Mary's Dinner Club - Fitness Dinner

by Mary Anglberger - www.marysworld.org

Saturday’s fitness dinner involved lots of vegetable shopping (and chopping) - not a problem as I love that big Saturday market near the old hospital. However, I already get carried away when I shop for myself - now shopping for ten… someone send a truck please.

My hands were soon too full to take pictures (my ‘other passion’) of the beautiful produce on offer. Bell peppers are in season, cucumbers, tomatoes…. Beautiful plums in all shapes, sizes and colors, nectarines, apples…. I always enjoy shopping but buying from those lovely, chatty people village people under the open sky in the general hustle and bustle of a Saturday morning is sheer bliss to me.

For the starter - a vegetable platter - I got bell peppers (the local small kind that comes in all sorts of funny shapes), cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, really tender kohlrabi, broccoli, carrots, celery and mushrooms (costing half the super market price). Served with a yoghurt-herb dip, an artichoke- spinach dip and bread sticks it was certainly perfect for snacking and chatting, of which there was lots.

The group included several retirees who had literally travelled around the globe and obviously had fantastic stories to share. We also had a Chinese citizen amongst us who told us fascinating things about life in Beijing. The first ‘break’ was then used to listen to (and watch) Helena Vanelli - our guest speaker who has worked as a personal trainer, yoga, dance, and pilates teacher for many years. She gave us some useful tips on posture, muscle tension and exercising in general. There was also interest by some guests in the water exercise class currently being held by Helena down at the Molos. If interested in this or any other form of exercise, contact her http://www.facebook.com/helena.coutsidesvanelli

And with all this talk of being fit and healthy, a healthy main course was the only choice: a chicken-curry salad with celery, water chestnuts and cherry tomatoes and freshly baked bagels - a perfect combination that has been included in my list of personal favorites.

Sticking with the health theme, we had a curd-plum pie and my own creation of plum-almond yoghurt for dessert. And while most guests bid farewell at the ‘regular time’, some others decided to stay on and enjoy that city view from my breezy balcony and that bottle of wine (also healthy they say - if shared with friends).

A great evening of interesting people, good advice and healthy food - things don’t get much better than that. They do stay good though at Mary’s so why not sign up for next Saturday’s Mediterranean dinner with a dietician as a guest speaker. http://www.facebook.com/events/312321155533404/ We’ll finish September all fit and healthy!