So when baby #4 was 9 weeks old I embarked on a bit of a health kick. When I say health kick, I don’t mean kale and carrot juice, I simply mean swapping out some high-calorie foods for healthier options, drinking more water, not eating anything I wanted whenever I wanted, etc.
It was time!
The trouble was this health kick was commencing just prior to the festive season when there would be plenty of get-togethers and opportunities to return to my old ways.
I started searching on Pinterest for some healthier options for me to bring to events to help me stick to my game plan. As I scrolled through the pages, I discovered some absolutely beautiful fruit and veg platters. Their colour and vibrancy actually made them look more appealing than their high-calorie competitors, so I decided to give them a go.
First up I tried a veg platter that included dips and seeds. My neighbour was having a get-together and hadn’t got back to me regarding what to bring, so I thought this was a perfect ‘whatever’ dish… It was a hit! Not only did it look and taste great, but it also gave me the healthy options I was looking for. (Sorry, I forgot to take pics!).
My next platter attempts were for over the Christmas break. We were driving a couple of hours down south to visit relatives and it was difficult to bring pre-made food. So I rehashed the veg, dip and seed platter and made up a berry and chocolate platter for dessert. Our family loved it. I received numerous compliments and I kind of blushed because the platters were so easy to make! After our festive indulgences, we all enjoyed the freshness of the berries and veg, as well as the decadent chocolates (we weren’t ready to give up all our indulgences just yet!).
We managed to get some pics of the berry and choc platter and a fruit platter to hopefully inspire you in your platter adventures. The key to making a contemporary looking platter is not to make things symmetrical or too neat looking. Grouping foods according to their colour and presenting them on a wooden platter is also on-trend. It gives your platter a rustic, ‘come hither’ look and your guests won’t be able to help themselves digging in!
Enjoy.
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
- 1 small punnet of strawberries
- 1 small bag of purple grapes
- 1 small bag of cherries
- 1 punnet blueberries
- 1 punnet raspberries
- 6 popping candy chocolate elves
- 1 large bar of Toblerone
- 1 bar Lindt Excellence Sea Salt chocolate
- Wash and dry the fruit.
- Unwrap chocolate and break into large chunks.
- Layer fruit and chocolate pieces.
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
- 2 kiwi fruit
- 2 peaches
- 1 large bunch of purple grapes
- 1 small bunch of green grapes
- 1 apricot
- ½ punnet of blueberries
- ½ pineapple
- ½ cantaloupe (rockmelon)
- ½ honeydew
- ½ punnet raspberries
- ¼ watermelon
- Rinse and dry peaches, grapes, apricot, blueberries and raspberries.
- Remove skin from kiwi fruit, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon.
- Chop apricot, kiwi fruit, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon into large pieces.
- Place fruit on wooden platter, snuggly fitting together with some overlaps.
