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Saturday, November 22, 2008
The birthday party food dilemma
Do you have a birthday party food dilemma? If you normally avoid processed foods and a lot of fats and sweets, you might. Not only are your kids gorging on these things week after week at various parties, but you wonder what to serve at your kids' own parties.
Believe it or not, you are not alone! And if your kids get invited to a lot of birthday parties, you can be the trend-setter that other parents might be hoping to find. All you have to do is a.) follow these suggestions, or create similar ones of your own, and b.) point out your strategy to any parent who seems interested.
A birthday party isn't the time to think about maximum nutrition, but it definitely can be a time to avoid undesirable things.
First decide: What is the most enjoyable and satisfying way to consume sugar? Cake, cookies and ice cream, of course! Kids would definitely miss those if they weren't at a party. What won't they miss? Soda pop, punch, sports drinks and "juice drinks." Kids won't really notice that their beverage choices are milk, juice and water.
The most wholesome cake and cookies are the ones you make from scratch, because they aren't full of chemicals to color, flavor and preserve them. Cookies and cupcakes aren't a problem, but cakes can pose a dilemma if you're not good at decorating them. We realize that it's less expensive to buy a decorated cake at the supermarket than from a bakery that uses fresh ingredients. Our opinion: the bakery cakes will taste soooooo much better!
What if you are serving lunch or dinner at the party? After attending a dozen or so parties, you may wonder how on earth you will be able to get away from pizza, hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Well, it sounds radical, but you can serve real food! How can you get away with this? Simple! Ever notice how much typical party guests eat of the typical pizza slice? Two bites! Then they're up running around and playing. Sometime they barely eat cake!
We've seen some websites recommending things like veggies and dip, hummous and pita bread and fruit kabobs. Now, while most kids happily eat these things a home, at a party they will probably go over like a lead balloon. If a kid only eats two bites of a pizza, how much hummous is he going to eat?
Here are some things you can make fresh and chemical-free that won't seem different from the standard fare. Only you will know that, for example, the bread doesn't have artificial flavor, the jelly is fruit spread, the cheese is real, and there aren't any nitrates or artificial colors.
- Little PB&Js
- Little wedges of cheese on toast
- Baby bagels or bagel sections with homemade flavored spread
- Mini burgers
- Mac n' cheese
- Noodles and spaghetti sauce (if you're brave)
Now that we've started the ball rolling, we want to hear from you! Share your birthday party food ideas and recipes, as well as your experiences!
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