Holiday Snack Board

For blogmas this year, I decided to switch it up and highlight local bloggers in the area that you should already be following! My next guest post comes from Grace, from www.firstbitesnutrition.com and she is sharing with us her top holiday snack board recipe. Be sure to check out all of her information at the end of this post!

Hi, I’m Grace! A new mama, Registered Dietitian, and founder of First Bites. First Bites is all about kid nutrition and family-friendly recipes made with whole foods, flexibility, and fun. You can find me at www.firstbitesnutrition.com or @firstbitesnutrition on Instagram! I’m so excited to be partnering with Layla to bring you a fun holiday recipe, even the most amateur chef can make. This one’s actually not for the kids, so don’t worry, even if you’re not a mama, this holiday snack board is for you!

The holidays are in full swing, and parties galore are happening. Work parties, friend parties, family parties, your neighbor down the street you’ve only met once party. Of course, you don’t want to go empty-handed, so what better way to make an entrance and bring everyone together than with a holiday snack board!

How to Make a Snack Board

No 1. Find the right boards for your spread. Large cutting boards, marble slabs, or slate platters make for the perfect serving boards. 

No 2. Choose a variety of meats. If you’re vegetarian skip to No 3., vegan’s skip to No 4. Cured meats like salami, pepperoni and prosciutto do well on snack boards.

No 3. Go for a mixture of soft and hard cheeses like brie, goat, parmesan, gouda, cheddar and mozzarella. 

No 4. Add a variety of fresh and dried fruits and vegetables. A colorful variety of fruits and vegetables will bring your board to life. Switch it up depending on what’s in season! Olives, mini peppers and pickles, edamame, dried cranberries or apricots, blueberries, and carrot sticks are just a few ideas.

No 5. Next up, spreads, jams, dips and an assortment of crackers, breadsticks or pretzels.

No 6. Use a variety of nuts, here I used almonds and walnuts. You could always just grab a jar of mixed nuts to put throughout the board. 

Have fun with it! There are so many combinations of foods, you can’t go wrong. Get creative with it by adding finishing touches like rosemary, mint, or whole radishes and pomegranates as decoration. 

Ingredients

Hummus
Blueberries 
Almonds
Salami
Goat cheese
Cheddar cheese, sliced
Boursin cheese
Snacking peppers
Carrot sticks
Crackers, I used wheat thins 
Olives, optional: stuffed
Chocolate covered pretzels 
Walnuts
Pistachios
Dried cranberries 
Pomegranate, for display
Rosemary, for display

Directions

1. On a large platter or board, arrange anything being served in a dish (such as hummus, blueberries, almonds). 
2. Next, arrange the pomegranate (for display), meats, cheeses, carrots, snacking peppers around the board. Don’t worry about filling up every space. Mix up the texture, shape and colors as you place things around the board. Fold or roll meats and cut or crumble cheeses. 
3. Use the leftover smaller items like nuts, pretzels, pistachios, olives, dried cranberries, and crackers to fill in the rest of the board.
4. Add final touches of sprigs of rosemary or mint. 
5. Enjoy! 

Have you read my last blogmas post? Check it out here!