Tips for Easy Entertaining

The holiday season is a time for celebrating and entertaining. Celebrations usually involve food of some kind. If you are entertaining, you don't want to be stressed. You want to be a successful host and enjoy the party. Here are some of my tips for easier entertaining.

If you are making a meal with multiple dishes, the preparation and cook times can be challenging. You are making multiple things with different cook times. Here are my tips to help make entertaining and cooking less stressful when entertaining.

RDtipoftheday Herbed Turkey

1) Make a plan. 
To make a plan for a successful dinner, assemble your recipes. Work backward to make a time line. For example, here's a plan for a 20-pound turkey.

Step 1: Defrost frozen turkey (about 20 pounds) in the refrigerator for 4-5 days before Thanksgiving.

Step 2: Brine or season the turkey over night.

Step 3: Cook the turkey for 20 minutes per pound (20 minutes x 20 pound turkey = 400 minutes or 6 hours and 40 minutes). The turkey will need about 25-30 minutes to rest after cooking to an internal temperature of 165*F. You will also need to allow time to carve the turkey. The oven may be open and shut to add extra items, so you would want to plan for the turkey needing about 7.5 hours to cook, rest, carve, and serve. If you have Thanksgiving lunch at noon, you would need to start cooking the turkey at 4:30 AM.

2) Prepare ahead.
Preparing ahead of time reduces stress. Set the table the night before if you're able. It's always nice to have something to cross off the to-do list.

Pick a simple appetizer or dessert that can be made ahead of time. Or, ask your guests to bring something. Pick up an appetizer from the store or make a fruit platter, cheese board, or vegetable platter.

Try making a turkey veggie tray with homemade hummus. The hummus can be made a few days before and refrigerated. The veggies can be washed, chopped, assembled and kept in refrigerator. You can have your kid chefs assemble the turkey. Extra hands make light work.

Try making a non-traditional dessert like my browned butter cereal treats. You can make it the day before and keep it sealed in an airtight container. These cereal treats are quick and easy to make. Kids and adults love them!

RDtipoftheday Glazed Carrots

3) Plan for extra.
This is a motto in my family. Knowing you have a little extra food prepared is nice for eliminating the mental stress caused by the question "did I make enough food?". It's also handy for the unexpected but welcome guests.  Also, who doesn't love leftovers?!?

RDtipoftheday Green Bean Bundles

4) Enjoy the party.
You've gathered your favorite people: your friends and family. You've prepped and prepared a delicious meal. Now, enjoy the party! A great host is relaxed and fully involved in the present. Have fun!

RDtipoftheday Tex Mex Deviled Eggs

To review, here are the four steps for successful entertaining.
1) Make a plan.
2) Prepare ahead.
3) Plan for extra.
4) Enjoy the party.

Stay tuned this week for leftover ideas to create new and delicious meals form your holiday leftovers. 

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

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10 Simple Satisfying Salads

I love the idea of entertaining with salads. Especially since May is salad month. It feels like most people are trying to eat healthier. However, my population sample may be bias, since I am a Registered Dietitian (RD) who works primarily in weight management. Salads are a great way to get in a variety of micronutrients, and salads are a super filling meal with all the fiber.

There are several restaurants that have this build-your-own salad idea. You have the freedom to choose what you like. But, my favorite part of these restaurants are the salads that the chefs have suggested. You can do this too when you entertain. Make recipe cards or a chalkboard menu with ideas for assembling the ingredients into different salads. Here are some ideas for simple, satisfying salads:

Southern Italy Salad: Romaine lettuce or spinach, Sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, shallots, Parmesan cheese

Summer Salad: strawberries, blueberries, spinach, pecans or sunflower seeds, feta, fruit vinaigrette

Fiesta Salad: carrots, corn, tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, Mexican cheese, black beans, grilled chicken or steak, avocado and lime juice or light ranch

Caprese Salad: tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, spinach, roasted or grilled chicken, pine nuts, oil and balsamic vinegar

Supreme Salad: Romaine lettuce and spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, onions, Canadian bacon, light ranch dressing

Caesar Salad: Romaine Lettuce, grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese, Caesar vinaigrette

Peachy Spring Salad: Arugula, spinach, radishes, cucumbers, peaches, and peach vinaigrette

Cobb Salad

Harvest Salad: Green apples, blue cheese, Romaine lettuce, red or purple cabbage, almonds or walnuts, grilled chicken or turkey, vinaigrette

Greek Salad: onions, olives, cucumber, Romaine lettuce or spinach, feta, chicken, oil and vinegar

RDtipoftheday Tips for Salads:
1) Salads are a great way to use leftovers.
You can add whatever protein, beans, cheese, veggies, or fruits you have leftover to salad greens. It is a quick, easy, healthy, and delicious meal. I love salads around the holidays, especially for balancing the heaviness of many holiday dishes. It is a great way to use all the leftovers, so you don't have to eat the same meal for a week. I also love to take salads to work as my lunch. This way, I can eat my leftovers but as a new and different meal.

2) Use what you have.
This tip coincides with tip #1. You don't have to use all the ingredients listed to make the salad. You can omit ingredients you don't have on hand or don't love. And, you can add other ingredients. Use what you love! Enjoy your simple, satisfying salad!

3) Make it your salad a complete, well-balanced meal.
Salads are a great way to get your 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. They can be a well-balanced meal and also include dairy products aka cheese and protein (beans, chicken, poultry, etc.). I like to add baguettes, whole grain crackers, or another whole grain to go along with the meal. I like to have some sort of grain to "bulk up" the meal by adding fiber.

I hope you enjoy the salads and some easy entertaining. I would love to see how you are entertaining, so tag your entertaining pictures with #EasyEntree and #EasyEntertaining. You can also tag your healthy eating choices with #HealthyRD or #RDTODgoals. Remember to tag me @RDtipoftheday, so I can see what you do and maybe even feature you on the blog or Instagram.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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Thank you for all of the love this month! November has been a busy month in the very best way. I spent time with family, traveled, and started prepping for Christmas. I'll be posting more on that soon. If you missed any of the posts this month, here are the top four favorite posts you visited this month. Enjoy!

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Entertaining Made Easy: 6 Easy Entrees

RDtipoftheday's Friday Favorites: Thanksgiving Edition

Easy Entertaining: 8 Simple Sides

Let me know if there are any nutrition-related topics you would like me to write about. You can comment below. 
For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on 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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Easy Entertaining: 5 Breakfast Entrees for Entertaining

I love breakfast! I love to eat breakfast foods any time of the day. Breakfast allows you to serve sweet foods, savory foods, or both! I think that makes breakfast especially great for entertaining. Breakfast has an ease about it. It can be very informal but still feel special. Breakfast is approachable.

If I'm eating breakfast at a restaurant, my toughest decision is whether to choose something sweet or something savory. If that's the hardest decision of the day, you know that's a great day! So, I would encourage you to offer something sweet and savory when hosting a breakfast or brunch.

Here are some ideas for a great breakfast options that can be prepared ahead of time.

Quiche or Frittata
These easy entrees only differ by one ingredient. A quiche has a pasty crust with an egg-based filling. A frittata is simply a crust-less quiche. Quiche and frittatas are easy ways to use up leftovers. This frittata features mushrooms, asparagus, and cheese. It is delicious!

French Toast Casserole or Bread Pudding
I was making a French toast casserole recently, and I thought to myself "I'm making bread pudding for  breakfast." Dessert for breakfast; what a meal! I like the idea of a bread pudding because it can be sweet or savory. My RDtip would be to use skim or nonfat milk for the custard for a lighter French toast casserole. This French toast is peach and pecan. Peach is one of my husband's favorite flavors, and I love pecans. What a great marriage of flavors!

Pancakes or Waffles
Make a large batch of pancakes and waffles. Freeze the extra. Frozen pancakes and waffles reheat easily and are ready whenever you need them.

Parfaits with Homemade Granola
I love making homemade granola. It makes the house smell fantastic! I make granola about once a month with old fashioned oats, pecans, almonds, brown sugar, honey, and warming spices. I'll post my recipe soon. Parfaits are like a healthier breakfast sundae. A parfait elevates humble granola, yogurt, and fruit to a fancy layered breakfast treat. Add fresh herbs for a flavorful garnish to further elevate your parfait.

Breakfast Sandwiches
This is a great way to use leftovers from the week. Think about what breads you have leftover: biscuits, wheat bread, rolls, tortillas. Then, fill them with leftover protein: ham, turkey, egg, etc. Add cheese, veggies, and enjoy! Leftovers never tasted so good!

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 and maybe even feature you on the blog or Instagram.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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Easy Entertaining: 8 Simple Sides

With the holiday season quickly approaching, you likely will have parties to attend, meals to prepare, and many guests visiting. It can be easy to get stressed out, but that's not necessary!  In this blog series, easy entertaining, I am sharing some of my tips for easy entertaining and recipes that are quick, easy, and most importantly delicious!  I am taking some of my favorite holiday recipes and giving them a RDtipoftheday healthy tweak. I'm excited to share these recipes and hope that this will help you have a happy and healthier holiday season.

To make entertaining easier, I would encourage you do offer a few different sides that are easy to prepare. That way, you have a variety of food choices, but you did not make complicated dishes. I also like to think about using different cooking methods to make sure you can prepare all the dishes at the same time. So, I like to make something ahead of time (think salad or crudites), something in the oven, and something on the stove top. This helps keep the oven from getting too full or trying to cook to many things on the burners. To help, here are some examples of simple sides made by me, RDtipoftheday.


Simple Sides

Crudites Platter with Hummus

 Roasted Brussels Sprouts

and Steamed Carrots

Green Bean Bundles
using lower fat turkey bacon

Butternut Squash Salad with Pecans

Asian Almond Green Beans

Black Pepper and Honey Glazed Carrots
add black pepper for a sweet and spicy treat

Turkey Crudites Platter
with Homemade Hummus

Cobb Salad

Great for holiday leftovers!

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 


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