Being a Wholesome Hostess

Gourmet chocolates decorated with ribbon were the guests' favors to take home!

This weekend I held a baby shower for a good friend. It was a brunch, and I had a blast preparing the invitations, party favors, decorations, and of course, lots of delicious food! The event was a good example of something I have been thinking about a lot lately…the distinction between “healthy” and “wholesome.”

Aside from a few universal truths, there are many, many shades of gray in the “healthy” spectrum. Some foods are clearly more healthy than others in terms of being nutrient-rich or providing essential vitamins, and some foods truly are unhealthy because of ingredients they contain, but in general, “healthy” is a chameleon-like word that takes on different meanings for different people. Due to bioindividuality, our bodies simply react differently to various foods and food combinations, and this in addition to our personal goals (losing weight, gaining weight, treating specific conditions or deficiencies) is what defines what is healthy for each of us.

According to the dictionary, “wholesome” means “conducive to sound health or well-being” so technically it’s not any different than healthy. For me, though, it’s become the word I use to describe foods that I feel nourish me and ones I can feel good about, even if they are not traditional “healthy foods.” Wholesome and healthy is what I strive for most of the time, but sometimes a special day is just not complete without treats like a delicious celebratory cake, so I find the term especially relevant when describing (and I’ll admit it,  justifying) baked goods or special treats I am making or enjoying. For me, something is wholesome if I know and am comfortable with its source. Packaged cookies from the store are not wholesome…banana bread that I bake using fresh, real ingredients that I can identify, is a wholesome treat. No, it’s not a “health food,” but a wholesome treat. And I just don’t believe it’s realistic for everyone who wants to be healthy to give up all treats, so wholesome treats are the way to go. This weekend, that’s exactly what I prepared!

For the brunch, I served carrot muffins, banana bread, blueberry bread, fresh-baked no-knead bread, chicken salad, shortbread cookies (shaped like butterflies!), chocolate-covered strawberries, fruit salad, and a from-scratch chocolate cake with 7-Minute Frosting.

Although to many this might not have been a “healthy” menu, it was a wholesome meal. I could name every ingredient in every item, and it was all made and served with love for a dear friend and her close friends, to celebrate a very special time in her life. The event truly nourished us all, body and spirit, and I can’t possibly believe any of us was less healthy after partaking.

I can’t resist sharing all of these photos from the event, although most are not actually of the food…I’ve rarely been called “artistic,” but I definitely have a crafty side that events such as weddings, holidays, and themed parties bring out. Since the mom-to-be settled on a nursery color scheme of purple and green, decorated with butterflies, for her baby girl I used that theme for every possible element of the shower.

The theme started with the invitations!

The butterfly shortbreads, were, of course, purple and green.

The carrot muffins and bread slices were served in decorated baskets.

The cake was displayed on my pretty cake stand, decorated with a purple and white ribbon…

…and it was served on white plates that I stamped with purple powdered sugar, using the technique I found on the Paper Source blog.

Here is the buffet table with the fruit salad center stage. I carved up the first watermelon from my dad’s garden to add to the salad and to be the serving bowl!

Have a great week!