Healthy Food Ideas For A Small Wedding Reception

When you’re weighing the pros and cons of the size of your wedding day, having an intimate wedding celebration can have so many benefits. They are so much easier to plan and organize, and having a small wedding reception can be so much easier on the budget.

So, they’re not only intimate, romantic and breath-taking, but they’re also more budget-friendly, especially when it comes to the wedding reception food.

When it comes to wedding food ideas, small weddings are a great option. There need to be fewer food choices, and serving healthy food can make the most out of a small wedding reception.

So, I am sharing a roundup of healthy wedding food ideas that are perfect for a small wedding reception. Your wedding menu will make both you, your wallet, and your guests extremely happy!

Healthy Food Ideas For A Small Wedding Reception

To make it extra easy for you, I’ll organize these wedding food ideas into categories, depending on which meal they belong to - appetizer (finger foods), main course, dessert, etc. We created a list that’s sure to please the taste buds of everyone on your list!

Wedding Appetizers

The easiest wedding menu ideas you need to come up with are for wedding appetizers. Having bite sized food makes it so much easier to come up with a healthy option, since there are tons of possibilities.

These options are great to serve during cocktail hour so guests can satisfy their taste buds in the limbo period of waiting on wedding reception food.

So, here are some of my favorite wedding appetizers that are not only extremely delicious, but quite healthy as well so you can have a guilt-free wedding day – perfect for almost any wedding theme.

Deviled Eggs

408 calories

Ingredients:

3 Egg, large - 216 calories
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (Tbsp) - 97 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 tsp Paprika, dash - 0 calories
0.3 Tbsp Mustard, regular (brown, deli, etc.) - 4.5 calories
2 cups Carrots, baby - 90 calories

Instructions:

Hard boil eggs.
Once cooked and cooled, slice eggs in half and scoop out yolks.
Combine egg yolks, mayo, and seasonings in a bowl.
Spoon mixture evenly back into egg whites. Top with paprika.
Serve carrots on the side.
Note: 0.3 Tbsp = 1 tsp.

Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

344 calories

Ingredients:

1 cup Tomatoes, canned, crushed - 50 calories
¼ Onion, yellow - 13.75 calories
2 Tbsp Heavy Cream (Tbsp) - 100 calories
⅓ cup Broth, vegetable - 4.95 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 tsp Garlic, minced (tsp) - 0 calories
1 Oregano, dash - 0 calories
1 Bread, slice, whole wheat - 120 calories
½ oz Cheese, sliced, cheddar, full fat/ regular - 55 calories

Instructions:

Dice onion.
Spray a pot with an oil spray. Add in garlic and cook on medium heat until fragrant ~1-2 minutes.
Add onion another ~2-3 minutes or until translucent.
Add tomatoes, heavy cream, broth, and seasonings. Reduce heat to low.
Cook, stirring occasionally, at least 5 minutes.
Optional (but recommended!): Transfer soup to a blender & blend until smooth.
While soup is cooking, slice bread in half. Add cheese to make sandwich.
Either cook grilled cheese in a pan (use an oil spray, cook for ~2 mins on medium-low heat on each side) or in a toaster oven ~3-5 minutes.
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese or bacon for the sandwich, and cashew milk for the soup, or swap this meal out for another.
No gluten? Use a gluten-free bread.

Cream Cheese & Smoked Salmon Cukes

307 calories

Ingredients:

1 Cucumber, medium - 42 calories
4 oz Smoked salmon - 133 calories
4 Tbsp Cream cheese, whipped (Tbsp) - 132 calories
1 Everything bagel seasoning, dash - 0 calories

Instructions:

Cut off ends of cucumber, slice lengthwise.
Spread cream cheese on top.
Add smoked salmon.
Top with seasonings.
No everything bagel seasoning? Use salt & pepper.

Main Dishes

When it comes to main dishes, there are really many ways you can go.

If you’re having a summer wedding, salmon would be a great choice, since it’s light, fresh, and perfect for the hot summer weather. Since salmon is very healthy, you would definitely have a healthy wedding menu.

If you’re having a fall wedding or winter wedding, chicken would be a great option, since it’s delicious, healthy, and everyone loves it.

So, here are some ideas for main dishes.

Tuscan-Inspired Salmon

438 calories

Ingredients:

4 oz Salmon filet - 200 calories
4 oz Coconut milk, reduced fat (oz) - 140 calories
⅛ cup Broth, vegetable - 1.875 calories
0.3 Tbsp Garlic, minced (Tbsp) - 0 calories
4 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 28 calories
4 Tbsp Tomatoes, sun-dried - 68 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash - 0 calories

Instructions:

Add garlic salt to salmon.
Spray a pan with an oil spray & add in minced garlic. Add in salmon. Cover pan with lid.
Cook salmon ~12 minutes on low-medium heat.
Turn heat to low. Add in spinach, sundried tomatoes, broth, and coconut milk to the pan, recover & let simmer for ~5 minutes

Salmon Asparagus and Rice

285 calories

Ingredients:

4 oz Salmon filet - 200 calories
1 tsp Sesame seeds - 6 calories
2 cups Asparagus spears - 54 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Tbsp Cheese, Parmesan, grated (Tbsp) - 25 calories
1 Garlic powder, dash - 0 calories

Instructions:

Cook rice as instructed on package.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Bake salmon and asparagus for 20 minutes.
Once cooked, top asparagus and salmon with cheese, sesame seeds, and seasonings.
No dairy? Use a dairy free cheese, or add oil.

Individual Chicken Parms

436 calories

Ingredients:

5 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories
1 Tbsp Tomatoes, canned, crushed (Tbsp) - 3 calories
1 oz Cheese, sliced, mozzarella, full fat/ regular - 80 calories
2 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 14 calories
¼ Onion, red - 13.75 calories
½ cup Tomatoes, grape - 16 calories
1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) - 119 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
1 Basil, dash - 0 calories
1 Oregano, dash - 0 calories

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil & spray it with an oil spray.
Season chicken on both sides with salt and oregano; press into meat.
Lay chicken on baking sheet.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven, top with canned tomatoes and cheese, bake for another 5 minutes. Once cooked, topped with seasonings.
Make side salad grape tomatoes (sliced), diced red onion, oil, and seasonings,
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese, or additional oil in the salad. No chicken? Use tofu.

Chicken Piccata

369 calories

Ingredients:

5 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories
2 Zucchini, medium - 66 calories
⅛ cup Broth, chicken or beef - 4.375 calories
1 Tbsp Butter (Tbsp) - 103 calories
2 Tbsp Lemon, juice - 4 calories
3 tsp Parsley, fresh - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
1 Tbsp Capers - 2 calories

Instructions:

Cut zucchini into small pieces, slice chicken intro strips.
Add butter to pan, heat on low heat until melted.
Cook chicken for ~8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
Add zucchini for another ~2 minutes, until slightly browned.
Add in chicken broth. Let simmer ~5 more minutes on low heat.
Top with lemon juice and seasonings.
No chicken? Use tofu, fish, or beans. No dairy? Use oil instead of butter.

Dessert

Besides the wedding cake, you can have some other desserts as well.

If you want to make them a bit more healthy, you can make them fruit-based, so your guests can eat them guilt-free, and devour the wedding cake as well (which will be the star of the show obviously!).

If you’re having a summer wedding, you can even consider having ice cream for a dessert - your guests will go crazy for that, that’s for sure!

Even though ice cream isn’t super healthy, there are some healthiest options to look in to!