Healthy Food Ideas For A Small Wedding Reception
When you’re weighing the pros and cons of the size of your wedding day, having an intimate wedding celebration can have so many benefits. They are so much easier to plan and organize, and having a small wedding reception can be so much easier on the budget.
So, they’re not only intimate, romantic and breath-taking, but they’re also more budget-friendly, especially when it comes to the wedding reception food.
When it comes to wedding food ideas, small weddings are a great option. There need to be fewer food choices, and serving healthy food can make the most out of a small wedding reception.
So, I am sharing a roundup of healthy wedding food ideas that are perfect for a small wedding reception. Your wedding menu will make both you, your wallet, and your guests extremely happy!
Healthy Food Ideas For A Small Wedding Reception
To make it extra easy for you, I’ll organize these wedding food ideas into categories, depending on which meal they belong to - appetizer (finger foods), main course, dessert, etc. We created a list that’s sure to please the taste buds of everyone on your list!
Wedding Appetizers
The easiest wedding menu ideas you need to come up with are for wedding appetizers. Having bite sized food makes it so much easier to come up with a healthy option, since there are tons of possibilities.
These options are great to serve during cocktail hour so guests can satisfy their taste buds in the limbo period of waiting on wedding reception food.
So, here are some of my favorite wedding appetizers that are not only extremely delicious, but quite healthy as well so you can have a guilt-free wedding day – perfect for almost any wedding theme.
Deviled Eggs
408 calories
Ingredients:
3 Egg, large - 216 calories
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (Tbsp) - 97 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 tsp Paprika, dash - 0 calories
0.3 Tbsp Mustard, regular (brown, deli, etc.) - 4.5 calories
2 cups Carrots, baby - 90 calories
Instructions:
Hard boil eggs.
Once cooked and cooled, slice eggs in half and scoop out yolks.
Combine egg yolks, mayo, and seasonings in a bowl.
Spoon mixture evenly back into egg whites. Top with paprika.
Serve carrots on the side.
Note: 0.3 Tbsp = 1 tsp.
Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese
344 calories
Ingredients:
1 cup Tomatoes, canned, crushed - 50 calories
¼ Onion, yellow - 13.75 calories
2 Tbsp Heavy Cream (Tbsp) - 100 calories
⅓ cup Broth, vegetable - 4.95 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 tsp Garlic, minced (tsp) - 0 calories
1 Oregano, dash - 0 calories
1 Bread, slice, whole wheat - 120 calories
½ oz Cheese, sliced, cheddar, full fat/ regular - 55 calories
Instructions:
Dice onion.
Spray a pot with an oil spray. Add in garlic and cook on medium heat until fragrant ~1-2 minutes.
Add onion another ~2-3 minutes or until translucent.
Add tomatoes, heavy cream, broth, and seasonings. Reduce heat to low.
Cook, stirring occasionally, at least 5 minutes.
Optional (but recommended!): Transfer soup to a blender & blend until smooth.
While soup is cooking, slice bread in half. Add cheese to make sandwich.
Either cook grilled cheese in a pan (use an oil spray, cook for ~2 mins on medium-low heat on each side) or in a toaster oven ~3-5 minutes.
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese or bacon for the sandwich, and cashew milk for the soup, or swap this meal out for another.
No gluten? Use a gluten-free bread.
Cream Cheese & Smoked Salmon Cukes
307 calories
Ingredients:
1 Cucumber, medium - 42 calories
4 oz Smoked salmon - 133 calories
4 Tbsp Cream cheese, whipped (Tbsp) - 132 calories
1 Everything bagel seasoning, dash - 0 calories
Instructions:
Cut off ends of cucumber, slice lengthwise.
Spread cream cheese on top.
Add smoked salmon.
Top with seasonings.
No everything bagel seasoning? Use salt & pepper.
Cheese Stuffed Garlic Bread (Pull Apart)
125 calories
Ingredients:
3 1/4 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet Fleischmann’s® RapidRise Yeast™ (1/4- ounce or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
8 ounces mozzarella cheese (not grated)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1–1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1–1/2 teaspoons Italian Herb Seasoning
Instructions:
Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer and mix on low until blended. Combine milk, water and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 15 second increments until very warm but not hot to the touch (120° to 130°F. Butter won’t melt completely). Add to flour mixture and then add the egg.
Mix with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl as needed. Add 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. If necessary, stir in just enough remaining flour so that the dough will form into a ball.
Lightly flour your counter top and knead the dough until smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers, about 6 to 8 minutes. (Alternately you can switch out the paddle attachment for your dough hook on the stand mixer and do this step with the dough hook).
Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Coat a 10- cup bundt pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
Cut the cheese into 32 pieces or cubes. Set aside.
Cut the dough into 32 pieces. Wrap each piece of dough around a piece of cheese.
For filling, combine butter, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian herb seasoning in a small bowl.
Dip each dough ball into the melted butter mixture. Place in prepared pan. Pour any remaining butter over rolls and cover with towel. Let the dough rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert on serving plate.
Serve warm.
Main Dishes
When it comes to main dishes, there are really many ways you can go.
If you’re having a summer wedding, salmon would be a great choice, since it’s light, fresh, and perfect for the hot summer weather. Since salmon is very healthy, you would definitely have a healthy wedding menu.
If you’re having a fall wedding or winter wedding, chicken would be a great option, since it’s delicious, healthy, and everyone loves it.
So, here are some ideas for main dishes.
Tuscan-Inspired Salmon
438 calories
Ingredients:
4 oz Salmon filet - 200 calories
4 oz Coconut milk, reduced fat (oz) - 140 calories
⅛ cup Broth, vegetable - 1.875 calories
0.3 Tbsp Garlic, minced (Tbsp) - 0 calories
4 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 28 calories
4 Tbsp Tomatoes, sun-dried - 68 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash - 0 calories
Instructions:
Add garlic salt to salmon.
Spray a pan with an oil spray & add in minced garlic. Add in salmon. Cover pan with lid.
Cook salmon ~12 minutes on low-medium heat.
Turn heat to low. Add in spinach, sundried tomatoes, broth, and coconut milk to the pan, recover & let simmer for ~5 minutes
Salmon Asparagus and Rice
285 calories
Ingredients:
4 oz Salmon filet - 200 calories
1 tsp Sesame seeds - 6 calories
2 cups Asparagus spears - 54 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Tbsp Cheese, Parmesan, grated (Tbsp) - 25 calories
1 Garlic powder, dash - 0 calories
Instructions:
Cook rice as instructed on package.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Bake salmon and asparagus for 20 minutes.
Once cooked, top asparagus and salmon with cheese, sesame seeds, and seasonings.
No dairy? Use a dairy free cheese, or add oil.
Individual Chicken Parms
436 calories
Ingredients:
5 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories
1 Tbsp Tomatoes, canned, crushed (Tbsp) - 3 calories
1 oz Cheese, sliced, mozzarella, full fat/ regular - 80 calories
2 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 14 calories
¼ Onion, red - 13.75 calories
½ cup Tomatoes, grape - 16 calories
1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) - 119 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
1 Basil, dash - 0 calories
1 Oregano, dash - 0 calories
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil & spray it with an oil spray.
Season chicken on both sides with salt and oregano; press into meat.
Lay chicken on baking sheet.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven, top with canned tomatoes and cheese, bake for another 5 minutes. Once cooked, topped with seasonings.
Make side salad grape tomatoes (sliced), diced red onion, oil, and seasonings,
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese, or additional oil in the salad. No chicken? Use tofu.
Chicken parm can also be served with classic pasta, garlic bread, or oven-roasted vegetables.
Chicken Piccata
369 calories
Ingredients:
5 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories
2 Zucchini, medium - 66 calories
⅛ cup Broth, chicken or beef - 4.375 calories
1 Tbsp Butter (Tbsp) - 103 calories
2 Tbsp Lemon, juice - 4 calories
3 tsp Parsley, fresh - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
1 Tbsp Capers - 2 calories
Instructions:
Cut zucchini into small pieces, slice chicken intro strips.
Add butter to pan, heat on low heat until melted.
Cook chicken for ~8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
Add zucchini for another ~2 minutes, until slightly browned.
Add in chicken broth. Let simmer ~5 more minutes on low heat.
Top with lemon juice and seasonings.
No chicken? Use tofu, fish, or beans. No dairy? Use oil instead of butter.
Dessert
Besides the wedding cake, you can have some other desserts as well.
If you want to make them a bit more healthy, you can make them fruit-based, so your guests can eat them guilt-free, and devour the wedding cake as well (which will be the star of the show obviously!)
If you’re having a summer wedding, you can even consider having ice cream for a dessert - your guests will go crazy for that, that’s for sure!
Even though ice cream isn’t super healthy, there are some healthiest options to look into!