Birthday Blowout!!

Wow, I had a birthday feast prepared for me today! It's been a really fun day. I'm pretty tired and I am posting way past my bedtime, so I'll give a quick rundown of my wonderful meal. Warning: these meals may be hazardous to your health!!!

We started off with an appetizer plate of baby pitas filled with hummus, carrots and peppers with dressing, mini bagel dogs and green bean "fries". Mom did her best to provide a healthy option, but the green bean "fries" were irresistable! They are breaded and deep fried - need I say more???

We are Italian, so we always have pasta. There would never be a "special" occassion without it. It would be a sacrilege. We had paparadelle pasta with my Gram's meat sauce. Gram made a whole wheat paparadelle AND regular. I had a bit of both...

Mom made a tomato and mozzarella salad - divine...

Mom also made chicken rolls with proscuitto and fontina cheese (my fav). Gram made her yummy broccoli. My mother-in-law brought an amazing rustic bread. I had EVERYTHING...

Here's a not so clear picture of my awesome family (minus the husband who was taking the picture). That's me on the right, hugging little daughter...

Well, it wouldn't be a birthday without cake, now would it?? I had a thin slice of chocolate buttercream cake and a pumpkin square with cream cheese icing that my mother-in-law made -so yummy...

Boy, and I was worried about some extra pizza??!!! But, I decided to enjoy eating what I wanted in moderation today. It's not an everyday occurrence and frankly, I'm looking forward to eating in my "normal" way. It makes my body and my mind feel good.

This was a great day! I am so thankful for the wonderful family I have and for my good health. It's the only present I'll ever need...