It’s that time of year where we are all operating in over-drive and the holiday craziness is in turbo mode. One of my favorite easy, fairly healthy, holiday hacks is to create grazing boards. Whether you are tasked with hosting guests at home, attending a work event, or headed to a fun gathering with friends…grazing boards are all the rage. And for good reason – there is very little prep and lots of things to please a crowd with a variety of food preferences.
Trader Joe’s is my go-to place for affordable grazing board staples and specialty items. I’ve included a list below of items that you can get to make your perfect spread!
Host considerations:
- Keep nuts separate if you have anyone with nut allergies (if severe eliminate altogether)
- Have vegetables and fruit separate for vegan guests that don’t want their food co-mingled with dairy and meat
Trader Joe’s Grazing Board Ingredients
Crackers
- 3 Seed Sweet Potato crackers (GF)
- 3 Seed Beet crackers (GF)
- Fig and Olive Crips
- Raisin Rosemary Crisps
- Assorted crackers
- Multigrain Pita Bite Crackers
- Savory Thins (GF)
Spreads/Jellies
- Fig Butter
- Honey Pale Ale Mustard
- Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly
Dips
- Blue cheese walnut spread
- Kale walnut pesto (vegan)
- Hummus [Pro tip: cut an acorn squash in half; cut ends to make it flat, scoop out seeds, add hummus to each half and add to tray for fun decor. Can later rinse out and remaining hummus, dice into squares, roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 25-40 minutes – until soft all the way through with a fork)
- Lentil/bruschetta — Get the already cooked brown lentils in the fridge section of Produce – usually near packaged cabbage and beets – and then get the Trader Joe’s Bruschetta mix in a jar (condiment aisle); mix package of lentils with bruschetta mix. Option to add feta, or keep as is and serve with crackers or french bread cut into slices
Dried Fruit and Nuts
- Medjool dates
- Dried cherries
- Mixed nuts and fruits
- Holiday speciality item: Over the River and Through the Woods Trek Mix
Cheese (any assortment of the following)
- Goat
- Gouda
- Camembert and/or Brie
- Fig and goat cheese log
- Beecher’s assortment
Meats (any assortment of the following)
- Salami – dry, uncured, peppered
- Prosciutto
- Smoked Salmon (try Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Smoked Salmon)
Fruit (any assortment of the following)
- Pineapple
- Organic apples cut in wedges
- Blueberries
- Pomegranates
- Grapes – red and/or green
- Oranges cut into wedges
Vegetables
- Broccoli florets
- Cauliflower florets
- Cucumbers (slice into circles)
- Cherry tomatoes – yellow and red
- Sugar snap peas
- Red, Yellow, Orange Bell Peppers cut into strips
- Jicama sticks (already cut in package
Sweet treats
- Dark chocolate covered almonds
- Sweet roasted pecans
- Dark chocolate brittle with pumpkin seeds
You can co-mingle your ingredients or make designated boards. If you have guests with food allergies or sensitivities it might be best to have single-theme boards. Otherwise display them on one big board. [Pro-tip: use parchment paper on the bottom for easy clean up].
Here are some example of boards I created at a recent event in a co-work space. I separated things out since it was for a large group but often just do a single board or two small trays.
Cheers to making the Holidays EASY with Healthy-ish, crowd-pleasing options!
Your Elevated Mama, Addie