Healthy Food Catering For Wedding Reception
Joining together with family and friends to celebrate your wedding is a special day. You plan everything to perfection, from the wedding catering and the wedding venue to the flowers to the flow of the day. Planning the wedding menu can be a big part of your planning as there are so many parts to it. The cocktail hour, the wedding reception and the cake!
Choosing which foods to serve at your wedding reception and coming up with wedding menu options can be challenging and it can be tempting to fill it with treats and decadent food. But you can include healthy foods without compromising on taste or interest. Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring!
Healthy Food Catering For Wedding Reception
To help you with healthy wedding planning, making your guests feel happy and appreciated, and having the perfect wedding day, I will give you some wedding menu options, to make the planning a bit easier.
Farm to Table
If you’re having a rustic wedding, you should definitely consider farm to table as one of your wedding ideas. This means dealing directly with local farmers to procure food, rather than shipping it across the country or around the world. Saving on the air miles that your food travels is not only good for the planet, fresher food always tastes better. Have you ever tasted a tomato straight off the vine?
Whether you’re traveling to a destination for your wedding or having it locally, it can be a great way to showcase the incredible local produce and even uncover some hidden gems. Look for fruit locally for your dessert recipes, artisanal cheeses or olives for antipasto platters or even local wines for your menu. If an area is beautiful enough to host a wedding, there’s a good chance that there is a wonderful local food source that you can celebrate as part of your wedding.
Vegetarian, Vegan or Plant-Based
If you eat a plant-based diet, you might consider feeding all your guests plant-based wedding food. This can be a great way to introduce your friends and family to your favorite plant-based recipes or meals. You can include things like fake meats so that they don’t even really realize that they’re skipping the meat!
Here is a food idea for this type of menu.
Crostini with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Brie
396 calories
Ingredients:
2 oz Baguette - 120 calories
2 Tbsp Tomatoes, sun-dried - 34 calories
3 oz Cheese, Brie - 240 calories
¼ cup Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 1.75 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Slice baguette into thin slices. Slice brie into thin slices.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & spray it with an oil spray. Add baguette slices to the baking sheet.
Layer with brie, then spinach, then sun-dried tomatoes.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Top with salt & pepper.
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese, or top with guac & other toppings after baking. No gluten? Use gluten free bread.
Gluten-Free
Choosing meals that are gluten-free are a great way to add healthy options to your menu. If you’re having food stations, having at least one that is completely gluten-free is a great idea, especially if you have Celiac guests that you are catering for.
I usually recommend looking for wedding ideas that are gluten-free to begin with, rather than substituting things like pasta for gluten-free varieties. Some substitutes are great, but others can lack the right texture or flavor. And you can make such wonderful meals that aren’t built around gluten-based foods.
One key thing to think about with gluten-free is your wedding cakes. Weddings tend to need a cake and if you choose one that is gluten-free then you can ensure that everyone present can enjoy a slice.
Here are a few ideas for gluten-free meals.
Asparagus and Mozzarella Chicken
324 calories
Ingredients:
2 cups Asparagus spears - 54 calories
5 oz Chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories
1 oz Cheese, sliced, mozzarella, full fat/ regular - 80 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
Instructions:
Spray pan with an oil spray.
Cut off hard ends of asparagus.
Cook chicken for 6-7 minutes on each side.
Add in asparagus for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Add seasonings.
Top chicken with cheese, and let melt for 1 minute before eating.
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese or 1/2 an avocado. No animal protein? Use fish or tofu.
Steak and Sweet Potatoes
396 calories
Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato, medium, 5 inches - 112 calories
6 oz Flank steak, raw - 230 calories
2 cups Asparagus spears - 54 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut off hard ends of asparagus.
Poke holes in potato with fork on top and bottom. Microwave for 4 minutes on both sides.
Spray an oven-safe pan (like a cast iron skillet) with an oil spray.
Sear steak (cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side).
Then put steak and asparagus it in the oven for ~10 minutes, or until steak reaches 145 degrees internally (use an instant-read thermometer).
Paleo
Choosing a paleo menu doesn’t have to be hard. If you’re eating a paleo diet, you know that this simplified way of eating can be healthy, filling, and delicious. Keep your meals simple, based around meats and vegetables while avoiding processed food to keep all your guests healthy.
You can also serve delicious paleo desserts, wedding style. A paleo cake or cupcakes will be a treat for your guests.
Here are some paleo meal ideas for your big day.
Shrimp Cocktail
156 calories
Ingredients:
5 oz Shrimp - 140 calories
¼ cup Salsa - 16 calories
Instructions:
If cooking shrimp from frozen, spray a pan with an oil spray and cook shrimp for ~8 minutes on medium heat, until cooked through. Drain away any excess liquid.
Dip shrimp in salsa.
Shrimp Ceviche
331 calories
Ingredients:
5 oz Shrimp - 140 calories
¼ Onion, red - 13.75 calories
3 Tbsp Lemon, juice - 6 calories
1 Tbsp Cilantro - 0 calories
1 Tomato, medium - 22 calories
½ Avocado, small - 116.5 calories
1 Cucumber, small - 32 calories
¼ Jalapeño, slice - 0.25 calories
Instructions:
Spray a pan with an oil spray. Cook shrimp from fresh or frozen for ~8 minutes, until cooked through. Drain if there’s excess liquid. Once cooled, chop shrimp into small pieces.
Also chop onion, tomato, avocado, and jalapeno into small pieces.
Combine all ingredients (besides cucumber) in a bowl, mix.
Squeeze lemon juice over mixture.
Slice cucumber and serve on the side.
Note: 1 lemon yields ~3 Tbsp lemon juice.