Birthdays: Easy Party Food

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

It was quite easy to take birthdays for granted as a kid—the games, the fun with friends, the presents. And, of course, the good food. Birthdays were a time to celebrate—looking forward to another year under the belt, another candle on the cake. As a kid, it seemed like each year’s birthday never came soon enough.

Birthdays were good times in our family. And that was also helped along by the fact that my mom was the party organizer extraordinaire. Of course, I didn’t fully realize (or appreciate) this until I was a mom and parent myself. As a kid, I got to enjoy all the best parts of the party but didn’t have to do all the work behind the scenes.

And it’s this part, to busy parents, that can at times seem overwhelming—especially when thinking of a houseful of kids. It’s a safe bet that it’s a strong factor behind the rise in “commercial” parties—ones that take place at indoor amusement parks, gymnasiums, roller rinks and laser-tag centers. Schedule the date and time, and they do the rest. Sometimes they even help with the invitations and party favors. Of course, it all comes at a cost. But with today’s busy schedules it’s easy to be tempted by this less-work party option.

Yet this buy-your-party option doesn’t provide for all the customized special little touches that can make a birthday party—any party, for that matter—really special. And with all the computer-based electronics that keep our kids so busy for large portions of their day, stepping back and taking the time to create a homespun party can be a time for connection. For making sure that expectations stay realistic. And even to make sure of what they really are after.

Can the party preparation and anticipation be as much fun as the actual in-the-moment party fun? I have to say YES, especially after the times that we’ve worked together to create parties (from birthdays to Valentine’s Day to Halloween). Each one had customized special touches that could not have been duplicated commercially. And they ultimately wrapped up more meaning for everyone involved.

So what to start doing ahead of time? First, talk to your kids and make a plan—I keep ideas in a file to pull out whenever we’re ready. Games. Simple decorations. Pictures from magazines for ideas. And especially good party food. For kids have a lot of energy and to keep it burning steady, they need good vittles for powering up. If you’re like me, you’d rather not have it all be sugar-based power either. Sure, the cake and ice cream is a traditional favorite, but the accoutrements can make all the difference in the day. And that’s especially the case if you have any kids in attendance who have food allergies like gluten, dairy or peanuts. You can accommodate them all with just a bit of pre-planning.

Here’s a starting point. Begin with one main finger food theme and then surround it with some crunchy snack items and dips. Then you’ll be set to do the birthday cake and ice cream as a small snack—not the major portion of sugar-loaded sustenance.

Make-your-own Finger Foods (pick one main theme)
Fruit shish-ke-babs
Mini pizzas
Plates of super nachos
Noodle Bowls
Fondue Cheese Pot
Mini burgers from the grill

Crunchy Foods (pick 3 or 4)
Pretzels – regular or gluten-free
Chips – potato or multi-grain
Corn chips – yellow, blue, scoops or tostadas
Baby carrots
Celery sticks
Baby tomatoes
Apple slices
Grapes

Dips (pick 2)
Hummus
Ranch
Greek yogurt – Tzatziki
Peanut butter
Caramel dip


So there you have it. Feed the kids some good grub, play some games, open those presents and blow out the candles.

Is a homespun, home-planned birthday party in the cards for your crew this year? Not only will you get to know your kids (and their friends) better, you’ll be able to keep more cash in your pocket.