How to Serve Healthy Foods at Parties

As another year is coming to a close and a new one is about to begin many of us are trying to stay on track with our healthy eating lifestyle. However, the parties and gatherings can make it feel as though those two things (parties+healthy eating) do not go together.

High fat, high calorie, and high sugar foods are not the only option. I want to show you how easy it is to serve healthy foods at parties. Healthier food options can be fun, tasty, and sometimes much faster to fix than ‘regular’ party foods.

Plan a healthy menu with lower in fat, salt and, sugar foods, the key to making this work is using simple good-for-you ingredients. Stop trying to make ‘gluten-free pigs-in-a-blanket work. Make sure to always serve salads, fresh veggies, and dip. Serve smaller portions of any high-sugar, high-fat, high-sodium foods, and choose the healthiest versions of these available.

For a fun and festive alternative have an assortment of fresh fruit to garnish water with.

Here are some easy fresh sliced options:

Grapefruit
Pineapple
Strawberries
Lemon
Orange

Try freezing some of these fruits the day before to use as flavored ice cubes in water:

Blueberries
Mango Cubes
Cranberries
Blackberries
Red/Purple Grapes
Cherries

(These are an especially big hit with the kids as they love to put ‘food’ in their drinks!)

People tend to feel the need to try everything, instead serve fewer options with more ingredients! Drizzle hummus with olive oil and a dusting of paprika, serve meats in smaller portions such as meatballs, make an egg or tofu appetizer. Serving tasty finger foods can be inexpensive, low-stress, and a great conversation starter.

Here are four recipes to help you get started serving healthy foods at your next event!