Healthy, Organic, Affordable Entertaining?

I like to serve things like:
cut-up fruit,
cut-up veggies,
hummus (it's easy & cheap to make your own) & baba ganoush (eggplant dip--als super-easy & inexpensive)
whole wheat pita bread,
popcorn (air-popped is great), with brewer's yeast is good too...
bruschetta with whole-grain bread, tomatoes, garlic & basil,
salad bar w/lots of different toppings like garbanzos & kidney beans, pickled (or non-) beets, sunflower seeds, soy nuts, or other nuts (tamari almonds are yummy), crumbles of feta or cubes of farmer's cheese, olives, etc.
for main dishes, I like marinaded skewers of meat & veggies (you can make ahead of time; husband hunts, so we like to serve wild duck),
veggie chili (or with ground turkey),
instead of hotdogs we like chicken-apple sausages, the thin links that say they are for "breakfast",
for desserts, frozen melon balls,
frozen fruit skewers,
homemade sorbet (watermelon, or whatever's in season)

Hope this gives you some ideas! I'd love to see more from others...

Two words "farmer's market". I LOVE them. I too am a foodie (a personal chef by trade) and always shop the farmer's markets. They offer organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, sometimes handcrafted cheeses, and meat. If you don't want to buy the cheeses or the meats there you could also go to Trader Joe's for the cheese. They have a great selection at a reasonable price. You could do a meat tray with speciality meats (such as nice salami, pepperoni, chicken, etc) that is served cold or at room temperature, with roasted veggies (served at room temp with a little olive oil, fresh tarragon, fresh dill, and fresh rosemary, salt and pepper is fantastic), a cheese platter, a variety of crackers and artisian breads, then some faboulous dessert. Pate a chaux is quick and easy. Plus you can turn them into bite sized eclairs quickly and easily. Or you could make ice cream and serve with fresh fruit from the farmer's market. No sugar needed! You could even make a "fancy" drink by freezing some fruits (raspberries, grapes, etc) putting in some seltzer water or club soda, using the frozen fruits as ice cubes, and adding some more crushed/pureed fruit to flavor/color the drink. You sound very creative so you'll be able to expand and modify this to look and taste great in one coheisve fun easy entertaining mix!

Hi C.,
Bar-B-Que everything from veggies, fruit and, yes, even bread. It gives a great flavor to all foods. Add meat sparingly to save on costs. Kabobs with veggies and fruit and a little meat are tasty and satisfying. Also supply lots of salads when you entertain - as well as raw veggie trays and dips. Hummus is great when flavored with some fresh garlic or Parmesan.
I buy large packages of chicken wings and cut them into the drumettes and the wing, removing most of the fat and some of the skin. I marinate these for up to 48 hours in Buffalo Wing Sauce and/or Teriyaki Sauce and bake in the oven at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. They are tasty, popular and easy to serve with rice or pasta. Try making your own meatballs with ground beef or turkey and add veggies like you would with a meatloaf. I have had great success with adding corn and green beans to the mix. Just need to season it well with what your family likes.
Hope this helps,
P.

I am in a similar boat. I recently subscribed to Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. It has a great variety of tasty, time efficient, kid-friendly recipes. They will send you a free preview issue, or I think you can get some of the recipes from the website. I also enjoy Bon Appetit, but they tend to be more time consuming.

Hi C.,

All the years my children were little and now to this day...we always served a huge platter of veggies...all kinds...brocolli, peas, zukini, celery, radishes, peppers, everything you can find...make a healthy dip, but most of the time plain will happen...still to this day...I bring a veggie or fruit platter to all the parties...and it is the first thing to go...Veggies and Fruits if you prepare them yourself are affordable...and people will appreciate the fact they can socialize and be healthy...And depending on the ages of your children...you can do the cutting and they can arrange...just know they will graze and platter will take a little longer to fill...T.

Hi C. - Off subject - you sound fabulous and I love the way you write...
Okay - food stuffs, here's something fabulous and easy and impressive for guests (its only a side) roll out puffpastry dough and bake for 25 minutes at 325 - score a rectangle in the pastry to allow for an outer crust and poke the insde of the rectangle with a fork so it doesn't puff up ion the oven. Once out, cover with grated fontina chz, fresh asparagus,brush the top with evoo, salt and pepper and pop back into the oven for another ... I can't remember...maybe 35 minutes? 325 degrees again - keep an eye on it - the puff pastry will become dark brown - man is this easy and looks/tastes fabulous. I have quick steamed the asparagus for a couple minutes before assembling but either way seems to work equally well.
My trick for remaining a foody with full time job and new baby - plan ahead, I am always multi-tasking and make every minute count. If I don't, life's a mess...
Take care and have a great day!
N.