Need Tips for Potluck Happy Hour while RV camping

GoRun2

When we go camping with friends, we have a potluck happy hour. It's BYOB so I can bring sparkling water instead of wine for me. I need some usggestions for healthy low calorie easy appetizers that I can bring besides vegetables and hummus. I always do that. I need some variety for 5 days of happy hour.

JessiBelleW

Cheese and crackers? Not the lowest cal options but easy to measure/portion out. Fruit/fruit platter

Sinisterbarbie1

If allergies aren”t an issue most groceries now have prepared shrimp cocktail (even plated up in rings with the cocktail sauce in the center). Very low calorie.

Cut a cucumber in slices, scoop out the seeds so there is a little hole in the center and stuff a small piece of smoked salmon in the hole so it sticks out looking like a little rosette, or just top the cucumber with a smear of tzatiki or cream cheese and a torn piece of smoked salmon (the latter option runs the risk of sliding off)

thread cherry tomatoes and little mozzarella balls or feta squares on skewers or toothpicks, Or do the same with grapes and cheese cubes. Or mini peppers and spicy cheese. Or replace the cheese with a cube of rotisserie chicken or another healthy protein, Cuts out the crackers, makes each portion more veggie or fruit than cheese if you thread them right, and looks festive and is easy to pick up and share without people getting their hands all over the block of cheese or in a dip etc.

ArtsieSarah

I just discovered tzatziki sauce is super low calorie, has some protein from the greek yogurt base, and I love the flavor. I’d look for some low cal pita chips to pair it with?? I normally have it with veggie but I know u don’t want a veggie platter.

I think cheese and fruit would be delicious too! You can do a healthy charcuterie board with cheese, fruit, almond thin crackers, nuts, olives, little girkin pickles, etc…

AnnPT77

Sort of old school, but deviled eggs are good (or something similar, with an interesting twist?). I like to make them with Greek yogurt instead of mayo (just enough so the yoke-smash holds together, is light/fluffy instead of salve-like - have to spoon in the filling, though, not pipe it). Something like minced fresh rosemary is a different twist (or other fresh herbs), or minced green olives?

Pickled hard-boiled eggs are an easy make ahead, with many seasoning options.

Marinated mushrooms are easy and low calorie, if you like mushrooms. They also can be made ahead, keep well. I use a super large amount of raw white mushrooms, cut the red wine vinegar a bit with water, gently heat on the stove so they marinate faster, then cool/refrigerate. I like fresh oregano (just put the stalks in), fresh thyme (ditto), whole garlic cloves (just peeled), thin-sliced onions, for sure salt for me, pepper if you like, even a little hot pepper if you like heat - put the seasoning in during the heating process.

It's a little more caloric (though nutrient dense), but fruit with neufchatel cheese, maybe flavored, is nice. I like pitted fresh apricots, or pitted dried dates, with a spoonful of neufchatel (maybe with a few drops of pure orange extract mixed in), possibly mixed with some ricotta cheese (lower calorie density), then a toasted almond included, or some toasted then chopped almonds, pistachios, or walnuts sprinkled over the cheese. For slightly more calorie indulgent luxe, use a little liqueur (Cointreu, triple sec, other fruit liqueur) to flavor the filling.

Stuffed grape leaves, or any tasty raw green that can be used as a wrap-container, could be nice. The rice type fillings are traditional, but the sky's the limit in practice: Tabouli inside, or herbed/seasoned ricotta/neufchatel/chevre, hummus, whatever. Ditto for stuffed cherry tomatoes, mini sweet peppers, etc. Some of those could be made ahead, but certain greens types less so.

One of our rowing club folks used to make "cowboy caviar": It's usually a bean/corn/veggies thing in a salsa or vinaigrette base - lots of recipes on the web - used as a dip. Bean tortilla chips are a nice dipper (more protein than standard corn chips) but scoopy veggies like cucumber slices, celery sticks, belgian endive, baby romaine or leaf lettuce, etc., can also work.

allaboutthecake

Bacon-wrapped baby potatoes. Wash the spuds. Roll in sea salt. wrap a half piece of bacon around it. Cook in crockpot till bacon is brown. If you eat a ton of em, of COURSE it will be higher in calories than if you just ate a couple But hey, bacon and potatoes. Plus its easy to store spuds when you're camping!

Method: 1 lb yellow or fingerling potatoes
2 T . olive oil
1 T . fresh minced thyme (or dried)
1/2 t . black pepper
1/4 t . paprika
1/2 lb . bacon cut in half
1/4 cup chicken broth

Toss potatoes with olive oil, thyme, black pepper and paprika a ziploc gallon bag.
Wrap each potato in a strip of bacon tightly.
Brown potatoes in a large skillet till bacon brown or slow cooker equipped with brown/saute setting.*
Place potatoes in slow cooker and add chicken broth. (Broth helps to keep spuds moist and they taste delicious like this.)
Cook on HIGH for three hours

*I've done this step in the skillet cuz it was easier on me.

(Just realized you said you were tired of veggies, well,,,, doesn't the bacon count hehe)