“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from chai martinis and queso dip.”
Is that your happy-hour prayer? What you wash your day down with can make or break all of those early-morning workouts. But it’s your turn to host Thursday-night book club or the Saturday afternoon kids-birthday-party-but-all-the-parents-are-attending-too shindig, so what to do?
Despite what we tend to think of it, a cocktail hour need not be 1.) Elaborate, or 2.) Fattening.
Here are some healthy cocktail party ideas for keeping your get-together simple and healthy. (Double score!)
Focus on Wine. Don’t feel like you need to have a full bar at every get-together. Mixed drinks are where we tend to get ourselves in trouble with sugar and high-calorie content, PLUS obviously it’s expensive to stock everything. Go instead for a variety of high-quality wines, which are always a safe bet and the most heart-healthy alcoholic option. (MY favorites in the $15 to $25 range are La Crema, Conundrum Red Blend, Verse and Chorus, Wente, and Chalk Hill.)
Serve One Signature Drink: If you know your crowd still loves a good cocktail, make up one specialty drink for the evening. But use savory or natural ingredients to infuse flavor, not loads of sugary liqueurs. Snag this idea from Cedar & Rush: Muddle cilantro and jalapeño together and pour in tequila and freshly squeezed lime juice. Make a big carafe, pour over ice to serve, and call it a night.
Think Simple, High-Quality Foods: My favorite (cocktail snack, bedtime snack, tapas complement, even occasional augment to a breakfast plate) is as follows: Melt one teaspoon of coconut oil in a small pan and toss in equal handfuls of raw unsalted cashews, walnuts, almonds, and pecans. (I buy mine in bulk from Sprouts.) Sprinkle in a coarse high-quality smoked salt or Pink Himalayan salt, a pinch of dried rubbed sage, and stir until toasty. How long will all of this take you? Oh, about three minutes. MAYBE four. Round it out with some blue-cheese stuffed olives, fresh berries with chopped mint in ramekins, and maybe a good shrimp cocktail.
Did I tell you that was easy, or what? Maybe with all that extra time you have, you can get a little workout in before everyone comes over!
Snag 10 of my other healthy hacks by downloading my FREE Self-Care Guide for Entrepreneurs!
