Do you have a healthy eating strategy for big holiday parties?
I have a specific game plan that targets the most volatile UNhealthy areas, roots them out, and front loads with the good stuff so there’s less room for the bad.
I call it the “I’ll bring a few appetizers and a dessert” game plan.
The tactics are so subvert, my opponents don’t even know they’re in a battle, and no one feels badly when I win. Which is good, because they’re family and I love them.
Healthy Alternatives.
You see, most of the time there are real food options for the main course, especially at a Thanksgiving dinner. A turkey, even if CAFO-raised, is at least meat, not some unknown substance my body doesn’t recognize but I have to eat anyway. Mashed potatoes have a chance at being additive-free. And there are always some genuine vegetables floating around.
The dessert table is always a mess of white flour, white sugar, and trans fat, so for Thanksgiving, I bring a few healthy pumpkin pies. I can ensure healthy fats in the crust plus vegetables, pastured organic eggs, and a small amount of unrefined sweetener in the filling. It’s a great way to redeem dessert.
My Secret Strategy.
But my key positioning is in frontloading the meal. I bring at least two appetizers that I know my kids like and coincidentally forget to tell them to “save room for dinner.” I might even subversively encourage them to pig out on what I brought by quietly serving rather large portions.
It’s like the optimist’s glass half full: if my kids are half full of nourishing foods, I don’t have to worry so much about telling them not to eat the junk. 
Over the years I’ve also established a few specialties that are so good, family members request that I bring them again and again. [insert maniacal mastermind laugh here] They’re playing right into my hands! Everyone wins.
Our Favorites.
They usually clamor for this spicy cheesy chicken dip with homemade whole wheat crackers (and another gluten-free option):
Trust me, you want to pin that one.
Other recipes rotate in and out over the years, including homemade potato salad, fresh fruit, and deviled eggs. Lately though I’ve been bringing a little probiotic twist on an avocado dip that looks enough like guacamole to be yummy by association (and then holds its own on pure taste, too!).
- 1 avocado
- ½ c. yogurt cheese (or 4 oz. goat cheese)
- 2-3 Tbs. lemon juice
- (optional) ¼ tsp. lemon zest
- 1-3 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ c. fresh parsley or cilantro (or about 1 Tbs. dried)
- Whiz the garlic in a food processor first, then add the avocado, yogurt cheese, lemon juice and salt. Process everything until smooth.
- Stir in herbs.
- Serve with carrot sticks, sliced bell peppers and other vegetables for dipping.
*If you don't have a food processor, crush the garlic separately and try an immersion blender (found on Amazon) or just mash well with a fork.
*If not serving right away, leave the avocado pit in the dip and try to use a cover that touches the dip to prevent oxidation (browning).
*Adapted from Food with Kid Appeal.
Click for more healthy party foods and appetizer recipes and pin with me as I collect more real food appetizers and holiday options over the next few months!
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post to Amazon from which I will earn some commission if you make a purchase.
Hahaha! I love the [insert maniacal mastermind laugh here] ! That’s just great 🙂 oh, and the dip looks good too. Adding it to the appetizer list 😉
It’s just part of the “mom” job, right? 🙂 Katie
2 questions : my children would rather not eat what I usually cook at a party, not because it tastes bad (:P) But because, well it is boring to eat mom’s food when there’s A LOT of other seemingly yummy foods calling out to them. So how do you get your kids to still choose mom’s food.
2. We can’t do dairy. Is it possible to sprinkle probiotic powder on the dip?! Would that work? Or would the exposure to air kill the probiotics before it reaches the tummy?
Serene,
Excellent questions, and tough one for no. 1.
I party succeed because my kids are still so young that (2 of the 3) I still am in charge of making up their plate. That helps! I think bringing appetizers is huge, too, because we always arrive a little earlier than most people to this particular gathering as we’re traveling farther. My kids know it will be a while before the main course, so they want to eat. And I bring stuff they really like a lot too!
As for no. 2, I think you should be okay with that plan! In fact, the probiotic powder we have isn’t in capsules, just a tub in the fridge, so I don’t think exposure to air is a problem. The company ours is from even publishes recipes to use it in, and the one I’ve seen is guacamole (it’s a green powder), so you’re absolutely thinking along the right lines! I’d put a whole capsule or even 2 in (test on a small amount to make sure the taste doesn’t come through). What would you use as a dairy free cream cheese/yogurt cheese? Whipped coconut milk? Cashew cream? Just curious – that would be a hard substitution for me! 🙂 Katie
We don’t creams. Period. Yeah I know – my children are so upset but it really messes up with their noses. Almost immediate nasal congestion 🙁 Cashews are high in mold supposedly. So I avoid that in excess. Coconut cream/milk we do on occasion. It is not cheap 🙁
Love this post…it does seem like we’re going into battle, doesn’t it? I just made guacamole last night and decided to throw some whey into it. It was a great addition, no one even noticed it and I felt good about the added probiotics. Definitely will be trying this out too!
I’ve seen people lactoferment guacamole like that – perfect!! 🙂 Katie
Great idea to add the yogurt cheese! We love avocado at our house… 🙂 Stopping by from Slightly Indulgent Tuesday. Stop by and visit me at http://www.countercultureliving.com.
i have some cultured cashew cheese, this sounds like a perfect recipe to use it! featuring your recipe this week!
What a great substitution! Thanks for the feature! 🙂 Katie
yum!