American Cancer Society - Celebrate!: Healthy Entertaining for Any Occasion

American Cancer Society
Health Promotions
1599 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA Copyright 2001 American Cancer Society, updated for 2005 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. 5 4 3 2 05 06 07 08 09 Printed in the United States of America Designed by Jill Dible Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Celebrate : healthy entertaining for any occasion / American Cancer Society. p. cm. Includes index.

ISBN 0-944235-18-2 1. Entertaining. 2. Cookery. I. American Cancer Society.

TX731 .C45 2001
642.4--dc21 00-068929 Editor Amy Brittain Managing Editor Gianna Marsella, MA Book Publishing Manager Candace Magee Senior Lead, Content Chuck Westbrook Contributors/Consultants Diana Priest Anneke Smith Trish Vignati, RD Jodie Worrell Editorial and Content Review Terri Ades, MS, APRN, AOCN Director of Cancer Information American Cancer Society Colleen Doyle, MS, RD Director of Nutrition and Physical Activity American Cancer Society

Why Celebrate Healthy? Most of us know that eating right and being physically active are important to maintaining good health. But we also know that getting together with friends for a meal or party often means being tempted by special-occasion treats and that planning for these special occasions frequently leaves little time for getting in a workout. It can be easy and fun to incorporate a healthy diet and physical activity into your lifeeven on special occasions, when you may be most likely to overdo the fat and calories and least likely to be active. You can celebrate in style without taking a break from healthy eating or delicious food. Healthy celebrations dont require more planning and effort. The themes in this book combine festive menus with creative yet manageable ideas for entertaining friends and family.

The activities suggested for each theme will help get you and your guests off the couch and into actionan important part of a healthy lifestyle. And the activities are sure to provide you and your guests with lasting memories of your get-together! The delicious ideas youll find in the American Cancer Societys Celebrate! Healthy Entertaining for Any Occasion will show you how easy it is to make a commitment to living healthy. And you arent the only one who will benefit when you incorporate healthy habits into your entertaining routineyour friends and family will be inspired too. You might be surprised to see that not all of the dishes here are low in fat and calories. Eating well doesnt mean every single thing you eat has to be healthy. How to Use This Book The menus in Celebrate! Healthy Entertaining for Any Occasion are arranged by season and designed for eight people. How to Use This Book The menus in Celebrate! Healthy Entertaining for Any Occasion are arranged by season and designed for eight people.

Each theme includes a combination of appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and beverages. For spring and summer weve offered lighter meals using the seasons freshest ingredients and many reasons to enjoy the outdoors and milder weather. For your fall and winter special occasions, weve created cozy fare and ideas for taking advantage of crisp fall air and fireside get-togethers. But you dont need to wait for a holiday or anniversary to use this bookweve given you plenty of reasons to celebrate. From a Backyard Beach Barbecue to a Book Club Supper, youll find lots of excuses to gather with friends. And the themes arent just for Post-Holiday Blues or Pumpkin Carving.

You can use them to create birthday brunches, weekend cookouts, movie nights, casual family get-togethersyou name it! Mix and match recipes from themes and adapt our ideas to develop healthy special occasion celebrations that appeal to you. Nice weather allows for outdoor entertaining, and many of our themes suggest this as an option for celebrating. An outdoor party is an easy and casual way to gather friends for food and conversation. If your celebration involves spending a morning or afternoon outside, be sure to provide sunscreen for guests, and consider adding colorful umbrellas to your decor so guests enjoy good food and good company away from the sun.

• If you have room, set up drinks, appetizers, main dishes, and desserts on different tables to help the flow of guests.
• Set up any flowers, candles, and other decorations behind food so guests dont have to reach through an arrangement or a flame to serve themselves.
• Place plates at one end of the buffet table and napkins, forks, and knives at the other so guests can more easily hold their plates as they serve.
• After guests have served themselves, eat some of the food youve prepared. If the host doesnt eat, guests may feel uncomfortable.
• If you dont have enough chairs for everyone to sit down, clear enough empty surfaces so that guests may at least set down their drinks and plates.
• To keep yourself from overindulging, visit with guests away from the buffet table.

Weve also suggested invitation, decoration, and setting the scene ideas so you can carry out each theme to its fullest if you wish.

Come up with creative ideas of your own or simplify our ideas. A casual party doesnt require invitations, but invitations can help set the tone for the theme youre celebrating. Likewise, a simple flower arrangement or bowl of shined fruit and vegetables is a striking centerpiece and may be all thats necessary to decorate a table. You may not want to serve every dish suggested for a theme, and you may want to mix and match among recipes from different themes. Send out invitations, decorate, and make each recipe for a dinner party, or make one appetizer and a dessert from a theme for a more impromptu gathering. Within any menu, consider providing both a dish that appeals to children and a meatless entree for vegetarian guests and others who are trying to limit their consumption of meat.

The guiding principle to using this book is this: Explore a theme to the extent that its manageable and fun for you and your guests. Whether youre planning a simple dinner party, an intimate picnic, or an elaborate buffet, Celebrate! Healthy Entertaining for Any Occasion will help you plan, prepare, and serve in styleand in good health! SPRING/SUMMER APRIL

This golfing party features make-your-own salads with a variety of greens and toppings. Easy enough to offer after a day of golfing or attending a golf tournament, its also fun to serve during televised golf events like the U.S. Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship, the Masters, the Ryder Cup, or the LPGA Championship. menu for 8

• To make your own invitations, cut green construction paper into the shape of a golf hole. Cut a hole from black construction paper or use a black marker to draw a black circle.

  Glue the paper on a piece of card stock. Create a flag made from a wooden skewer and triangular piece of paper and glue onto the hole. Write party information on the front or back.

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