Planning your holiday menu is not always easy, especially when your guests have a mix of preferences. Many of your guests may prefer healthy snacks as a general rule of thumb, but endless baked goods can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday season for others. Here are three helpful tips for selecting healthy foods, sweet treats, and options that will make everyone happy!
Include Everyone's Favorites
Even if the majority of your guests are prioritizing a healthy lifestyle these days, chances are most of them have a favorite Christmas cookie, homemade candy, or freshly baked pie. Many of these treats have been favorites since childhood, and it may not feel like the holiday season for them without that one special tradition. This means that putting in several treats that disappear first year after year in the mix can be an important aspect of keeping everyone happy, including those who are more likely to choose healthy snacks for the rest of the year.
Consider Known Dietary Needs
Some dietary needs can make it difficult for everyone at your holiday gathering to find plenty to eat without a bit of advance planning. If you know that some of your guests follow a low-sugar, low-calorie, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or other specialized diets, then you should familiarize yourself with what they can eat from your typical menu and adding extra healthy snacks that follow similar guidelines is an important step in helping everyone on your guest list feel included. Although it is not necessary to make sure that every guest can eat every item on your table, especially if you are hosting a large celebration for your entire extended family, it is courteous to include plenty of options that are a good fit for a variety of dietary needs and preferences.
Pinterest Is Your Friend
If you find yourself at a loss for potential new menu items that the majority of your guests will enjoy, browsing Pinterest can quickly connect you with thousands of possibilities that are both healthy and delicious. Even if you have collected dozens of cookbooks over the years, chances are most of them either focus exclusively on healthy recipes or only focus on taste instead of considering health benefits. Older cookbooks may also lean toward older health standards, many of which are now believed to be less accurate than they were decades ago, which means that they may not fit the modern guidelines guests that prioritize keeping up with the latest trends enjoy. This easy-to-use website or app can help you find plenty of new ideas that will make both sides happy.
At Senior Helpers of Wabash, we know that planning a holiday menu that gives all your guests what they want can be challenging. This can be especially true when guests from different generations have different ideas about what constitutes a healthy meal or how many sweet treats they want to enjoy during the holidays, but finding a balance between the two is an important step in making sure everyone at your holiday gathering in the Grant, Huntington, Kosciusko, Marshall, Noble, Wabash, Allen, Miami, Wells, or Whitley area has plenty to eat. Contact us today to learn about more ways we can help you or a senior family member manage a wide range of seasonal needs or to get started!