Thursday, February 10, 2011

A Party Fit for the Planet

My little girl turned three recently and of course we planned a homemade party for her. I knew I wanted her party to be as eco-friendly as possible and it turns out, that is really quite easy. We not only went eco, but we also went with healthier choices! There were no disposable decorations, no plastic or paper dishes to be thrown away and no useless plastic toys, in plastic bags and only the equivalent of one half of a small shopping bag of waste!! I am so proud of myself, for sticking to it and getting everything done on time and making so much myself.
Fabric Banner. Made from pieces in my scrap bin.

When reading a few other blogs and sites, it was made to sound as if it was going to be super expensive, but I found the opposite! I used materials I had on hand, to make the decorations and my mother and I went looking at the local secondhand shops, for dishes and cutlery (7.00). I also used some pink fabric I had, as table cloths. I didn't do anything to the material, besides ironing it and once the party was over, I washed the fabric and put it right back in to the mix for later crafting!
Japanese paper balloons that I learned to make, the night before the party and felt hearts and stars.

For food, I made turkey wraps(using real turkey I baked the day before) and veggie wraps, lots of fruit and veggies, cheese and crackers. I also made hummus and a Greek dip from the cookbook, Deceptively Delicious. I bought lentil chips and rice chips for dipping, instead of potato chips. There was no pop, but instead, we had apple juice with just apples and a fruit juice made just of fruit, no added sugars. Oh, and the cake was supposed to be vegan, but things just would not go my way :( I made Coconut Cake from the Eat, Drink, Be Vegan cookbook, but only half of what I made, actually became a part of the finished product. I made the cake three times, and the first time was amazing but the second and third...Not so good! I forgot the sugar and it didn't cook right. I was so disappointed that when I was STILL baking, the day of the party, I had to cave and use a crappy boxed cake mix *hangs head in shame*. It was then iced with whipped cream (whipped myself) and garnished with strawberries. Everyone had a good time and appreciated the healthier food choices!
Tasty cake! Nothing fancy, but super yummy!

1 comment:

The Youngs!!! said...

WOW what a great day!!!! So very proud of you, you are amazing!!! Cole Say's "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS Z" so sad we missed it.. sounded so yummy too.. :)