Having a pool party, Need Menu ideas please.

maybe souvlakis (marinate chunks of chicken, make shish kebobs on grill, serve on greek salad with (or in) pitas).

Skinnytaste.com has a yummy lower cal taco dip if you do want something snack-y

Honestly, I would still make party-type food, and have healthy options too. Moderation is key, but you still have to enjoy things. We had a pool party last weekend (and do just about every weekend throughout the summer). I served a ton of really awful stuff, calorie-wise. But I had healthy things like veggies and salad too. Still ate within my calories for the day, but didn't feel deprived.

You mentioned Taco Dip, why not tacos?

You could do some with shredded chicken breast or ground turkey in the crock pot and let people build their own. Have all the cheese, lettuce, etc in bowls for people to add on. In my family we use non-fat plain yogurt instead of sour cream. You can still keep it healthy for you and the kids won't think it's "yucky diet food". For a super healthy option, you can skip the tortilla/shell altogether and just put yours on lettuce as a salad. I personally like using tortilla chips because they have crunch but one serving is less calories than your average soft-taco sized tortilla (the burrito sized ones are TWICE as many calories).

And for dessert, just have pieces of fruit, either as a fruit salad or just in a bowl with a bunch of toothpick next to it.

First of all-hi! We're practically neighbors.

Kabobs are a great idea.

You can also do some roll ups. I buy no salt and reduced sodium meats and cheese from Boar's head at Publix. They are REALLY good. You get some tortillas-I prefer and suggest the Xtreme Wellness high fiber/low carb/low cal tortillas-and place the meat across the center. Add cheese (I get my cheese sliced extra thin). Then roll it up, put a toothpick on each side, and cut in half. Place on a plate. Then I serve with different mustards-spicy brown, Nance's sharp and creamy, yellow-and flavored mayonnaises, low fat mayo, etc. My roll ups are always a hit.

You can also have fruit salad alongside.

I also have a really good recipe for mac n cheese using fat free cheddar, whole grain pasta, and lowfat cottage cheese:

1 box of prepared whole grain elbow macaroni
1# fat free cheddar
8 oz. lowfat cottage cheese (or fat free)
1 egg
8 oz. fat free sour cream
pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

combine everything but the macaroni. Mix well and fold in the pasta. Pour into a greased 9x13 dish. Bake, covered, at 350 for about 35 minutes. Remove foil cover and bake just to slightly browned on top.

We have this mac and cheese with almost every get together-steaks, chicken, burgers-it matters not.

Sweetbay also has whole tenderloin on sale this week for 9.99 a pound. Nothing better than a grilled tenderloin, sliced thick. *drool* Not too bad for fat and cals, either if it's nicely trimmed.

Want to use your Crock, eh?? Check out Crockpot365.com and click on "Index." All 365 recipes. There ya go. It's a frequently visited website with some real winners on it. Have fun! :happy:

Another one from Hungry Girl's email today:


Fruity & Tangy Cocktail Meatballs
PER SERVING (1/8th of recipe, 3 meatballs with about 2 tbsp. sauce): 135 calories, 2.5g fat, 191mg sodium, 15g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 14g sugars, 12g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*

We got a li'l crazy with these mango-infused meatballs. They require a bit of oven lovin' before you toss 'em in the crock pot, but the results are worth the effort. (PROMISE!) Great for parties!

Ingredients:
Meatballs
1 lb. raw extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely diced mango
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. salt

Sauce
One 15-oz. can peach slices in juice
1/2 cup sugar-free or low-sugar apricot preserves
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Sriracha hot chili sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mix thoroughly with your hands. (Don't be squeamish -- it's the easiest way!) Form 24 evenly sized meatballs from the mixture and place them evenly on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven until meatballs are just cooked, 8 - 10 minutes. Meanwhile, drain peaches and transfer to a blender or food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth. Transfer to a crock pot. Add all remaining sauce ingredients to the crock pot and mix well.

Carefully transfer meatballs to the crock pot. Stir to coat. Cover and cook on low for 3 - 4 hours.

Stir well and serve up meatballs with toothpicks and the extra sauce from the crock pot!

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

This isn't a main food, more like dessert, but I've met very few people who didn't love it.

16-20 oz premade angel food cake from your grocer's bakery
2 small pkgs sugar-free strawberry jello
16 oz lite (or fat-free, your choice) cool-whip
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

Crumble the angel food cake up into small piece into a cake pan (9 x 11 ish); prepare jello, following the directions for ONE package, but use both packages; pour over angel food cake. Cover with cool-whip; sprinkle top liberally with strawberries. Refrigerate for two hours before serving.

It is a dessert you'd want to pull from the fridge, serve, then put back (if there's any left!). It depends on the calorie content of the angel food and what size you get, but I think it officially serves 12 (big portions) and the calories are less than 200 per serving. I always figure it based on the specific packages, because it can vary from store to store. Angel food is a really great choice for desserts.

Have fun! :drinker:

Tuna or Chicken salad on tomato or cucumber slices

not sure where you live but a package of Salmon Steaks from Costco - I think there are 12 in a package and they cook easily on the BBQ and are delicious.....my cousins kids loved them and served with a variety of toppings / lettuce/ etc

A great summer dessert for a BBQ is
- a can of frozen lemonade
- 1 container of Vanilla Frozen Yogourt
- mix it up in a bowl and put it in a 9X9 pan and put it in the freezer until you are ready to serve
- it is soooo cool and refreshing and a low fat option instead of Cake and Icecream
It Can be served with real fruit of choice or on its own
can also be put on a Graham wafer crust if you want one - Have fun at your BBQ!!!