So you’ve managed to throw an inexpensive baby shower with the games and decorations, but this does not have to stop when it comes to what is on the menu! There are ways to serve delicious, yet inexpensive baby shower food.
You know that your guests had an amazing time playing the games you chose and were ‘wow-ed’ by your decorations, but now they are thinking about what food you will be serving. When designing your baby shower, you must first decide if you want a more elegant, sit-down meal, or if you would like a more casual buffet style. Either way you will not be limited on ways to be cost efficient.
From your appetizers to your dessert, you can keep your baby shower food inexpensive, yet still make it look like it was done by a caterer. When thinking about beverages to serve, the simplest and most classic drink to serve is punch. This is extremely inexpensive to make and if it displayed right it will look astonishing. Try to serve your punch in a nice, big, clear bowl. You can garnish it with some floating fruit (orange slices, grapes, lemon slices, etc). Want it to scream ‘baby!’? Put some floating rubber ducks in it!
Is the mother-to-be having a boy? Here are some blue punch recipes that will have your guests’ mouths watering:
Blue Paradise:
- 2 packages berry blue kool-aid
- 2 frozen cans of pina colada mix
- 1.5 quarts of cold water
- Bottle of club soda
- Combine all ingredients immediately before serving. Add sugar to taste.
Cloud Punch:
- 1 package of blue kool-aid
- Bottle of lemon-lime soda (sprite, 7-up, etc)
- Bottle of white cranberry juice
- Vanilla ice cream
- Stir ingredients together and top with scoops of ice-cream
Expecting a little girl? Replace the blue kool-aid above with a red or pink flavor or ry this savory punch:
- (6 ounce) can of frozen pineapple juice
- 2 cans of frozen pink lemonade
- 2 liters of cranberry ginger ale
- Mix together and enjoy!
Now think about what types of food you want to serve. A buffet style meal or appetizers do not require table sitting and are perfect for casual dining. The right display of food will make it look and taste amazing!
Here is a list of inexpensive shower foods that will look ravishing:
Mini sandwiches- You can make PB&J, hamburgers, black-bean burgers, turkey, tuna, etc. If your shower is themed you can even cut them into shapes with cookie cutters.
- Fruit bowls
- Pasta
- Salad
- Shish-kabobs
- Hummus
- Cheese platters
- Stuffed mushrooms
As if the main meal wasn’t enough, you are also expected to have some sort of dessert. This doesn’t mean you have to go to an expensive bakery and have a custom made cake for the mother-to-be, you can make dessert yourself. Consider making cupcakes and dressing them up to look like teddy bears or cut them into alphabet blocks. Get creative and make your own cake shaped like a baby’s bottom! Make a fancy display of cookies. The options are endless and the more you do yourself, the more you are cutting the budget.
