Healthy dishes for your holiday party

No doubt your weekends and weeknights are filled with last minute planning, parties, and family gatherings to attend. If you are in need of some inspiration as to what to bring to your next holiday party, take a look at the recipes provided below for some easy and healthy dishes.

 Appetizers 

Bacon-Wrapped Dates: A quick and easy appetizer to bring to your next party. There are several variations to this dish including stuffing the dates with chorizo, almonds, goat cheese, or blue cheese before wrapping them in bacon. To keep it easy though the dates are just as delicious wrapped in pork goodness.

Guacamole: Another easy dish to bring along to your next holiday bash. Make the appetizer even more festive and colorful by serving it with red, yellow, and orange peppers.

Salads & Sides

Grilled Sausage and Fennel Salad: An simple salad complete with Italian sausage, mixed greens, Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and roasted fennel and red onions, this salad will be hit. To cut back on calories, substitute the called-for Italian pork sausage with Italian chicken or turkey sausage instead.

Quinoa with Sundried Tomatoes and Feta: All it takes is twenty minutes to create this healthy salad with Quinoa, sundried tomatoes, and feta. With all the holiday hustle and bustle, twenty minutes is sometimes all you have.

Simple Roasted Carrots: These roasted carrots are seasoned with Italian spices, olive oil, and garlic. They look (and taste) so good I dare you not to eat them with your fingers.

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Smokey Bacon: Bacon really does make everything better - including these roasted brussel sprouts, and this recipe includes just a hint of honey and mustard to round out the flavors.

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Bark: This dark chocolate bark is complete with roasted almonds, pistachios, goji berries, and a hint of sea salt. It's easy to make but difficult to stop eating.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Whether the strawberries are coated in white, dark, or milk chocolate (or a combination of the two), this classic dessert will be appreciated at any party.

Whether you are interested in using one or all of these recipes, no doubt they will be quick, easy, and delicious addition to your holiday gathering. If you are interested in keeping all of these recipes together, please visit my board on Pinterest called "Holiday Potluck".