Summer party food

 

Summer is the season of backyard festivities and late night barbeques. I don't know about you, but I'd say that the main event is definitely the food! I've put together a collection of a variety of different party foods that are easy to make and also on the healthier side. Party food needs to be easy to grab and eat which all of these are. Make these for yourself or for your very own backyard BBQ!
 I am so proud of this post! I didn't really expect half of these to turn out as good as they did so I really hope you enjoy!

Cucumber cream cheese sandwiches

These are a great, lightweight sandwich. They are fairly simple (and meatless) so they should be a hit for everyone!

Serves 3 (adjust to your liking)

Ingredients: 

Whole wheat or white bread with crusts cut off

1 tbsp plain cream cheese

1/4 large cucumber sliced

After removing the crust of your bread. Spread the cream cheese evenly on each slice of bread. Align the cucumbers evenly. Top with the other slice of bread and cut into 3 mini sandwiches.

Tuna salad veggie rolls

These rolls are great alternatives to a sandwich. The protein in the tuna will fill you up and the flavors mix together effortlessly. 

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

1/2 large cucumber 

1/2 large carrot

1 can drained tuna

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard  (optional)

1 tsp sweet relish (optional)

Any other desired veggies

Use a peeler to peel long, wide, thin strips of cucumber. This will be the "wrapper".

Add about 1 tbsp of tuna salad to one end. Add desired veggie sticks. Roll.
You will have leftover tuna salad (a lot of it), so peel more cucumber to use it up. Or you could make yourself a tuna melt!

Fruit salsa with cinnamon tortilla chips

This is the Summer version of the Apple Pie Dip  I shared in my Fall Treats post. This is a great dip to share and the cinnamon chips complement it perfectly. 

Serves: 6-10

Ingredients:

2 kiwis (finely chopped)

1 apple (finely chopped)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped strawberries 

1/2 lemon

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp fruit jam

3-5 whole wheat tortillas

 Cooking spray or melted butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Brush tortillas with melted butter or spray with cooking spray on both sides. Use a pizza cutter to slice tortillas into triangles. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over tortilla wedges only on the top.

Arrange chips on lined baking sheet and bake 6-10 minutes or until golden brown, turning the pan halfway through. 

For the salsa, combine all fruits except for lemon juice and apple in a large bowl. Mix chopped apple with the juice of the lemon. 

Mix fruit mixture, apple mixture, brown sugar and jam until combined. 

Allow flavors to settle for 15-30 minutes before serving.

Serve with cinnamon chips!

Fruit skewers

Now this one is pretty basic but just as delicious. It's a great way for people to grab fruit without digging their hands in it.

Serves: As many as you'd like!

Ingredients: 

Wood skewers

Assortment of your favorite fruits

Melted chocolate (optional)

Chop your fruits into bite sized pieces and arrange on skewers.

For a decadent twist, drizzle some melted chocolate (milk or dark) over the fruit. 

Iced Tea & Lemonade

{sorry I don't have a photo for this one!}
Serves: As many as you'd like!

Ingredients: 

Lemonade

Iced tea (homemade or store bought) 

Ice!

A fun idea for drinks is to have a pitcher of iced tea, a pitcher of lemonade, and a pitcher of the two mixed!

There you go, a few savory snacks, some sweet ones and some drink option! I tested these all out (duh!) and must say they are absolutely delicious! It's a whole lot of fruits and veggies without being just plain fruits and veggies! The cucumber sandwiches were my favorite for eating but the tuna veggie rolls are the best looking!

Have an amazing Summer party!