May 22 2011
Health Conscious Partying
Tagged Under : allergy, appetizers, bachelor, Bachelor Party, bachelorette, baked goods, bridal, bridal shower, buffet, celebration, charity, charity runs, Conscious, conscious party, Family, fruit, guest of honor, health consious, house, nearby park, party activities, Partying, peta, physical activity, pub crawl, Recipezaar, sidelines, stag, stag party, thekitchenoutlet, vegetable, wedding party
Happy AND Healthy?
A health-conscious party can still be a lot of fun!
If you are organizing a pre-wedding party for a bride who is either extremely health-consious, is dieting for her big day, or has eating restrictions due to an allergy or condition – you might consider catering your celebration to meet her needs so that she can enjoy herself.
Some of this is obvious: don’t throw a pig roast bachelor party for your friend if he’s a member of PETA or a vegetarian (or both). However, sometimes it’s not that clear. For most of us, fattening baked goods and fatty appetizers are so closely associated with parties that you wouldn’t even consider changing the menu for a friend. This won’t be appropriate for everyone, you will know if this is what your friend would prefer (and if you’re not sure, it is always wise to check). The last thing you want to do is offend the bride or groom.
Activities
Party activities should be exactly that: active. Include activities so that guests aren’t standing around eating the whole time and they are less likely to notice that the menu is a bit different. Make the stag party a hike instead of a pub crawl, if that’s what the guest of honor would prefer! Or, if the bride loves adventure – plan for a group of you to go skydiving.
Community Events
There are so many charity runs, walks, and cycling events out there you might consider honoring your guest of honor with an event that is appropriate to their achievements. Create a team and invite everyone to participate instead of the bridal shower, bachelor party, or bachelorette. Participants can donate money to the cause rather than purchasing a gift. Make t-shirts for everyone and have fun! Spread out a buffet at your house for after wards, or pack a picnic for everyone and meet at a nearby park. Family members who are unable to participate can cheer from the sidelines or might volunteer to help with the snacks after wards.
Fresh Ideas
If your party includes physical activity, make sure you provide lots of hydrating drinks. Water is always the best choice (but not that exciting). Glam it up by using fancy pitchers, like this one from thekitchenoutlet.com. You can make water more exciting by adding flavors.
Large fruit and vegetable platters are always a good idea. Salsas and hummus are healthier dip choices, or look for healthy versions of your favorites such as this no mayo spinach dip posted at Recipezaar.com.
