….Happy holidays (#9)

If you are anything like me, you are probably busy planning your menu for Christmas day. I like to plan ahead to ensure on the day I can relax and enjoy every moment. So this year we will enjoy a very short break over Christmas to visit my parents and sister in Nelspruit. The heat in the summer is unbearable there to making warm Christmas lunch is not recommended.

We generally try to prepare all the food the day before and just tend to “graze” the entire day. I prefer to make a fresh starter just to kick of the celebrations. Nothing spectacular – just something festive. We generally go for stuffed brown mushrooms with plenty of garlic and cheese. To jazz it up a bit more we would top the mushrooms with shrimp.

If you prefer a spicier option you can use the same recipe and just stuff jalapeno peppers or sweet pepper and wrap them in bacon. They can be served with a lovely guacamole dip, sour cream or even a side salad if you really want to.

Another great starter option would be a snack platter. You can add fresh vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, radishes, tomatoes etc. You can do a selection of cheeses with some low carb seed crackers. Alternatively, you can serve a lovely light soup – if you want something more stylish. You can be creative with you platter design just to add some extra “flair” to the dish.

The options are endless and depending on your family and budget you can serve something that will put a smile on everyone’s face. For some amazing recipes and meals ideas, you can check out  Nita’s LCHF4Life and even read their inspirational story.