Healthy Food and Cocktails for Summer Fun!

Summer cocktail in a size 6 sundress

Zinnias from my garden as decor!

While I am not always Suzy Homemaker, one thing that I really do enjoy is entertaining people at my house.  I love making my home feel cozy and welcoming and having it filled with laughter and good conversation.  So when one of my dearest friends Sarah (who is getting married in July!) asked if I would be willing to host a lingerie shower at my house, I was more than happy to oblige.

As I started planning this shower, I realized that my whole concept of eating and drinking had changed since my last party.  My standby refreshments had always been bowls of chips, French onion dip, pretzels, brownies, cookies, and 2 liters of soda.   Instead of feeding food to my guests that I would not eat, I decided to take on the challenge of throwing a clean and organic party, without sacrificing taste!

The plan was to have an outdoor evening gathering and so I decided to have the following “finger food” appetizers: 

Appetizers & Gluten-free cake made by Catie!

•    Sweet potato chips  with cinnamon yogurt dip 


•  I cheated and bought the sweet potato chips since I have yet to successfully make my own, but they were organic and only had 3 ingredients all of which I could recognize and pronounce.  The dip was awesome and so healthy/easy: 1 cup of organic non-fat plain greek yogurt, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.  If it is not sweet enough for you, simply add in a touch of honey or a packet of truvia. 
• Fresh Veggies/hummus 
•  I have found it is so much cheaper to make my own hummus- all you do is throw garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and tahini (sesame paste) in the food processor. You can add whatever spices you want to get different flavors- I love cumin in mine, but if you want spicy add some red pepper. 
•  Caprese bites
• Create a skewer by putting a fresh basil leaf, one grape or cherry tomato, and pearl sized mozzarella (use a toothpick to hold it together) and drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar/extra virgin olive oil
•   Mixed Nuts
•  Cheese/Crackers
•   Sarah is allergic to gluten so we had NutThins almond/rice crackers- they were delicious! I just cubed some organic sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese

Now for the fun part- summer cocktails! I am more of a cocktail girl than a beer drinker, but the problem is that so many cocktails can easily have 600-700 calories (not to mention sugar and other fake ingredients). Luckily, I found two delicious cocktail recipes that were both under 200 calories each!

• Southern Style Grapefruit and Gin Cocktail: who would have known that gin, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and mint could be so delicious! I have a huge sweet tooth, and even I didn’t need to add sugar to this recipe! Plus the lite pink drink looked super cute in the small mason jars I served them inJ This recipe from The Realistic Nutritionist http://nutritionfor.us/2012/04/drink-skinny-southern-style-gin-cocktails/ is definitely a keeper!
• Sparkling Strawberry-Mint Limeade: This creation by Kelly of   http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/ was fantastic and refreshing! Simply combine 3 c sliced strawberries, ½ c fresh mint leaves, ½ c fresh lime juice, ¼ c water and ¼ c agave in a food processor or blender until smooth. Take the strawberry mixture and mix it with a bottle of champagne; for 163 calories per serving you have the perfect summer drink!

First clean/organic party was a success!

Besides being fresh, healthy and delicious, the best part about these cocktails was that I could make up a bunch ahead of time, put them in labeled mason jars, and throw them in a cooler, which let me enjoy my guests versus having to constantly refill glasses!

What is your favorite healthy party food or beverage?