Let’s Start a Birthday Party Revolution: a Healthy Party Menu

Genevieve turned two earlier this month, and she’s still saying “Happy Birthday!” whenever the thought pops into her head (she also will happily respond that she is six if you ask her how old she is).

We had a small-ish party with our closest friends and the grandparents and delicious and healthy food was had by all!  I have two requirements when it comes to cooking for crowds: it has to be simple and it has to be something I feel good about serving (read: healthy).  And I always make sure to outsource!

Here’s a picture of her enjoying a leftover fructose-free chocolate cupcake.

Read on for the party menu…

Main Menu:

-Gran’s homemade guacamole with corn chips (this is a staple at any party we have!)
-Grandma’s green salad with a simple homemade lemon vinaigrette
-Mommy’s roasted vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and asparagus) with hummus.  This is one of my favorite party dishes, as it can be made in advance and served hot, cold, or room temperature.  Plus roasted veg are just so YUMMY!
-Daddy’s butternut squash and turkey chili (he makes the best chili!)
-Wegman’s Catering assorted wheat wraps (because sometimes convenience wins)

Dessert Menu: (my requirements for dessert were: dairy free (so I could eat it, duh!), no/low fructose, and something tasty enough that everyone would like.)

–Apple slices and blueberry & banana skewers (I served these about 30 minutes before cake time, with the intention that the kids would fill up on fruit and not go too crazy with cupcakes)
–Chocolate cupcakes from the I Quit Sugar Cookbook (these cupcakes are made from black beans and sweet potato puree and are fructose free, so I didn’t feel bad about giving an unfrosted one to Genevieve for snack!)
–Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes (I used this recipe and cut the sugar by about half, subbed in some whole wheat flour, and used olive oil instead of canola oil)

I made two (certainly not sugar free) frostings for the cupcakes.  I made a traditional buttercream as well as a buttercream frosting using coconut oil instead of butter.  The coconut oil frosting was delicious and had a definite coconut taste, so I toasted up some dried unsweetened coconut and sprinkled it on top to let people know what to expect (also so I would know which ones I could eat).

All the food was a hit and I didn’t have to feel like a hypocrite feeding our guests and children things that I wouldn’t want to feed my own family.

Lastly, I want to share a quote from a post by Georgia at wellnourished.com,
“I think it’s a real shame that choosing to feed myself and my family mostly real, whole foods is viewed as unusual or even weird.  When did processed food become the ‘norm’ and whole foods become ‘alternative’?  Food for thought.
In my mind, there’s no such thing as junk food – there’s junk and then there’s food.”

My job for you:  challenge the idea that kids’ parties (or any party) needs to be full of processed foods and sugar.  We can feed ourselves and our children real food without depriving them of treats and without spending too much time in the kitchen.  Let’s change birthday celebrations one party at a time and try to swap out some of your go-to snacks and goodies with something wholesome and real.  Share some swaps you’ve made or yummy recipes you’ve found in the comments!