine tasting trips.

Youth sports are starting up again.

Summer camps are opening up.

And there are so many tourists flooding Maui that they've run out of rental cars.

Crazy!

As the world emerges from its pandemic slumber, it looks like potluck season will definitely be back in full swing this summer.

Which can make health-minded people like us worry a little.

I mean, how will we stay connected to our healthier habits when this looks like it'll be a massive, roaring 20s style party summer?

Three words: bring a salad.

Be the person who brings a salad

I used to be the person who brought the decadent dessert to the party. Usually a multi-layered ice cream cake with an Oreo crust. The kind you make in a springform pan.

And while this made people very excited at first, I could also hear an undertone of dread in their comments.

I mean, they wanted that ice cream cake.

But they also didn't want the ice cream cake.

Because they were more in tune with their bodies than I was at the time, and they knew how this dessert would make them feel later on.

The bloating. The guilt. The regret.

And even though I barely registered those micro-expressions — a slight twinge of regret already on my friends' faces — it made a lasting impression on me.

Eventually, I became the girl who brings a salad to the party.

And while I'm much happier about this strategy, I believe my friends and family are too.

Here's why I like bringing a salad:

1. I know that no matter what, I'll have something healthy to eat at the party.
2. Plenty of people are happy to see some veggies on the buffet table.
3. I like knowing that I'm contributing to the overall health of my loved ones.

Make this Mediterranean Farro Salad

Ready to be the person who brings a salad to the party?

If you're looking for a crowd pleaser of a recipe for those backyard barbecues and other get togethers that are no doubt in your future this summer, you need this Mediterranean Farro Salad.

It's one of my most popular recipes — among my students and clients, and when I bring it to parties.

Even the meat lovers come back for seconds.

The key to the farro — a little hack I picked up from the New York Times awhile back — is to cook the grains in water and some apple cider and bay leaves. This gives the farro a lot of flavor, before it's even added to the salad.

Next, we add a creamy tahini dressing, along with pistachios, arugula, sun dried tomatoes and radish — before showering it with freshly chopped parsley and mint leaves.

It's seriously so, so good. And I really hope you try it!

This salad helps me remember that it's not so hard to eat healthy — and more plant based — during summer barbecue season.

Especially when you're the person who brings the salad.

Click here to check out the recipe for Mediterranean Farro Salad.