Hosting a Healthy Awards Show Party

(Disclaimer: I did not receive any free products nor compensation for this post. Any products mentioned in this post are simply due to my own personal fondness of that product).

The holiday craziness has died down but that also means all the festive celebrations have come to an end. Except that Hollywood’s red carpet awards season starts this Sunday with the 74th Annual Golden Globes!

I’ve always loved watching the award shows to see the beautiful dresses and see Hollywood all dolled-up. Before kids, my husband and I would go see a movie about once a week. It was interesting to see which movies ended up taking home the coveted awards. Now that we don’t get to the movies as much (unless it’s an animated G-rated film), we are all about the TV series. The Golden Globes is a fun awards show to watch because it includes both film and television.

I’ve never hosted a viewing party before, but I thought it would be fun to throw a little get together with some friends. I also wanted to try and stick to some of my goals for 2017, which included scaling back on extra expenses and incorporating healthy recipes in all aspects of my life. Meaning not buying crazy amounts of food for celebrations and still having health in mind when eating out, at parties, etc. So I combined the two and am hosting a Healthy Awards Show Party.

I broke the party down into 3 sections: Decor, Food, Games

Healthy Awards Show Party Decor

To keep the party within budget, I picked a “gold star” theme. Instead of hitting the party store, I went to my local craft store with a few decorations in mind but nothing set in stone. This left me some wiggle room to find less exspensive items that would work rather than paying more for specific items on my list.

• Keep decorations simple and elegant for award show party
• Be flexible with your theme. The dollar or clearance bins at craft stores have some great items!
• A little glitter goes a long way. The gold and silver glitter star theme I chose made it so I didn’t have to have a lot to look fancy
• I found this cute tutorial online for making felt bow-ties, which I glued onto mini champagne bottles. The felt cost me $0.39 but really added a fun touch to the decor.

Healthy Awards Show Party Food

Let’s be honest, food is the main attraction at a party. It’s where people gravitate to when they arrive.

For my Awards Show Party, it was important to keep the snacks light and bite sized. Something that people could eat in one bite instead of having to use two hands to consume. In order to keep the budget under control, ask each guest to bring an appetizer to share or beverage. People don’t mind bringing a dish and it means less money you have to spend.

Cucumber Slices with Veggie Spread and Dill

• Slice a cucumber into 1/4 inch thick slices
• Combine 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese with a finely diced carrot, garlic, dill

• Top with a piece of fresh dill

Spinach Dip Stuffed Mushrooms

• I used a spinach and artichoke dip at Trader Joe’s that’s made with greek yogurt

• Simply stuff the dip into a mushroom cap (stem removed) and topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese

• Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, until top is brown and toasty

Individual Hummus & Veggie Cups

• Veggie trays are great but requires either standing by the food table or loading up your veggie sticks and dip on a plate you later have to try and balance on your lap.

• To make these individual sized appetizers, place a little bit of hummus in the bottom of these little containers and then placed raw veggie sticks in each one

White Cheddar Popcorn by Skinnypop

• The amazing Barefoot Contessa once said to keep it easy on yourself when hosting a party and have a mix of homemade and purchased items.
• I love Skinnypop popcorn (only ~39 calories/cup, no GMO’s, naturally gluten free and inexpensive) and figured what could be better at a movie show themed party than popcorn!
• The little brown bags are from the local craft store and stuck on an adhesive silver glittery star sticker to the front
• The White Cheddar Popcorn is perfect enough on it’s own but you could consider jazzing it up like my Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn recipe.

Healthy Awards Show Party Games

To keep the party fresh and fun, consider adding a few games to the agenda. Nothing too involved or in-depth because you want your guests to be able to mingle and watch the show as well.

• If you asked guests to bring an appetizer to share, a fun game is to have everyone vote on each other’s dishes. Fun ideas for categories include “best sweet”, “best cheese containing dish”, “chocolate lovers dream”, “best wine”, “best supporting appetizer”, etc.
• A ballot (like the one below) is a fun way for guests to cast their winning predictions. It’s a great way to get guests into the show itself.

Have you seen any of the nominated movies?

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