In our home, we love to make any excuse for a get-together….it’s the first Monday of the month lets have a potluck, it’s a football game let’s get together to watch, it’s a birthday lets have a dinner party! This past week my husband had a birthday so I of course sprang into action to plan a dinner for the family to come over. In our family we have really health conscious members, ones with food allergies, and not at all health conscious members. I feel my role as the host is to make everyone feel as comfortable and welcome as possible so variety of food is necessary.
When it came time to plan the food, I asked Ben what he wants for 15 people to eat. He immediately answered ‘burgers and mac and cheese.’ I responded ‘what vegetables’!?!? Since it is his birthday I had to make what he wanted so the menu was: a burger bar with lots of vegetable toppings, mac and cheese, homemade beans, sautéed mushrooms and onions, corn on the cob, steamed vegetables and a salad. Plus, when I cook it I can make the not-typically-healthy items much healthier!
Everything sat on the island so people could make their own plate and choose how they wanted to eat. The health conscious members filled their plates primarily with vegetables and the others went for the other stuff. When food is not set on the table we eat at we typically do not eat as much!
In addition, I strategically placed all the vegetables on each side and corner. It is proven that the first thing people see is what they put the most of on their plates. So on each corner was a vegetable since people started in all different spots.
I must not forget though to explain the best parts. Our niece made the desserts so everyone ended with a little something sweet! The family was shocked I had so many options and they went away feeling full!
With parties we always have so many leftovers….and typically too many for just Ben, the dogs, and I eat to eat. So for the past several parties I have purchased disposable containers for people to take home the food they enjoyed. They make up their dish with leftovers, my plastic containers don’t get lost, and we are able to get back to our ‘norm’ of eating the next day. I highly recommend this strategy!
When we think of healthy eating, typically there is a fear for social eating. But don’t be! There are so many strategies to eat well, have fun socializing with loved ones, and wake up feeling proud the next day. I am here to strategize with you — so reply below with what you want to know!