Vegetable and Cheese Board

When you think about entertaining, how do you feel? Are you excited, nervous, anxious, tired? Entertaining can be all of those things, but it doesn't have to be. Entertaining can be fun, easy, and enjoyable. To help make hosting easier, I'm sharing an easy appetizer. It's a vegetable tray with some cheese. It's friendly and not fussy.

 

I love having an appetizer ready for guests. It gives them something to munch on if they're hungry before dinner is ready. It also gives me a buffer if dinner is running late. It means that my guests aren't starving and smelling dinner.

This appetizer is super simple. It's 4 steps: wash, dry, chop, arrange. I like to include seasonal fruits and vegetables. For one, they are local, which means fresher because they weren't shipped far. Secondly, they tend to taste best in season. Fruit is sweeter, and veggies are crisp.

Adding fruits and vegetables to your cheese boards has several benefits. First, fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense. In other words, they have a ton of vitamins and minerals. So, they're super tasty and great for your health! Secondly, fruits and vegetables tend to be more economical (read less expensive) than cheese. So, you can make a huge fruit, veggie, and cheese board for a fraction of the cost of a cheese board. Third, I love the colors and textures that fruits and veggies add to a cheese board. Visually, there's more interest and I find it more aesthetically pleasing. So in summary, fruit and veggie cheese boards are good for you, good for your budge, and visually pleasing.

If you've ever felt nervous about hosting, here are a few tips.

5 Tips for Low-Stress Hosting 

1) You're hosting not entertaining.
These two terms, host versus entertain, make a world of difference. To me, an entertainer sets a stage and has a flawless performance. A host offers a place to come and gather. An entertainer has the focus on the performance. In contrast, a host gets to welcome and offer a safe space for people to gather, be themselves, and enjoy community.

2) Consider your guest's preferences.
Sometimes the barrier to having guests is the fear of not knowing what to make. So ask! I like to give 2-3 options that way guests have input on the meal.

Also, I think it's important to ask about food allergies. You can also ask if people have any foods they hate.

3) Prep ahead.
I am a planner, type A kind of person. I feel stressed when things are left to the last minute. I don't like to procrastinate. To help me keep my sanity, I like to prep ahead as much as possible. This looks like, menu planning. I try to clean a day or two before the party. I try to have some parts of the meal or appetizer ready to go.

4) Make easy meals.
I encourage you to make easy meals. Make familiar meals; make something you've cooked before. I wouldn't try a new recipe or challenging dish when I host. It just increases anxiety. What if the dish doesn't turn out right? What if it tastes bad? Instead of worrying, cook a go-to, tried and true, tasty meal.

5) Ask for help.
You don't need to be a one woman show. Ask guests to bring something. Or if you're the guest, ask if you can bring something.

What dinners work well? Try a pot luck. Host a taco night - make the entrée. Have a guest bring an appetizer - chips and dip. Encourage someone else to bring a side or dessert. In the Fall and Winter, I love a baked potato bar with fixings. Or, try soups and sandwiches. Also, there's no judgment here for ordering pizza. Who doesn't like pizza?

Try a cooking club. Have people over to cook and then eat together. That sounds so fun! Don't feel like you have to do everything.

Have you ever thought about hosting versus entertaining?
What keeps you from hosting more? 
What motivates you to host?
What are your go-to recipes to make for company?
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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Easy Entertaining Round Up

Do you love food? 'Tis the season for hosting parties, gathering friends and family, and eating. This means a multitude of opportunities for cooking and entertaining.

I love food and hosting company, but I sometimes have a little entertaining anxiety. Will the food turn out okay? Do I have all the ingredients? Will my guests like the food? Did I make enough food for everyone? How can I make sure the food will be ready in time or at the same time?  Most people are at least a little concerned about entertaining. 

Let me help take some of the stress out of entertaining. Here are some of my favorite ideas to take the fear out of entrees. With this Entertaining Made Easy series, your fears will be eased, and you will become a better host or hostess.

I would love to see how you are entertaining, so tag your entertaining pictures with #EasyEntree and #EasyEntertaining. And, tag me, @RDtipoftheday, so I can see what you do. You may be featured on the blog, Twitter, or Instagram.

Easy Entertaining: 8 Simple Sides

Easy Entertaining: 6 Easy Entrees

Easy Entertaining: 5 Breakfast Entrees for Entertaining

For more recipes, tips, and encouragement from a registered dietitian (RD), follow me, RDtipoftheday, on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Chicken Marsala: An Easy Entree

Did you know that today is National Italian Food Day? Here's an easy entree, Chicken Marsala, to make to celebrate today or for Valentine's Day.

This Chicken Marsala is delicious. It will make your house smell wonderful. It has 10 ingredients (if you don't count the salt and pepper) and is simple to make. 

Chicken Marsala with Orzo
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Marsala cooking wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cups cooked orzo
2 teaspoons fresh parsley for garnishing

Heat oil in Dutch Oven over medium high. (Thanks for my Le Creuset hubby!) Add mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes. Move mushrooms to the sides of the pan. Add chicken to the middle of the pan. Add thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook chicken 2-3 minutes on each side. Add wine. Cook 1-2 minutes. RDTip: You want to cook the alcohol off in the pan. So, cook the alcohol until you can no longer smell it. Add chicken stock, and cook for 8 minutes. Mix butter and flour into a paste in a separate bowl with a fork. Add paste to the pot. Cook 2-3 minutes until thickened. 
Cook orzo according to directions on package to yield at least 2 cups cooked pasta.
Serve Chicken Marsala over orzo.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup cooked orzo with 1/4 of the Chicken Marsala recipe)

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It was a hit in my home! This is a great, easy entree to entertain with. It holds well in the dutch oven for 20-30 minutes. This would be a great entree to make for Valentine's day. Enjoy!

Follow me, RDtipoftheday, on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter for more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating. You can subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin.

Being a Good Host/Hostess Part 3: Easy Entertaining

Now you know you don’t need to be perfect to be a good host or hostess , and you have taken 3 easy steps to plan your meal. Let’s all take a deep breath because you don’t have to do all the work by yourself.

When you entertain, feel free to enlist your family or guests to help. In Southern culture when you are invited, to party it is customary to offer to bring something. Remember as the host, you are doing most of the work, so feel free to take your guest up on their offer. I usually tell my guest what I am planning to make for the main course and ask if they would prefer to bring a salad, bread, or dessert. Give them choices. You guest will feel more comfortable with choosing options and you ensure that they will choose something they like to eat and something that suites their cooking ability.

Also, don’t forget about the store. I like to use things from the store to make cooking and hosting easier. 

• Pick up something pre-made, ready-to-assemble, or take shortcuts. 
• For example, pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables with dip for an easy, ready-to-assemble appetizer. 
• For a shortcut, have your butcher cut your meat to save you time on the main course. 
• Pick up an idea or actual salad from the pre-made, ready-to-assemble salads in the produce section of your grocery store. 
• If baking is not your specialty, pick up a dessert or ice cream.

I hope this simple approach helps enable you to be a better planner, takes any fear away from entertaining, and encourages you to host more.  It doesn’t need to be perfect to be fun! So be authentic, enlist help, and invite someone over for dinner!

For more on being a better host/hostess see part 1 and part 2. Also, stay tuned for some ideas for easy appetizers, simple sides, dreamy desserts, and real menus you can use for your next party.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow RDtipoftheday on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Or, you can subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin, which is a free app that automatically updates every time a I publish a new blog post.

Being a Good Host/Hostess Part 2: Three Simple Steps to Meal Planning

Now you know you don’t need to be perfect to be a good host or hostess. Let’s all take a deep breath and sigh that the huge pressure we’ve place on ourselves has been lifted. Okay, let’s host!

The first thing that we must do is invite people! This helps determine how many people you must cook for. If you are new to hosting, I would encourage you took cook for smaller crowds and allow people to bring something. Determining how many people are coming and if they are bringing anything, allows you to know how much food to prepare. I always overestimated because I don’t like to run out of food. Another bonus is leftovers!!

Two, I check for food allergies, special diets, or food preferences. I have some allergies and greatly appreciate when others ask. So, don’t feel awkward, your guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness. If you are a guest, don’t be shy telling people if you have allergies. Your hostess will be glad they don’t make food you can’t eat or food that could make you sick.

Three, plan your meal. When I host, I like to have a main course, 1 or 3 sides, and dessert. If I am feeling extra ambitious, I will also make or assemble an appetizer. Let’s take is step by step (day by day).

Appetizer – make it easy. I like having appetizers available to your guests if they arrive hungry or at different times. Appetizers also provide you a buffer in case dinner is running late.

Hummus and Veggies

Main course – I love a casserole or something to fix ahead and forget. Or, choose a nice cut of meat as your budget allows.

Mexican Cornbread

Enchilada 

Chicken and Biscuit Dumplings

Pizza Bianca

 Sides – I like to offer a couple options in case people don’t like one. Think – salad, bread, veggies . . . so man choices. Just choose a variety. Think about what complements your main course. Then, think about varying colors, textures, and flavors.

Asian Green Beans

Butternut Squash Salad

Winter Vegetables Soup

Dessert – I love desserts! I don’t think you have to offer this when you are hosting, but it is nice to have. People usually linger and talk over coffee and desserts. This is the signal to the end of a meal. Usually, it is my favorite part. The cooking is done and I can enjoy my guests. I love meeting new people and getting to know them better.

Red Velvet Cookies

Pumpkin Pecan Crisp

I hope this simple, casual approach helps enable you to be a better planner, takes any fear away from entertaining, and encourages you to host more.  I am not perfect; I am still working on being a good hostess and not putting so much pressure on myself. The best way to get better is to practice. So, here's to practicing! For more on being a better host/hostess see part 1 and stayed tuned for part 3.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow RDtipoftheday on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Or, you can subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin, which is a free app that automatically updates every time a I publish a new blog post.

Being a Good Host or Hostess Part 1: No Pressure Entertaining

One of my New Year's goals is to try 50 new recipes in 2015. This means I am going to need some help eating all that food! So, I have decided to do more hostessing this year.

I grew up in the South where most gatherings involve food. In the South, food is love and more food is more to love! It's the same principle as "if some is good, more is better." As an RD, I can not fully support the last statment. But regardless of where you grew up, I think there is something special about sharing a meal. In the South, we call this 'fellowshipping" - getting together to visit and of course eat! The church I grew up in even had a room devoted to this; the Fellowship Hall was a room for gathering, eating, and freiends to  . . .  well, fellowship.

So, you could say it is inate to want to share and eat food together. However, trying a new recipe on someone is a bit intimadating. I want to make good food that my guests willl like. I get nervous that the recipe won't turn out right, be good, or will it even be edible? Have you every felt like that? I would encouraged you to not try a whole new batch of recipes; you should make at least one tried and true recipe when entertaining.

Speaking of tried and true, one thing I've learned in the first two decades of my life is the value of true friendships. I have lived in 3 different states in the past 10 years. I appreciate when people open their home to me, when they let me in their lives. I appreciate when someone else hosts me. I appreciate when people let you into their world with dirty socks, toys on the floor, and dishes in the sink. I appreciate when people don't put on an heir of perfections. I appreicate authenticity. So what I've learned about hosting is to just be authentic.

To be a good hostess is to open up your home, your life, and to be authentic.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Please let me know if there are any ingredients or dishes you want me to try in the new feature #NewYearNewRecipes #NYNR #50RDrecipes

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow RDtipoftheday on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Or, you can subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin, which is a free app that automatically updates every time a I publish a new blog post.