Experiencing BTD foods with someone new to the diet is so enlightening. Spending time with DD and one of her enthusiastic college girlfriends is so much fun. Put the two together and it guarantees a delightful weekend. My Honorable Husband spent the weekend with his mother. They had a good time, talking about family news and relaxing in front of the television. DD and a girlfriend drove in from college to visit me. We did “girl” things all weekend.

In the evenings we curled up under blankets and watched “Anne of Green Gables” movies. We laughed and cried at all of the same parts. I think all of us are just a little bit in love with Gilbert Blythe. On Saturday we drove to a quaint shopping area and strolled in and out of the shops, looking at antiques and designer clothes.

It has been rainy for a week or more, and it is raining again today. But the skies cleared and the sun was out on Saturday. After we got in from shopping, the girls studied for a while, then we all went for a run up and down the hills near our home. All of that would have made it an outstanding Girl Weekend, but there was one more element that made it perfect.

DD’s friend has been interested in diet and exercise for a long time. DD recently introduced her to the BTD, and she immediately saw how well it fit with her natural inclinations toward food. She is Type AB, which is the blood type I knew least about. She has been eliminating avoid foods, and is ready to introduce new fruits and vegetables. The three of us cooked up a storm.

Friday night I cooked salmon with broccoli and butternut squash. DD had never tried butternut squash. Her friend had never tried it with cinnamon. Saturday night we had ground turkey, rutabaga, onions, and sweet potato fries. It is amazing how people wince at the word rutabaga, but how much they enjoy it cooked with olive oil, cinnamon, cloves and onion. Saturday night I smoked a turkey. So when we came in from church, we sliced the turkey and pulled out all of the leftover vegetables including some black beans and mustard greens that I had fixed for myself one day for lunch. It was a feast.

I had a refrigerator full of fruit including grapes cherries, grapefruit, apples, pears and persimmons. By far the best thing we ate was fruit cake. Ever since New Years, DD and I have been eager to tweak our fruit cake recipe. In an earlier blog I reported that it tasted really good, but that it didn’t hold together, and I could not slice it. This time it came out both beautiful and delicious. I’ll share the recipe next time.

Before the girls left to drive back to college, we did a kick boxing video together. It was so reaffirming that I could hold my own exercising with those two 20 year olds.