As the matron of honor for my sister’s upcoming wedding, I want to throw her the most amazing bridal shower, especially since she went above and beyond for mine.
My sister is not your “traditional” bride, however. A frilly, uptight wedding shower is not her scene. In fact, her type of “party” is the exact opposite! And, for this reason, I have decided to throw her a Mexican bridal shower, but without the usual high-calorie foods and “cheesy” decor. My goal is to blend the fun and festive Mexican theme with the feel of a “girly” wedding shower.
I was lucky to have the opportunity to brainstorm a tentative menu for my sister’s wedding shower with MyRecipes.com editor, Ashley Johnson. Ashley was the perfect person to chat with for this event: She produced a lot of the Cinco de Mayo content for the website, recently threw a Mexican-themed baby shower, and was a bride-to-be. Ashley had so many creative menu ideas and tips for my sister’s wedding shower! Now, I can’t wait for the par-ty!
Tips:
- Go authentic. Choose Mexican over “Southwestern” or “Tex-Mex,” which can be code for “covered in cheese.” See the Taqueria Special menu below, or check out MyRecipe’s gallery of 10 Mexican Entrees Under 300 Calories for more ideas: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/gallery/0,28548,1731607,00.htm
- Drink smarter. Sub Sangria (hello, antioxidants!) for the typical margarita and save almost 100 calories per serving (222 in a margarita verses 139 in Real Simple’s Red Wine Sangria (below). If all else fails, go with light beer and a side of lime!
- Serve tasty appetizers. Salsa is great and certainly healthier than cheese dip (oh heavenly cheese dip), but break out and serve something that tastes indulgent but isn’t-Guacamole with Chipotle Tortilla Chips (below). The average restaurant chip has 25 calories in it. 25 calories each! You can eat four of the homemade chips, plus 2 tablespoons of the creamy guacamole dip for only 57 calories. Not into making your own chips? Buy the baked variety and save almost half the fat per serving.
- Don’t scrimp on dessert. Everyone knows the best part of showers is the delicious shower food. Try serving dark chocolate-dipped tortilla chips with a fruit salsa made with pineapple and strawberries. No time to dip? Purchase these chocolate chips from Food Should Taste Good and make the fruit salsa yourself (http://www.foodshouldtastegood.com/#/chocolate/).Looking for a make-ahead option? Whip up a Lime Sorbet Margarita from Real Simple (points for the margarita glass presentation), or serve Mexican Paletas in colors that coordinate with the bride’s big day. Serve them with festive napkins and save yourself another dirty dish in the sink.
Recipe Ideas:
Here are some photos and more ideas from my sister’s Mexican bridal shower!