5 Creative Labor Day Party Ideas

Looking for some inspiration for your Labor Day event? Check out these creative party ideas for the best get-together with friends.

 Labor Day may mean that summer is coming to end but that does not mean the summer fun has to end. For most people, Labor Day means a three-day weekend. So it is the perfect occasion to have one last backyard celebration with friends and family. So use this national holiday to clean up the yard and to have that last celebration of the summer.

 If a backyard cookout is not your thing or you just want to try something different. I have some Labor Day party ideas for you to try. So pick a day and time for your last celebration. Then alert all your friends and family that the fun will be happening at your house.

1. Cheese and Wine Tasting Party

What better way to end summer than with a cheese and wine-tasting party. Who doesn't like cheese and wine? Grab your fancy wine glasses and have your guests bring a bottle of their favorite wine selection. Then grab a platter and make a Charcuterie Board with a selection of fancy cheese, fruit, crackers, and the best sourdough bread.

 Confused about selecting the best chees varieties for your cheese and wine paring? Let IGOURMET help you with your party planning. IGOURMET has an exquisite Cheese Tasting Gift Box that has a diverse style of traditional and modern cheese varieties. This impressive assortment will have your friends thinking that you are a cheese-tasting expert. This collection brings together eight incredible kinds of cheese ~  Manchego Reserve; Cranberry Chevre with Cinnamon; Grana Padano Aged 18 Months; Gruyere; Atalanta Creamy Blue; Coastal English Cheddar; Camembert; and Montasi. The best part is the gourmet cheese box comes with 2-day express shipping. The cheese is fresh cheese that you store in the fridge.

 On the day of the party, open up the cheese selections from IGOURMET and place it on your favorite platter along with a variety of crackers, fresh fruit, and slices of fresh baked sourdough. Right now my favorite WildGrain bread box is $30 off until August 31 with code MOMKNOWSBEST30. After 8/31/2022 use code SOURDOUGH10 to save 10

2. Build Your Own Ramen Bar Party

 Ramen bowls are all the rage right now and everyone seems to be enjoying bowls of ramen noodles in hot broth. A make-your-own ramen party does not require much attention. Just make your favorite chicken or beef broth in a pressure cooker or a slower cooker. The best part is you can serve the broth from your cooker.

Then boil up some ramen noodles and chop up your favorite ramen toppings like shrimp, carrots, mushrooms, seaweed, green onions, and tofu. Place the ramen toppings in fancy bowls and place on the serving table. Pass out ramen bowls and chopsticks. Then invite everyone to build their own bowls of delicious ramen noodles with broth and their favorite toppings.

 I like using these Ceramic Japanese Ramen Bowls for my homemade ramen bowls. These bowls are huge, so there is plenty of room for the noodles and broth. The ramen bowl set reminds me of the bowls that I have used at popular ramen noodle places. Each ramen bowl set includes a large soup bowl, one pair of wooden chopsticks, a matching chopsticks rest, and a spoon.

 You can make your ramen bowl party even easier with instant ramen from Chef Woo Ramen. These plant-based instant ramens are inspired by Asian traditions. Made without any added MSG and so easy to make. Just add boiling water to the noodle bowls and in minutes, you have ramen with a delicious broth. The instant ramen is available in many different flavors of broth, so your guests can choose their favorite ramen broth.

3. Throw a Classic Backyard Cookout

 End the summer with a traditional grill menu of hot dogs and hamburgers. Serve the barbecue food with an assortment of salads or better yet, have your friends bring their favorite side dish or dessert. Make sure to have all the fixings for the burgers and hot dogs. Some ideas are ketchup, mustard, cheese, lettuce, and onion. 

This type of party is perfect for eating outside on the patio. Serve the food on paper plates for easy cleanup. Make sure to have a cooler stocked with plenty of cold drinks and have plenty of shade for your guests. Check out my favorite place for outdoor furniture and garden decor. Save $20 off a purchase of $100 or more with code LOYALSD at Sunnydaze Decor.

4. Dessert and Pool Party

 If the weather is still warm enough for swimming. Throw a pool party with dessert. Labor Day is the perfect time to get that last fun in the pool. Have your guests bring their favorite dessert to share or create a make-your-own ice cream sundae bar.

 Set the table with bowls, spoons, and lots of delicious ice cream toppings. Some suggestions for toppings for the ice cream are sliced strawberries, bananas, chocolate sauce, chopped nuts, sprinkles, and whip cream. Then stash several flavors of ice cream in coolers with ice. Your friends will love making their ice cream sundae. For even more dessert fun, bring out the snow cone maker and let the kids make their own snow cones. Make sure to prepare the frozen ice chunks before the party. Have an assortment of snow cone syrups, snow cone holders, and those fancy snow cone straws. The best place for all your snow cone ingredients, including the snow cone makers is Hawaiian Shaved Ice, use code SHAVEDICE10 to save $10 off your order.

5. Late Night Smores and Coffee 

 Summer celebrations are not complete without roasting marshmallows over an open fire. So make a fire in the fire pit for a nighttime celebration of dessert and coffee. Gather all the needed supplies to make smores, like graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate, and long wooden sticks. 

 Dessert is not complete without coffee. So make sure to serve coffee with the smores. While you could just have a carafe of hot coffee available, make the party more fun and let your guests make their own cups of cappuccinos with a single-serve espresso machine. 1st in Coffee has a huge selection of espresso machines with prices to fit any budget. 1st in Coffee has everything that you need, including coffee, to make that perfect cup of coffee. This is the place for coffee lovers to shop for all their coffee supplies.

Those are just a few of my favorite ideas for celebrating Labor Day. I am sure you can think of other party celebration ideas. An outdoor party does not have to be complicated to have a good time. So let everyone know that the Labor Day party will be at your house and have fun creating. 

Your Guilt-Free Guide to a Healthy Yet Delicious Super Bowl Sunday

 Game Day food can be healthy

  This game day you can keep your healthy goals and celebrate with some healthy bites. One of my favorite healthy snacks is chipotle Roasted Cauliflower With Smoked Chili Cream. These flavorful bites of cauliflower taste so incredible when dipped into a  creamy spicy sauce. Your party guests will love them. Your guests may also appreciate that you are offering healthy foods so they won't feel guilty. Check out a great article that I discovered that offers many more suggestions for healthy game day food.

 If you're like most Americans, you celebrate one of the biggest sporting events in the country (okay, the biggest), but planting yourself in front of the television with ice-cold beverages and hearty yet unhealthy snacks. While this is perfectly normal and provides for nothing but a good time, it doesn't help you keep your New Year's resolution to eat healthier and get in shape.

 You may be thinking right about now that Super Bowl Sunday is not about health foods and low-carb drinks. It's about fierce competition, celebrating football's best teams, laughter, and good times. Why ruin a good time worrying about body image? Well, for one, because healthy eating is not just about body image. It's about obtaining overall good health and increasing your odds of living a long, healthy, and fulfilling lifestyle.

 That said, eating right doesn't mean eating bland, flavorless foods. It is possible to have a good time without fried foods, surgery beverages, and all-around unhealthy dishes. This post will show you how.

Low-Cal Beverages

 If you're like many football fans, you like to enjoy the game with an adult beverage in hand. Super Bowl Sunday is one of the few days you can let loose and act like the crazed fan at a college football game you used to be. EatingWell provides numerous healthy yet tasty Super Bowl drink recipes. Some of the more popular options include the following:

• Skinny Pineapple Margarita
• Jalapeño Watermelon Margaritas
• Island Limeade
• Pear Ginger Shooters
• Watermelon Rose Sangria
• Chaos Ladder

Though each of these recipes calls for alcohol, you can always make a virgin version sans alcohol. In fact, doing so would contribute to your overall weight goals even more, as alcohol is high in carbs and fatty sugars.

Healthy Hors Devours

 In addition to providing recipes for healthy beverages, EatingWell also provides plenty of appetizing recipes for footballs' favorite course: the appetizers. Fried foods are, of course, a stable of game day. EatingWell shows you don't necessarily have to give up the oils and breading to achieve delectable yet good-for-you eats. Siracha Buffalo Cauliflower bites receive a four and a half-star rating, which is outstanding considering cauliflower is one of those veggies with which most people have a hard time getting on board. As a stand-in for chicken, it provides fewer calories and more fiber and the same great taste. Unless you were to spill the beans regarding your veggie alternative, there's a good chance your guests will never know you swapped poultry for a veggie.

Some other healthy starters EatingWell suggests you make are as follows:

• Mediterranean Party Board
• Buffalo Chicken Celery Sticks
• Turkey Chipotle Chili
• Bacon Wrapped Zucchini Fries
• Sweet and Spicy Wasabi Snack Mix

Delectable Dips

 Kettle and pita chips may be healthy alternatives to your favorite fried potatoes, but if you're being honest, the taste doesn't live up to that of the originals'. You can combat the blandness with a flavorful dip. Ultimate Nutrition's dip takes the cake for the best dip of 2019, as it's creamy, hearty, spicy and full of healthy ingredients. The Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe is made of low-fat cottage cheese, fat-free cream cheese, skim mozzarella, buffalo sauce and crumbled blue cheese. Each of these ingredients provides for the rich, creamy flavor. Throw in a pound of chicken breast, cooked and shredded, for sustenance and serve with your favorite low-cal corn chips.

Provide variety for your guests, especially those that prefer less spice in their chip dip. Some other fan favorites include the following:

• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Dip
• Avocado Hummus
• Zesty Avocado Black Bean Dip
• Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
• Kickoff Pepper Dip

Wholesome Dinners

 Many people don't serve actual meals on Super Bowl Sunday, but then again, if you're here looking for healthy dishes, you're not most people. Surprise your guests with a wholesome meal to share at halftime or that they can serve themselves throughout the game. Putting together a tasty yet nutritious main course doesn't have to involve all the meal prep of a Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, if you keep the recipe simple enough, you can make a meal for 20 with as little fuss as possible.

 Food Network gets creative with its game day surprises and serves up recipes that all parties of a usually eclectic gathering can enjoy. One such recipe is Giada's hand-held pizza pockets. These are like mini calzones, but instead of being stuffed with processed meats and salty sauces, they're stuffed with arugula, cheese, and Italian sausage. Store bought pizza crust will save you time when crafting these little delights. Some other ideas Food Network has are as follows:

• Honey Glazed Chicken Wings and Snow Peas
• Baked Buffalo Wings With Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip
• Vegetarian Beans in a Blanket
• Lightened Up Asian Turkey Sliders

 As you can see, there are dozens of flavorful options for treating your guests to tasty yet nutritious foods. Give one or more of the above a try to impress your guests and satisfy their taste buds.